Social anxiety disorder, commonly misdiagnosed with panic disorder, prohibits more than 15 million people in America from living normal and healthy social lives. Social anxiety is when a person has an unreasonable fear of social situations. This disorder can make it so a person cannot perform typical daily tasks. Although social anxiety disorder impacts many peoples’ lives, it is often not thought of as a serious problem and this disorder needs to be recognized before it becomes any worse. Everyone gets nervous and feels self conscious at one point or another, but with people who suffer from social anxiety disorder, also known as SA or social phobia, a person’s fear of being judged, being self conscious, talking to new people, and other social situations is tremendously over exaggerated. Some feel as if they are paralyzed by the fear. Having some level social anxiety is normal and somewhat beneficial because it is in human nature to want to be accepted and “fit in”. The problem arises when that fear turns into panic attacks or prevents a person from getting a job. Some will do anything to avoid the social situations. There are no blood tests or x-rays that can 100% tell if a person has social anxiety. So how are people supposed to know if their anxiety is normal or if it is something they should talk to a psychologist about? The answer is not that simple. The symptoms may vary but social anxiety falls into three categories. The first category is cognitive symptoms, the second is physical reaction, and the last and final category is behavioral avoidance. A professional psychologist can examine the mental or cognitive aspect of a person that thinks they might be suffering from social anxiety. They can use interviews and analysis specially designed to decide if a person suffers from an anxiety disorder. Psychologists will also examine a person’s behavior and attitude. Many people who suffer from social anxiety have many negative thoughts and doubts about themselves. Thoughts that may go through a person with this disorder may be things like “Do I look ok?”, “Will I know what to talk about?”, “What if people notice that I’m nervous.” These and other negative thoughts may go through a person’s mind with social anxiety on a daily basis. These and other mental tests can help determine whether a person is suffering from serious social anxiety. Many people are not aware of the physical effects that come with social anxiety. People who suffer from anxiety attacks caused by social anxiety, which is when a harsh rush of fear and anxiety. Then followed by shortness of breath, tightness and pain in the chest, racing heart, and tingling or numbness. Panic attacks do not just happen then go away once the visible symptoms go away. They can last for long periods of time, sometimes ending in suicide. Many people try to control their symptoms, but just cannot. Having the body in constant alert could cause chronic fatigue, and muscle tension, which is most definitely not healthy