social anxiety disorder

"In any social situation, I feel terrified. As I start to think about the event the symptoms start.
By the time I get there I'm in panic mode. I can feel everyone's eyes on me. I start sweating,
my face is flushed, and I feel like I am removed from myself. All I can think about is getting away."

Here are common social anxiety attack symptom traits:

overwhelming fear of embarrassment, being judged, or humiliated
feeling conspicuous, like all eyes are focused on you
excessive self-consciousness
avoidance of social activities and things you enjoy
exaggerated anxious thoughts
obsessive, racing, or "what-if" thoughts
feeling unable to control your fears
dreading or worrying about social activities for hours, days, or weeks in advance
facial blushing
difficulty speaking
rapid heartbeat, heart palpitations, or rapid pulse rate
trembling
excessive sweating
nausea or abdominal distress

Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia):

Social anxiety disorder is diagnosed as overwhelming anxiety, fear, and self-consciousness in everyday social situations. This anxiety disrupts your daily life. People that suffer from social anxiety disorder usually realize that their fears are unfounded or extreme but still feel unable to control their social fears.

Social anxiety sufferers tend to be acutely aware of their physical symptoms in social situations, which usually intensifies their fear that others are looking at or judging them.

A few common fears associated with social anxiety are a fear of meeting new people, performance fears (i.e. eating in public), and fear of speaking in public situations.

People with social anxiety disorder often experience panic attacks during or soon before the social event. They may avoid situations they think will trigger the social anxiety or refuse to go places where they feel out of control.

Social anxiety disorder can occur with other anxiety disorders (i.e. panic disorder).