Social Anxiety Disorder and Emotional Solitude

In this chapter, we explore the concept of solitude as it relates to social anxiety disorder (SAD), a prevalent, debilitating anxiety disorder. People with SAD have smaller social networks and are more likely to live alone even when compared to people with other disorders. When they do have social contacts, they report an absence of emotional bonds with other people and hence often experience depression and loneliness. Here, we draw on several theories of SAD to understand how it is that these individuals suffer from feelings of emotional solitude – alone in the crowd.