When put in a social situation where they might become anxious sufferers have symptoms such as a racing heart, trembling, blushing or even sweating.

This anxiety disorder is not uncommon by any stretch of the imagination — some sources say it affects more than five million Americans any given year.

Some children are only afraid of speaking or performing in public, while others fear and avoid a wide range of social situations.However if you have met someone with this condition and would like get to know him/her better, here are a few things you can keep in mind.Understand the condition Whether you already know your date to be suffering from social anxiety disorder or as yet simply suspect him/her as having the condition, it is best you acquaint yourself with the term and all that it entails.Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a psychological disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations.Thus your date may be repeatedly assailed by fears that he or she will make mistakes, look bad and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others.While in an extreme situation, the anxiety can build into a panic attack, sometimes they even suffer "anticipatory" anxiety -- the fear of a situation before it even happens -- for days or weeks before the event.In many cases, the person is aware that the fear is unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome it.Finally, being a shy or quiet child is not the same as having social anxiety disorder.Young children tend to experience a number of physical symptoms such as stomachaches or complaints about feeling ill.Again social anxiety disorder may be generalized as when a person SAD has fears related to most social and performance situations such as speaking to authority figures, going on dates, starting conversations, giving speeches or it may be expressed only in specific situations, like for instance if a person only feared public speaking or were only afraid of meeting a person of the opposite sex.While social anxiety disorder can be diagnosed only by trained mental health professional, it is usually easy to spot some of its symptoms – in someone else it would be expressed as feelings of panic, fear, uneasiness and an inability to be still or relaxed.A diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder can indicate either a “specific disorder” or a “general disorder”.A specific disorder is when only some particular situations cause social anxiety. It's something that can cause significant stress and discomfort, and in extreme cases possibly even cause panic attacks and feelings of low self-worth as a result of social situations.