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Overcoming Anxiety (Home) > Social Phobias > Age of Onset

Age of Onset of Social Phobia: Anxiety Disorders

The onset of social phobia generally occurs early in childhood or in adolescence, between five and 20 years. In an epidemiological sample, the mean age at onset for social phobia is reported as being between 11 and 15 years, and onset after the age of 25 years is rare. Nevertheless, even if the data from epidemiological studies and from retrospective reports of adults with social phobia indicate that the mean age at onset is in mid-adolescence , social phobia can be detected in children as young as eight years of age. In effect it has been seen that sufferers from social phobia frequently recalled the onset of the disorder as being ‘‘since early childhood’’, or ‘‘ever since I can remember’’.

Since SP usually has had an early onset, it may interfere with development of social and educational skills, leaving the individual at a social and occupational disadvantage. It was suggested that part of the disability induced by SP might be a consequence of this very early burden. Subtypes of social phobia may have different mean ages at onset. It is reported that the generalised subtype appears earlier, with patients having a mean age at onset of 11 years in contrast to a mean age at onset of 17 years for patients with the specific subtype. Recovery is less likely if the condition started in early childhood.

In addition, it was found that there is a difference in the level of comorbidity linked to the age at onset of SP. In patients with early onset (
15 years of age) there is a higher risk of developing further depressive comordibity compared with that in those with a late onset (15 years of age) of the disorder. The onset of SP usually predates the onset of depressive symptoms, suggesting that SP may have a role in the development of other psychiatric disorders.

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