Social anxiety, also called social phobia, is the fear of being around people. A person suffering from social anxiety often has unreasonable or excessive fear of social interactions or situations, and would rather be alone than interact with other people. It arises from the fear of being judged, criticized, or closely watched by others. It is estimated that social anxiety disorder affects roughly 15 million adults in the U.S and is the most common mental illness in the United States. It is as common in men as it is in women but often affects people around the age of 13.
