Social anxiety affects university students and is treated with CBT

Social anxiety disorder affects up to 12% of people at some point in their lives, impacting university students, academic performance, and personal relationships.

University Impact and Clinical Signs

University life often demands rapid social integration, which can intensify distress for students facing clinical social anxiety. A study conducted by the University of Chichester indicates that more than a fifth of university students face some form of social anxiety during their studies. Researchers link this distress directly to lower grades, poorer relationships, and social isolation. Mary, a student who attended the University of Exeter, experienced this severe impact firsthand after developing depression and taking time off school during her teenage years. By the time she arrived at university, her symptoms led her to avoid group settings entirely.

Mary describes her experience as an out-of-body phenomenon accompanied by physical symptoms. When talking to new people, heat would rise in her face and her hands would begin to tingle. As she notes: I’d almost feel myself separating from my body. I forgot how to form words. Following social interactions, she often experienced an overwhelming sense of shame and a belief that she was fundamentally flawed. Neil Greening, chair of the Social Anxiety Alliance UK, explains that internalizing these feelings as a personality flaw rather than a recognizable condition is a typical characteristic of people with social anxiety. Greening also notes that increased smartphone use and remote working may be worsening anxiety levels by reducing direct social interactions.

NHS Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a Standard Treatment

Following her undergraduate degree, Mary accessed support from the NHS in the form of a talking therapy called CBT. Health systems consider CBT the gold standard treatment for social anxiety because it encourages individuals to re-frame negative thoughts and alter their behaviors. Prof David Clark, a psychologist at the University of Oxford, states that he would like to see more people come forward for therapy. Alongside formal treatment, Clark outlines several practical steps individuals can take to manage their symptoms independently.

The primary step in self-management involves stopping obsessive self-focus during social situations. Clark points out that people with social anxiety constantly monitor their own performance by asking themselves whether they are blushing, sounding stupid, or looking nervous. Instead, he advises shifting attention outwardly toward the conversation, the other person, or the surrounding environment. Individuals also need to drop safety behaviors such as rehearsing every sentence, avoiding eye contact, or staying close to one particular person. Clark also warns against post-event rumination, noting that it is easy to distort what actually happened during an interaction.

Testing Fears and Gradual Progress

To break negative assumptions, Clark recommends testing fears through behavioral experiments, such as asking a question in a meeting or speaking up within a group to observe the outcome. People with social anxiety frequently assume they will embarrass themselves or that others will find them boring. Testing these assumptions helps dismantle those fears, although Clark acknowledges that the process can feel frightening.

Mary has applied these principles as she transitioned to a postgraduate course and managed her social anxiety more effectively. She emphasizes that dealing with the condition is a gradual process that relies on both professional treatment and supportive encouragement from friends. Now engaging in smaller postgraduate groups and participating in an astronomy group, Mary continues to push herself forward despite ongoing challenges. As she observes: It’s still difficult and it doesn’t always go how I want it to, but I’m learning to manage it.