Social Anxiety: Hidden Fears and Shame in Teens and Adults

Affecting millions of people in the United States, social anxiety, according to
DSM-5-TR, refers to the condition of persisting intense fear or anxiety about
being severely embarrassed or humiliated in social situations where such fear is
out of proportion to any actual threat.

This compelling new guide calls
for an expanded definition, one that involves the persistent fears and shame of
individuals related to what others might think of them if certain actions or
thoughts in their past or present were ever to become known-even when there may
be no actual interaction with those other people.

At the heart of the case
made by Social Anxiety: Hidden Fears and Shame in Teens and Adults are 22 case
examples featuring individuals from age 14 to age 52. These revealing vignettes
underscore that

Social anxiety does not correspond merely to transient
fears such as meeting new people or public speaking but can be chronic and
persistent Social anxiety does not involve only fears of potentially
challenging behaviors; for many it also manifests as fears or shame about past
or present wishes or thoughts considered unacceptable A significant
percentage-as many as half-of individuals struggling with social anxiety avoid
seeking help

Opening with a description of what the research has to say
about the nature, causes, and effects of social anxiety, this book also examines
the wide variety of treatment interventions, including psychotherapy,
medications, and family interventions.

With a depth of information that
will prove clinically useful to medical and mental health professionals, Social
Anxiety is also written in an engaging style that will be easily accessible to
laypeople-including those suffering from social anxiety themselves, as well as
their family and community.