|
A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance
situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to
possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she
will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be
humiliating or embarrassing. Note: In children, there must be
evidence of the capacity for age-appropriate social relationships
with familiar people and the anxiety must occur in peer settings,
not just in interactions with adults.
Exposure to the feared social situation almost invariably
provokes anxiety, which may take the form of a situationally bound
or situationally predisposed Panic Attack. Note: In children, the
anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or shrinking
from social situations with unfamiliar people.
The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.
Note: In children, this feature may be absent.
The feared social or performance situations are avoided or else
are endured with intense anxiety or distress.
The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared
social or performance situation(s) interferes significantly with the
person's normal routine, occupational (academic) functioning, or
social activities orrelationships, or there is marked distress about
having the phobia.
In individuals under age 18 years, the duration is at least 6
months.
The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological
effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a
general medical condition and is not better accounted for by another
mental disorder (e.g., Panic Disorder With or Without Agoraphobia,
Separation Anxiety Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a Pervasive
Developmental Disorder, or Schizoid Personality Disorder).
If a general medical condition or another mental disorder is
present, the fear in Criterion A is unrelated to it, e.g., the fear
is not of Stuttering, trembling in Parkinson's disease, or
exhibiting abnormal eatingbehavior in Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia
Nervosa.
If the fears include most social situations (also consider the
additional diagnosis of Avoidant Personality Disorder)
|
