Social Anxiety Disorder or more popularly known as SAD, is among the most common mental disorders. People who suffer from SAD have an irrational anxiety of being humiliated. They fear that they are constantly being watched or judged.

SAD is not something that you can just ignore. It is a disorder which needs to be treated properly because it affects a person’s day to day activities and over-all performance.

Are you suffering from it? Know if you have this anxiety. Be wary of the following emotional symptoms: extreme fear and discomfort when around strangers, over-anxiety over situations of evaluation or embarrassment, and fear that others will notice your anxiety. Some of the physical symptoms include: blushing, extreme sweating, shaking hands due to fear, tension in the muscles, and sudden rapid heartbeat.

SAD is a disorder because the person cannot control their anxiety. Even if the person knows that what’s happening is not logical, he is still unable to control the symptoms.

SAD can be caused by a lot of things. Sometimes this disorder begins in early childhood years, although SAD is believed to be caused by a combination of factors.

SAD can be caused by genetics because it’s found to run in families. In addition, brain chemistry has also been linked to SAD. Aside from these, SAD is also known to be caused by environmental problems such as: having overly critical, overly protective, and overly controlling family, being a pushover and being bullied, or a bad experience with family conflicts or sexual abuse.

If you have SAD, ask the help of a doctor. The most known treatments include medication and CBT or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

If you know someone suffering from SAD, show your support by helping the person to calm down when he starts getting anxious. Help him follow a well balanced diet which is known to alleviate this disorder.