Social Phobia

الملخص

This editorial reviews social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder: its definition and recognition in DSM-5, its estimated lifetime prevalence of 2–5% and frequent under-reporting, the interpretive biases that perpetuate it, and its combined genetic and environmental etiology. It surveys the standardized scales used to assess social anxiety in adults and children, current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches, and evidence-based coping strategies.

It then comments on the study published in this issue on social phobia and academic achievement among medical students at Alfajr College for Science and Technology, noting its 27.2% prevalence estimate, discussing the choice of the Social Fear Scale and of convenience sampling, and calling for further research on social anxiety disorder among young Sudanese adults.

The full text of this editorial is available in the PDF and HTML versions.