Knowledge of social anxiety disorder relative to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among educational...

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), the 3rd most common psychiatric disorder in the United States, follows a chronic and unremitting course, often resulting in severe impairments in multiple areas of functioning. Despite a typical age of onset in early adolescence, the disorder is rarely recognized and treated in adolescent populations. Given its early age of onset, school professionals are arguably in the best position to detect symptoms of SAD and to provide appropriate referrals for assessment and intervention. This study examined the knowledge that teachers, school counselors, and school psychologists have of SAD in relation to their knowledge of a prototypical externalizing disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The results suggest that all 3 groups of educational professionals are surprisingly unfamiliar with adolescent SAD.