Social anxiety and agoraphobia are both anxiety disorders that can limit a person’s ability to function. People who have these conditions may have a hard time being in public spaces. There are some nuances that differentiate these conditions from each other. Agoraphobia is considered an anxiety disorder, that can develop alongside panic disorder, that involves fears of specific situations. Social anxiety covers a broader range of symptoms that stem from a fear of judgment or embarrassment.
The resource used to diagnose mental health conditions in the United States is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). This is the main source we’ll use to outline the essential differences between agoraphobia and social anxiety in this article.
5 essential differences between social anxiety and agoraphobia
Social anxiety and agoraphobia are two fundamentally different anxiety conditions. However, there are a few things that they have in common. Both cause significant distress or impairment and avoidance of feared situations. In both cases, the fear or anxiety is out of proportion with reality. Both conditions typically last six months or more. To make a diagnosis, providers must rule out other potential causes, like substance use or side effects from a medication.
Understanding the differences between these two conditions can help you have better conversations with care providers so you can find appropriate treatment.
The following are five key differences between social anxiety and agoraphobia:
Different root fears
At its root, social anxiety is typically a fear of judgment or embarrassment. People who have agoraphobia fear specific vulnerable or dangerous situations in which they have no way to escape. These are often things that may happen outside the home, including being in open spaces, like parking lots or shopping malls, or enclosed spaces.
Diagnostic criteria
The criteria for agoraphobia include fear of five specific situations. To receive a diagnosis, people must have intense fear or distress in at least two of them. Social anxiety is a bit broader in that it only requires fear of one or more social situations. It lists some examples, such as performing or interacting with others, but there are fewer limits to what this might look like.
The five situations listed in the criteria for agoraphobia are:
- Using public transportation
- Being in open spaces
- Being in enclosed spaces (e.g., shops, theaters, cinemas)
- Standing in line or being in a crowd
- Being outside the home alone
Different symptoms
People who have social anxiety may experience classic anxiety symptoms such as sweating, indigestion, or a feeling that something bad is going to happen. However, symptoms can vary in presentation and severity. With agoraphobia, people experience panic attacks. These are abrupt and intense surges of fear in which a person experiences four or more symptoms. During panic attacks, people often experience a racing heartbeat, heart palpitations or chest pain.
Diagnostic category
Agoraphobia is a type of panic disorder, while social anxiety has its own diagnostic category. People may have panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. This means they may have panic attacks in other situations besides the five listed for agoraphobia.
Specifications
Some people only experience social anxiety when they’re speaking or performing in front of a crowd. For these people, the performance-only specifier would apply. Others with broader fears in different social situations can be diagnosed with generalized social anxiety. Agoraphobia itself is a subtype of panic disorder.
Get help for social anxiety or agoraphobia at Guidelight
Living with any anxiety condition can affect your relationships and keep you from doing the things that make your life worthwhile. There is hope that you can find effective treatment and start feeling like yourself again. If your symptoms are moderate to severe, or if outpatient therapy isn’t helping, you may benefit from a higher level of mental health care.
At Guidelight, we provide personalized treatment in a supportive community setting. Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) includes partial-day treatment three days a week. Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) includes full treatment days, five days a week. Our programs are organized into specialized treatment tracks so people with anxiety conditions can attend group therapies with people who share similar experiences.
Are you ready to try a new approach to anxiety treatment? Everyone has a seat at Guidelight. Find yours by contacting our team today for more information or to schedule an initial evaluation.