Synonyms
Avoidant personality disorder; Social phobia
Definition
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is recognized as a highly prevalent (up to 13.3 % lifetime prevalence rate) as well as a chronic disorder with onset during the teenage years (Kasper 1998). Although the disorder is associated with significant disability, which includes educational and occupational capabilities that has a negative impact on the quality of life, it is highly underdiagnosed and undertreated. SAD is recognized as a serious medical condition that is accompanied by significant disability since it starts in early life and therefore impairs the otherwise occurring socialization including the development of coping skills. This view has been strengthened by data showing that SAD cannot simply be equated with shyness or with avoidant personality traits and by evidence that this disorder is a discrete entity associated with distinct psychobiological dysfunctions (Lanzenberger et al. 2007) and responsive to specific...
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References
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Kasper, S. (2014). Social Anxiety Disorder. In: Stolerman, I., Price, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_333-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_333-2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27772-6
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