Has 'social anxiety' become more of a household name?

[Entangled]

I'm under the impression that in the last 20 years, I've been hearing the term on TV shows, and from real people in conversation.

But does this mean people are more likely to understand what it is for you?

In the last year, I've heard a girl ask a group of friends something like "Social anxiety aside, what's your deepest darkest secret?", and I've heard a guy say he got into a physical fight with a bouncer "because of social anxiety."

For me it's being stuck in the hallway because you're physically incapable of stepping into a room containing people who can expect you to introduce yourself. It's having someone try to be friendly to you only to watch them giving up in front of your eyes when you search your mind for something to say and it just won't give you anything. Such wildly different interpretations of this term make me realise how open to interpretation the expression is.

I certainly don't want to gatekeep, and I've always felt like it's a good thing when I hear it mentioned. It's just funny when I think back 20 years when I learned this beast had a name, it felt like I was exonerated. Did I overestimate the power of giving it a name?

[Merry]

I haven't heard it much, though I hear the word anxiety in general conversation when I don't think it used to be used.
I think the issue with social anxiety is that most people get some kind of social anxiety, for example most people get anxious about things like interviews, speeches or presentations, but they wouldn't really describe it as social anxiety, and everyone gets anxiety, because it's completely normal. In the past people might describe themselves as being nervous about doing something or stressed about being in a situation, now they might more accurately describe it as having anxiety at that time.
That's all very different from having a disorder though. I don't know what the statistics for social anxiety disorder are, but I think most people don't have social anxiety disorder, even if they sometimes feel anxious or socially anxious, so I don't think it's something that is talked about much.

[Dougella]

I do think that social anxiety seems to be mentioned a lot more often now. When i was younger i don't think i remember it being referred to at all, people just talked about shyness or being nervous.

I think that's probably a good thing, but there is a difference between social anxiety that everyone can experience from time to time and social anxiety disorder which is an actual mental health condition that interferes with people's lives. I don't think many people are aware of what social anxiety disorder is.

[sophie79]

I think that while the term 'social anxiety' has much broader use now, the people that use it are not implying they have the condition known as social anxiety disorder. We all experience some amount of social anxiety in our lives, so I feel that it's perfectly okay for anyone to use that term.

In that way things aren't any different really. Social anxiety disorder was not commonly understood back when I was first diagnosed in the 90s and still isn't today.

On a personal level, I always preferred the term "Social phobia", as it felt more accurate to my own experience. However social anxiety disorder is a very broad condition that people often experience very differently, and I agree with the term being changed to fit that.

[Chess&Junkfood]

There does seem to be a lot more awareness about mental health than when I was growing up. Whether this waters down the full understanding of having SA, maybe it does. But at least on the surface there seems to be more acceptance in having mental health problems. Which will hopefully help more people to reach out for support.

[UnseenSilence]

A lot of mental health disorders are extremes of normal human behaviour and I think social anxiety is a good example of this. Mental health in general is talked about a lot more and I've heard a lot of people use the term Social Anxiety for things a healthy person may have described as "nervousness" years before.

I can imagine it waters down someone's understanding of what you might experience if they hear you say "I have social anxiety". Because that person may relate to it with their own normal/healthier levels of anxiety.

So maybe the term doesn't summarise it as the debilitating condition it is for a lot of people. It might also need some background info along with it and also the word disorder so it's clear someone is differentiating it from normal/healthier thoughts and behaviour.

[biscuits]

Anxiety can be hidden as well. Some people are very skilled at masking it, or may have developed strategies to push through anxiety. We can never know what someone is experiencing or feeling, or the internal struggles and battles they are having.

I notice more and more people speaking openly about anxiety, which is great.

[biscuits]

^ that's okay to disagree.

Masking isn't being natural or socially successful. Masking usually involves "social impairment". It can be the person sat quietly and not talking, the person faking laughter, or the person keeping busy and looking as if they have seemingly genuine reasons to leave a situation, the person always making excuses not to go, or the person drinking more, or the person talking a lot etc. the person who has learnt to nod along and smile and not say much at all.

The person who has mentally rehearsed conversations and all the possible responses and responses to those responses. Who has written down phone conversations and made a flow chart of the possible things someone might say and the responses to give. All things I have done and probably came across as able to hold a conversation.

Masking is exhausting.

This might not be the best website but there's a bit more info here: https://www.charliehealth.com/post/what-is-masking

[Appear]

I get irritated when people equate having social anxiety to having social anxiety disorder. As others have said, it's completely normal to feel social anxiety in some situations - it isn't normal to feel like you can't go into a shop, answer the phone, talk comfortably with strangers, maintain friendships and so on without excessive worry.

Implying that it is the same minimises a very difficult, life-limiting condition. You wouldn't say to someone with emphysema, 'yeah, I struggle with a cough too.'

I don't think it's often intended. It mostly comes from ignorance of how life-limiting it can be and people overdiagnosing themselves thanks to the proliferation pop psychology and armchair 'therapists'.

It is good that it's more widely recognised, but I have a suspicion that the loudest voices on it are rarely those that really struggle with it because of the nature of the condition. That said, I don't think it's easy to 'judge' on just how people behave, as biscuits mentions. I do things that someone with social anxiety typically wouldn't but it still affects me (although I wouldn't claim to have it as a 'disorder' anymore despite still living with some of the consequences).

[Dipitypers]

Reading this post felt like eavesdropping on a conversation I needed to hear. We all know social anxiety can feel like a monster under the bed, a dark cloud raining on our sunshine.

Sometimes, just stepping outside the door feels like running a marathon in flip flops. But like that first step towards the finish line, even small victories count. Maybe joining a virtual support group is the perfect baby step. You get the connection you crave without the pressure of face-to-face interaction.

There's power in sharing our struggles, in knowing we're not alone in this emotional rollercoaster. And hey, if things get overwhelming, remember there are amazing resources out there like mentalhealthhotline.org.