What is it truly like to live with social anxiety disorder? Reddit users have lifted the lid on living with the condition.
The NHS identifies social anxiety disorder as: “A persistent and overwhelming fear of social situations.”
But there are not only emotional symptoms to social anxiety disorder, it causes raised heart rate, shortness of breath, chest tightness and nausea.
Examples of situations that can provoke such a response are inviting people into the home, eating or drinking whilst being observed, attending parties or using public toilets – although these vary from person to person.
Commenters explained exactly how these situations make them feel.
Redditers also discussed how this affected them at work and their prospects for promotion and career advancement.
In an article on the Huffington Post, Evan Mayo Wilson - lead study author of an article on antidepressants and anxiety - said: “Social anxiety is more than just shyness.”
“People with this disorder can experience severe impairment, from shunning friendships to turning down promotions at work that would require increased social interaction.”
According to research by charity Anxiety UK, as many as 1 in 6 young people in England have suffered with anxiety in the previous week.
This is a 12.8% rise in the last 14 years.
Social anxiety disorder is treatable but despite this, Anxiety UK reported that as low as 25% of people are being treated.
Once patients have visited their GP for diagnosis, the most common form of treatment is Cognitive Behavioural therapy as it has been found to be one of the most effective ways to address anxiety.
Antidepressants can also be prescribed in situations where people are suffering from extreme anxiety.
This Is How Bad It Is To Be A Young Person With Mental Health Issues In 2016
Nearly a quarter of children and young people are being turned away by providers(01 of09)
Open Image ModalChild and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are turning away nearly a quarter (23%) of all children and young people referred to them for help by parents, GPs, teachers and others.
This was often because their condition was not deemed serious enough or suitable for specialist mental health treatment. (credit:© Naufal MQ via Getty Images)
You might not be able to access specialist support if your BMI isn’t low enough(02 of09)
Open Image ModalCentreForum noted that in some cases, support for anorexia was denied unless a young person was under a certain BMI threshold. (credit:Donald Iain Smith via Getty Images)
You might not be able to get specialist support if you’re hearing voices(03 of09)
Open Image ModalCriteria in one area suggested those “hearing voices in the context of mild anxiety, low self-esteem or low mood” should see their GP or voluntary sector counselling service and only be referred to CAMHS if they “heard voices that command particular behaviours”. (credit:H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock via Getty Images)
You might not be able to access specialist support if you've only expressed suicidal thoughts once(04 of09)
Open Image ModalCentreForum found one CAMHS would refer people to more generic support unless they had “enduring suicidal ideation” (i.e. they had felt they wanted to commit suicide on more than one occasion). (credit:Jacques LOIC via Getty Images)
You might not be able to get specialist support if your condition hasn't reached a high level of severity(05 of09)
Open Image ModalIn some areas, referrals were not accepted unless the young person's condition was “having a major impact on the child’s life such as an inability to attend school or involving a major breakdown in family relationships”. (credit:Arvydas Kniuk?ta via Getty Images)
Maximum waiting times for services have more than doubled in the last two years(06 of09)
Open Image ModalCentreForum's analysis of NHS Benchmarking data found that the average of the maximum waiting times for all providers has more than doubled since 2011/12. (credit:Hero Images via Getty Images)
Maximum and average waiting times vary greatly(07 of09)
Open Image ModalRespondents reported maximum waiting times ranging from four weeks to over two and a half years. The average of these longest waiting times for each service was nearly 10 months for treatment to begin.
Average waiting times for different providers also varied widely, from two weeks in Cheshire to 19 weeks in North Staffordshire. The average waiting time in Gateshead is five times as long as for those in nearby Tyneside. Similarly, waits in London vary widely from two months in Kensington and Chelsea to nearly six months in neighbouring Brent. (credit:Aaron McCoy via Getty Images)
There were also 'hidden waits' concealed in average waiting times(08 of09)
Open Image ModalCentreForum has uncovered that the median of the maximum waiting times for all providers was 26 weeks (6 months) for a first appointment and nearly ten months (42 weeks) for the start of treatment.
Some providers did not even measure waiting times at all, meaning that some patients could even be waiting longer than this. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Where you live can affect how much is spent on your treatment(09 of09)
Open Image ModalCentreForum’s analysis of regional expenditure on mental health also revealed a North/South divide, with northern regions spending more on services while capacity problems exist in the South. (credit:Sverrir Thorolfsson Iceland via Getty Images)