The term social anxiety, in most cases, is not associated with a serious mental illness. The average person usually thinks that someone with social anxiety is simply not a "people's person." However, social anxiety has been defined as a disorder or phobia. Social anxiety disorder is an underdiagnosed real psychiatric disorder that should be recognized not as simple shyness, but as a psychological illness with symptoms and treatments. It is a disorder that is becoming more and more widespread as time goes by. Due to the technological advancements and devices that exist in the modern era, there has been an overall change in the average amount of social interactions that the average person can have. This leads to an excessive number of people who become nervous, even afraid of being in any type of social situation. Nearly half of Americans describe themselves as shy; almost everyone has had stage fright at some point in their life. For a shocking number of people, this kind of situation is terrible (“Beyond Shyness and Stage Fright” 1). Stage fright “becomes a disorder when the resulting symptoms make individuals unhappy or seriously interfere with their work, friendships, and family life. This paralyzing fear of certain personal encounters and social situations is called social anxiety disorder or social phobia, and is increasingly considered a treatable condition” (“Beyond Shyness and Stage Fright” 1). Until about 1994, the disorder wasn't, well, a disorder. There were other psychological illnesses that developed into what is now known as social phobia or social anxiety disorder. “The definition, however, is a work in progress. In 1994, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published...... half of the document ......d, for fear of bad results. Works Cited “A Real Illness: Social Phobia.” A real disease: social phobia. 2000: np SIRS Government Reporter. Network. March 30, 2014. "Beyond shyness and stage fright: social anxiety disorder." Harvard Mental Health Letter. October 2003:1-4. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 30, 2014.Friedland, Bruce. Personality disorders. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991. Print.Jaret, Peter. “How shy is too shy?” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California). February 21, 2005: f1+. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 26, 2014. Landro, Laura. “A Better Way to Treat Anxiety” Wall Street Journal. 28 May 2013: Q. 1. Researcher on SIRS issues. Network. March 30, 2014. Markway, Barbara and Gregory Markway. Painfully shy. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2001. Print. “Social Anxiety Disorder.” Harvard men's healthcare watch. November 2003: 5-8. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 26, 2014.