Diagnosis

Your health care provider will want to determine whether other conditions may be causing your anxiety or if you have social anxiety disorder along with another physical or mental health disorder.

Your health care provider may determine a diagnosis based on:

• Physical exam to help assess whether any medical condition or medication may trigger symptoms of anxiety
• Discussion of your symptoms, how often they occur and in what situations
• Review of a list of situations to see if they make you anxious
• Self-report questionnaires about symptoms of social anxiety
• Criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association

DSM-5 criteria for social anxiety disorder include:

• Persistent, intense fear or anxiety about specific social situations because you believe you may be judged negatively, embarrassed or humiliated
• Avoidance of anxiety-producing social situations or enduring them with intense fear or anxiety
• Excessive anxiety that's out of proportion to the situation
• Anxiety or distress that interferes with your daily living
• Fear or anxiety that is not better explained by a medical condition, medication or substance abuse