However, the first study on it was only published in the late 1980s and only recently has the pharmaceutical industry marketed a drug to treat the disorder.
Social anxiety is severe pathological shyness, stemming from fear of rejection and humiliation.
Socially anxious people tend to avoid situations such as talking to their boss, speaking up in meetings, asking directions or even writing a check in public. They believe they are the object of others' scrutiny or harsh judgment, says Dr. Peter Roy-Byrne, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and chief of psychiatry at Harborview Medical Center. The discrete type is linked to performance anxiety, such as a fear of speaking in front of others that is so intense a person may get physically ill just thinking about it and feel no relief after its over. For people with generalized social anxiety, forming relationships is difficult and about 75 percent of them remain single. They also tend to be underachievers, by not reaching a professional level that matches their skills or education.