Dear Alice,     My name is Lisa. I have social anxiety, disorder and was wondering how it would be possible to see someone for help without my parents knowing about it. I know that they'd be anything but supportive. They would think I'm  ly out of my mind. The truth is, I've put off dealing with it, acting as if it'll just go away or that I'll outgrow it. But in reality, the older I'm getting, the worse I'm getting. I avoid as many social situations as I can. I completely panic when meeting new people, I only stay in classes that don't require any talking on my part. It seems the only place I'm actually happy is at home or with people that I've known all my life. Hope you can help!    Dear Lisa,     About 5 million Americans have some form of social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia. While everyone experiences nervousness or fear in social situations to a certain extent, those with social anxiety disorder are weakened by their fear. They may have a constant, intense, and lasting fear of being watched and judged by others, or be terribly afraid of being embarrassed or laughed at by ways in which they behave. As you have described, this fear can prevent people with social anxiety disorder from doing everyday activities, such as going to school or work, and can become so much of a focus that they limit their socializing.     It's understandable that you are worried about how your parents might react to knowing what's been going on for you. Many people think that their families will blame them for how they're feeling or _ their concerns. Being honest with your parents, however, might help you to feel more at ease; it's possible that they've noticed your behavior and wondered about it, or even struggled with similar feelings themselves. There's even some evidence that anxiety disorders may be genetic or run in families --perhaps due to environmental factors and patterns expressed through interpersonal interactions. According to Lisa, her parents  _  .
has never supported her. are eager to know what's going on for her. are perhaps struggling with similar feelings. may criticize her for her trouble.