Social Anxiety Disorder

A healthcare provider such as a clinician, psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist can diagnose a person with social anxiety disorder based on the criteria for social anxiety disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association. The criteria for social anxiety disorder under the DSM-5 includes:

• Experiencing continuing, intense fear or anxiety about social situations because you believe you may be judged negatively or humiliated by others.
• Avoiding social situations that may cause you anxiety, or enduring them with intense fear or anxiety.
• Experiencing intense anxiety that’s out of proportion to the situation.
• Experiencing anxiety and/or distress from social situations that interfere with your day-to-day life.
• Experiencing fear or anxiety in social situations that aren’t better explained by a medical condition, medication or substance abuse.

Your healthcare provider or another clinician will likely see if the DSM-5 criteria match your experience by asking questions about your symptoms and history. They may also ask you questions about your medications and do a physical exam to make sure your medication or a medical condition isn’t causing your symptoms.

A person typically has to have had symptoms of social anxiety disorder for at least six months in order to be diagnosed.

Is there a test to diagnose social anxiety disorder?

Healthcare professionals and psychologists can use certain tools or tests — usually a series of questions — to learn more about what you’re experiencing to gauge whether or not you could have social anxiety disorder.

Based on the responses, your healthcare provider can then make a social anxiety disorder diagnosis.