Many adolescents blossom as they transition into high school.
Max Wolfe collapsed in on himself.The once-gregarious child became a teen so desperately afraid of embarrassing himself that he begged his teachers, privately, to never call on him in class. He didn't date, didn't hang out with friends, didn't even like to go the grocery store.
He approached his own life with sweaty palms and shaky voice, usually blushing. He'd never go to school on the first day because that was when students had to introduce themselves. He missed opportunities for fun and advancement because he'd have to speak up.
That's the impact of social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia. According to Dr. Daniel D. Christensen, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute and Wolfe's doctor, the condition is the most common anxiety disorder. At some point, 1 in 10 people will experience it -- some for long periods of time, some for shorter periods.
He's not talking about simple unease in social situations, Christensen said. The disorder is debilitating. And those who suffer its effects don't just avoid public speaking. They don't date, don't go to college, never get married, won't even go to the store or the gas station for fear of "being scrutinized in a negative way."
"We see people 21 or 22 who never developed socially because of it," he said. "It can determine what one becomes."
An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from social phobia, which is classified just behind major depression and alcoholism as a psychiatric disorder. Experts believe that many alcoholics first turn to alcohol to combat their social phobias.
Only about 5 percent of those who suffer from the disorder get professional help. But the problem is so prevalent that nationally the Social Anxiety Disorder Coalition has launched a campaign to educate those who suffer its ef- fects that the condition is treatable.
Wolfe, now 23, remembers vividly how his world shut down. "I was going crazy. I could talk one on one with people. But I couldn't speak in a class or give presentations. And it extended into things like I couldn't read in front of people, not even my own family."
Christensen prescribed an anti-anxiety medication that didn't work well for Wolfe. Then he prescribed Paxil, which has been used to treat people with depression, panic disorders and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Within two weeks, Wolfe was functioning in the world again.
"I really wanted to get over it, and I pushed myself," he said. With encouragement from Christensen and his family, he even joined Toastmasters to "expose myself to those conditions where I would be forced to speak in front of groups of people."
Paxil, produced by SmithKline Beecham, is about to become the first medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically to treat social anxiety disorder.
Left untreated, the condition causes people to drop out of school, limit their social support networks and live solitary lives. No numbers show the financial impact, but the coalition said that it is clear people don't live up to their earnings potential. They call in sick to work more often than those without the disorder. And they're not as productive. They are also more likely to have suicidal thoughts than someone without the disorder.
The medication is not enough to change lives, said Christensen. People still have to push themselves into social situations and confront their fears.
But Wolfe said it's worth the effort. He's married, works full time and is taking business courses in night school.
He's not afraid.