Shy Teens May Be More than Wallflowers

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Shy Teens May Be More than Wallflowers

By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: October 17, 2011
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Most adolescents who claim to be shy do not have social phobia, but for those who do have the disorder, it can be disabling, researchers found.

In a large survey, 46.7% of adolescents said they were at least somewhat shy, but of those, only 12.4% met criteria for social phobia, according to Kathleen Merikangas, PhD, of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues.

Compared with those who were shy, those with social phobia were more likely to have a range of psychiatric disorders and to be impaired in daily activities, the researchers reported in the November issue of Pediatrics.

"Taken together, the results of the present study emphasize social phobia as an impairing psychiatric disorder, beyond normal human shyness," they wrote.

[get the red out]

1. 30 years late for me BUT

Thankfully this terrible problem is being noticed. Being a teenager trying to hide, and survive, an anxiety disorder was very miserable.

[pipi_k]

2. 45+ years too late for me too...

Social anxiety was hell. It started way before my teenaged years.

I have other anxiety disorders as well. I always feel a little envious of people who are just now being afflicted with this crap. At least they can get diagnosed and treated before it becomes disabling.

The longer it goes untreated, the harder it is to treat... :(

[Lance_Boyle]

3. In other words, "we have a pill for that."

Survey-based psychiatric diagnosis brought to you by LillyPfizerGlaxo, Inc.

Be sure to get your kids "tested!"

:eyes:

[woo me with science]

4. Thank you. nt