Preface: It should be noted that medical evidence (such as treatment records and opinions) are often the best evidence of how social anxiety disorder is disabling. However, by its very nature, social anxiety disorder can make treatment difficult if not impossible. This post discusses alternative methods of documenting a social anxiety disability case.

Every case is different so it is very difficult to make general statements about how to prove a case. At least, other than, “make sure SSA gets your medical records.” Personally, I recommend working with a lawyer to help figure out the best way to develop your case. However, here are some general tips for developing a Social Anxiety Disorder disability case.

When an individual seriously isolates themselves (avoiding doctors, friends, family, etc), it may help to get letters documenting the isolation. For example, have friends and family write about the individual avoiding family get-togethers, church, dinners, children’s sporting events, weddings, funerals, or other events.

You can also document avoiding other public situations such as:

• Shopping only during night / slow periods,
• Leaving stores if they are too crowded or too noisy.
• Leaving groceries without checking out.
• Sitting in the back at events.
• Leaving events early.
• Handling children’s school conferences by telephone instead of attending in person.

These are just some examples. There is no limit to the possible ways of documenting social anxiety disorder.

photo credit: ☮Katrina☮

Can you imagine the therapeutic value of this? From phobia therapies like the one below, to helping people with social phobias, to even more complex therapies such as helping individuals with Asperger’s syndrome pick up on social cues, vocal inflections and body language. The possibilities are amazing!

It also opens the possibility of long distance and even multiple provider therapies: the patient interacts with a single avatar which may be “driven” by different therapists at different times (allowing 24 hour care and a consistent “face”), or even running on auto-pilot as in the “Milo & Kate” demo above.  I did not realize we were so close the the ‘ractors in Neal Stephenson’s Diamond Age.

Virtual Phobia Therapy:

Virtual therapies could be amazing, or they could be awful! What’s your opinion?

Touching video about what it is like to live with social anxiety / social phobia.