You’re standing on a podium, ready to give the inspirational speech you’ve been
writing for weeks. You’re prepared, but you have a sense of uncertainty about yourself:
What if I make a mistake? What will my audience think? Are they going to judge me? The
fear for social interactions is attributed to one’s anxiety over how they’re perceived, which
is common and debilitating for many adults and young adults. However, this condition,
otherwise known as Social Anxiety Disorder, has an onset that emerges in arguably one of
the most transitional and vulnerable stages of our development: adolescence.
Understanding SAD in the context of adolescence helps students better comprehend the
behavioral cues of others, cognitive methods to avoid social anxiety, and overall spread
awareness of the mental health disorders that affect many teens today.
Social Anxiety Disorder is the most common anxiety disorder and the third most
common mental health disorder in the United States, affecting a notable 1 in 3
adolescents. Because the seeds of Social Anxiety Disorder in adults are typically sown in
adolescence, the symptoms of the condition take forms that we, as teens, observe and
may even experience in our everyday lives, whether culturally, socially, or even
academically. The feeling of intense worry that results from SAD significantly alters the
social lives of individuals by disconnecting them from their peers, day-to-day activities,
and the memorable experiences that adolescents should have. However, it is a common
misconception that the symptoms of SAD cover a broader range of experienced anxieties
that almost every teen experiences. Nervousness over your first day of school or a first date
is not SAD, as SAD is characterized by overwhelming distress, self-consciousness, and fear
of judgment in everyday activities, not short-term conflicts that are easily overcome. This
prevents the individual from having relationships, meaningful experiences, and a sense of
community. Without the social support and confidence that results from these aspects of
an adolescent’s social life, individuals with SAD will find themselves confined in a
continuous cycle of anxiety over social situations. Common adolescent experiences
associated with Social Anxiety Disorder include difficulty in simple conversations, eating in
front of others, public performances, or sports competitions. These experiences are
essential to an adolescent’s progression, as they help them develop a sense of confidence,
identity, and social inclusion; without the daily and memorable experiences that
accompany adolescence, individuals with SAD experience a far more weakening force on
their development than someone with first-day jitters.
Several factors contribute to the growth of SAD in adolescents that vary from
biological influences to environmental stressors. The diminishing of self-esteem and
security that leads to Social Anxiety Disorder can be attributed to long-term stress and
trauma, and significantly accelerated by genetics, family history, and even certain
parenting styles. Studies have found a strong correlation between overprotective parenting
disorders and the development of SAD in children, as these parenting habits may keep
children from experiencing the necessary social interaction that facilitates their
development and social skills. Bullying, whether in person or on the internet, plays a
prevalent role in the weakening of a teen’s self-esteem and the progression of SAD.
Whether an act of discrimination or a lack of acceptance, traumatic and negative social
and familial interactions can easily dwindle one’s self-worth and result in the development
of fear for similar situations. In defense, individuals who develop SAD may anxiously avoid
social situations entirely to prevent another possible traumatic experience from occurring.
The previously mentioned “cycle” that individuals with SAD find themselves trapped in
primarily results from this phenomenon of constantly avoiding interactions, support, and
overall any social environment that they are worried might humiliate or hurt them. With this
knowledge about SAD, adolescents can be more informed about how their own self-image
and the actions of others can affect mental health, helping lead them toward potential
coping methods and prevention strategies.
In consideration of the environmental factors of SAD, there are various ways to
prevent the emergence of the disorder and treat it entirely. In families, parents need to have
unconditional positive regard and acceptance of their children while they’re younger so
that they have a healthy sense of self growing into adolescence and adulthood. After the
onset of the disorder, therapies associated with cognitive and behavioral approaches have
high success rates in treating SAD in adolescents. These types of therapies involve
targeting the behaviors and thinking patterns that cause social anxiety and suggesting skills
to manage those thoughts and change certain behaviors. By helping teens with SAD
understand the connection between their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, the cognitive
and behavioral approaches are extremely helpful in treating the disorder with goal-oriented
solutions. As a community, adolescents can help provide support and spread awareness of
Social Anxiety Disorder by including others they observe as isolated, approaching people
generously and considerately about their behavior, and practicing positive gestures. With
the efforts of younger communities, mental health professionals, and families in avoiding
and confronting the disorder, SAD’s prominence among adolescents can potentially
decrease and hopefully be more self-manageable in the future.
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6447508/
https://polaristeen.com/articles/social-anxiety-in-teens/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness
