Social anxiety disorder, also known as social disorder, occurs when you become exceedingly anxious and self-conscious in normal social interactions. Social anxiety symptoms include, but are not limited to, experiencing emotional distress upon being introduced to new people; experiencing emotional distress while being watched by someone else while you are doing something; experiencing emotional distress while dealing with people in authority or with strangers; experiencing emotional distress due to interpersonal relationships; etc.

People who are normally perceived by others as being socially backward, unfriendly, nervous, disinterested, or aloof, are usually those who are suffering from social anxiety disorder. These people truly want to be friendly and socially normal, but they have difficulty doing so.

It has been said that the underlying cause of social anxiety disorder is believed to be an exaggerated shame response that few people with social anxiety symptoms adequately conceptualize. However, usually people with social anxiety disorder have experienced at least one traumatic incident in their lives that they interpreted as being intensely shameful to them.

Emotional distress is one of the main social anxiety symptoms. However, it manifests itself in a variety of ways depending on the dreaded situation which usually determined its severity and length and how it interferes with normal functioning. It can be limited to one particular type of event or can be broad in its display.

Generally speaking, social anxiety symptoms are usually treated with medication and/or psychotherapy. The medications usually prescribed are various antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Tofranil, Ativan and Inderal. The psychotherapy that is usually prescribed is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT has been shown to be probably the best treatment for social anxiety. Research and also clinical evidence point to sufferers receiving long-term relief from symptoms and in most cases, permanent changes in the way they react in social situations. Therapy involves changing the way you perceive different social situations. Your brain creates a neural pathway to represent the way you react to specific situations. Think of it as a path that has been cleared through a jungle. Your emotional distress in a social situation is that path. It is easier to go down that path next time you have to face a situation that causes you anxiety than clear a new path (representing a more appropriate response in a social situation). CBT helps re-train the brain to create new neural pathways, those new paths through the social jungle.

One thing that you can do to help yourself deal with your social anxiety symptoms is employ some self-help strategies that will supplement any professional help that you receive. One of the best ways to take this route is through some simple lifestyle changes. Some suggested lifestyle changes include: avoiding or limiting your caffeine intake, moderating your alcoholic beverage intake, quitting smoking, and getting adequate amounts of sleep.  Another method involves using specific self-talk to induce better responses in social situations.