Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects an estimated fifteen million adults, 6.8 percent of the U.S. population. Of all the childhood anxiety disorders, social anxiety disorder is the most common. SAD also affects children at a younger age than any of the other anxiety disorders.

SAD is diagnosed in a child or teenager when she becomes overwhelmingly self-conscious in everyday social situations. Much more than a tendency toward shyness, the socially phobic child has an intense fear of being watched and judged by other people. She may become terrorized by her fear of making mistakes and becoming embarrassed. A youngster with social anxiety disorder may harbor dread about the start of school or a birthday party for days or weeks in advance. She may develop stomach ailments, feign an illness, or refuse to leave her room.

Because social phobia is one of the more deceptive anxiety disorders, affected children can appear fine on the outside, even friendly and occasionally outgoing, while on the inside they suffer a debilitating fear of negative scrutiny.

Their choice of activities may reflect this disorder. For example, a child with SAD may opt repeatedly for online role-playing games, rather than accept invitations for in-person socializing. They may also dislike talking on the telephone.

The child with SAD experiences silent suffering that may only become apparent to you as a parent when you notice your child opting out of social situations on a regular basis and, by choice, spending an inordinate amount of time alone.

Supplementary treatment, especially Shyness Groups, an effective form of exposure response prevention (ERP) therapy focused on social anxiety, is often of value to a child with OCD who is also suffering from social anxiety disorder.