ADHD and the Development of Social Phobia

As the parent of a child who suffers from a mental health disorder, I am acutely aware of the challenges this disorder brings to not only his life, but to the life of our entire family. For many teenage boys, the challenges of adolescents bring about a time of maturity and independence, and improved socialization.

For teenagers with a mental health disorder, the transition through adolescence can be particularly challenging. As my son struggles through adolescence, with living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, the complications of traditional teen behavior can often be far more challenging. While ADHD often leads to acts of impulsivity and aggression in teenagers, the consequence of his behavior often leads to social isolation.

Coupled with ADHD, teenagers often development social phobia. While there are many social issues that are associated with teen behavior and lifestyle, the development of social phobia can be uniquely challenging to overcome for teens. With social phobia, the symptoms of extreme fear, self-consciousness, and even anxiety, often lead to lack of social skills and poor relationships in high school. Choosing to avoid these situations so as to prevent the symptoms, many high school students isolate themselves from their peers which only further compounds the complication.

My son, living with ADHD, also suffers from social phobia. His most marked complication involves situations that incorporate eating in public. Because of his fear and anxiety, associated with social settings where eating is required, he will simply refuse to eat at school. Without eating, he is hungry all day and then eats, ravenously, when he returns home on the late afternoon.

For children and teenagers who suffer from social anxiety disorder or social phobia, there is a constant underlying fear and anxiety associated with the belief that others are watching you or that you are constantly being judged. For fear of doing something that may place embarrassment on them, children and teenagers with this complication will simply choose to avoid the situation.