It can be very demoralising to suffer from a social phobia, because other people seem to do so easily many things you find impossible. You may think that you are rather boring and may worry that others will think so too. It may make you over-sensitive and reluctant to bother other people, even when you should. It's easy to see how this can make you feel depressed and unhappy. This can make the social phobia even worse.
Many sufferers cope by arranging their lives around their symptoms.
They can't visit their children's school, can't do the shopping or go to the dentist. They may even actively avoid promotion at work, even though they are quite capable of doing a more demanding and more financially rewarding job. About half of those with a severe phobia, particularly men, will have difficulty in making long-term relationships. About one to two in a hundred men and two to three in a hundred women will suffer from a social phobia. Some people are so upset by their social phobia that they develop a depressive illness.