Caged by the Fear of Being Seen: Case Study of an Adolescent Living With Social Anxiety

Abstract

Social anxiety disorder has been defined as a mental health condition wherein an individual experiences intense, enduring fear and feelings of anxiety surrounding interpersonal situations and social scenarios because they are afraid of being humiliated, embarrassed or judged in a critical way according to DSM 5 – TR. Adolescents are particularly impacted by social anxiety due to neurocognitive abilities like self – consciousness developing during this period in one’s life. Adolescents who live with social anxiety disorder are constantly torn between wanting to avoid social situations and be a part of interpersonal bonds. This paper revolves around the case of Ms. S, who is a 14 years old girl living with social anxiety. Upon exploring the struggles being faced by Ms. S through a psychological interview, she shared feeling scared about being judged for her thoughts and emotions. She often felt like people would make fun of her if she expressed herself without holding back. The adolescent also opened up about how many a times, she has wanted to take up an opportunity, answer a question and talk to a peer but has been held back by similar beliefs. The paper seeks to explore possible therapeutic interventions for her case along with providing research evidence for the same.