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Table 19 DSM-5 diagnosis of SAD (social phobia)

From: Canadian clinical practice guidelines for the management of anxiety, posttraumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorders

• Marked fear or anxiety about social situations in which the person may be exposed to scrutiny by others

• Fear that actions or showing anxiety symptoms will cause negative evaluation (e.g., embarrassment, humiliation) or offend others

• The social situation:

Almost always provokes fear or anxiety

Is actively avoided or endured with marked fear or anxiety

• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance:

Is out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the social situation

Is persistent, typically ≥6 months

Causes significant distress or functional impairment

• If another medical condition is present (e.g., stuttering, obesity), the disturbance is unrelated or out of proportion to it

• Specify “performance only” if the fear is restricted to speaking or performing in public

  1. Adapted from DSM-5 [26].