Social Anxiety Disorder: Current Status of Prevalance, Comorbidity, and Impairment

Abstract

Since the last quarter of the last century, knowledge about the epidemiology of social anxiety disorder (SAD) has continued to expand. Therefore, the present study aimed to present an up-to-date and holistic examination of the prevalence of SAD in the general population in various continents and regions around the world. Epidemiological studies in databases since 2001 have been extensively searched and as a result, 43 community studies have been identified. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of SAD in community samples in all countries were 5.6% and 2.6%, respectively. In America, Europe, and Oceania countries with relatively high socioeconomic levels, the prevalence of SAD was the highest; in Asia, Africa, and Middle East countries, the prevalence rates were relatively the lowest. It was noteworthy that the age of onset of the disorder was quite early and it was more common in females than males. At the same time, SAD was associated with worse mental health status and decreased quality of life in various fields—such as family, social relationships and education. In addition, SAD stands out as a persistent and highly comorbid disorder. Although the prevalence of SAD varies in various epidemiological studies, it has been observed that it was one of the most common anxiety disorders in many studies. It was considered that the understanding toward the SAD and initiatives to treatment-seeking behavior will improve considerably with information obtained from the general population—such as the frequency of occurrence, age of onset, and the course of the disorder.