Social anxiety disorder(SAD ; also known as social phobia)is characterized by fear of social situations involving performance or interaction. This disorder has been formally recognized as a distinct anxiety disorder since DSM-III was published in 1980. In Japan, a number of psychopathological and psychotherapeutic studies have been performed since the 1930s on a pathological condition similar to SAD, known as Taijin-kyofu(TK). TK, especially the convinced subtype of TK(c-TK ; also known as the offensive subtype of TK), is described as a culture-bound syndrome similar to SAD. In proposed DSM-5 draft, it is suggested to add “offending others”to fear of being humiliating or embarrassing which were indicated in DSM-IV. It is interesting that fearing of making another person uncomfortable or “offending others”is consistent with symptom which has been investigated through c-TK in particular. The relation between SAD and TK will become clear in examination by new diagnostic criteria(DSM-5)more in future.
Social Anxiety Disorder : Current Status and Future Directions
Health Care Center and Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica
114: 1056-1062, 2012
<Keywords:social anxiety disorder, Taijin-kyofu, convinced subtype of Taijin-kyofu, DSM-5>