How will a psychiatrist determine whether I suffer from social anxiety disorder?

How will a psychiatrist determine whether I suffer from social anxiety disorder?

Christopher Reist (Academic Psychiatrist, Co-Author of “Psychiatry”) gives expert video advice on: What are the most common causes of social anxiety disorder?; Is there anything I can do to avoid developing social anxiety disorder? and more...

As with other mental illnesses, the first job of a psychiatrist when diagnosing social anxiety disorder is to collect information about the present illness, as well as important details about your past and your family psychiatric history. Once that's completed, the psychiatrist will develop in his mind a list of the possible disorders that might explain your symptoms, including social anxiety disorder. Then, through a process of elimination, which may require medical tests or medical examinations to rule out medical causes of anxiety, he or she will arrive at the correct diagnosis.