Social Phobia and Seniors: What Lies Ahead for One of the Fastest Growing Groups in Canada

For Immediate Release - June 12, 2007 (Toronto) – June is seniors’ month in Ontario, and older adults are being encouraged to live actively and share their wisdom and experience with others. But the debilitating effects of social phobia, a common psychiatric disorder in the elderly, keep many people away from social situations because of fear or embarrassment. Though older people are less likely to experience symptoms of social phobia, those who continue to suffer later in life may experience more severe social isolation as they also deal with the physical difficulties of aging.

In his study Epidemiology of Social Phobia in Later Life, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) Dr. John Cairney used data from Statistics Canada’s 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-being to examine the prevalence and nature of social phobia in seniors. Published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry this study filled a significant information gap by showing:

1.3% of respondents’ aged 55 and older reported symptoms of social phobia during the twelve months prior to the survey. Concurrent mood and anxiety disorders were also common in this group, with 31% experiencing depression and 12% experiencing panic disorder.
However, the above rate declined with age, from almost 2% among 55-64 year old adults, to 1% at 65-74 years of age and to 0.5% for those ages 75 and older.
4.9% of respondents aged 55 and older reported experiencing social phobia during their lifetime.

Interestingly, the profile of older adults with social phobia is very different than that of the general population. “In the general population, social phobia is more common among woman than men, but among older people it is equally common in both sexes. Similarly, where educational attainment is a risk factor for social phobia in the general population, it does not appear to be among older adults according to this study,” said Dr. Cairney.

From a clinical perspective, the high rates of concurrent psychiatric disorders suggests that doctors should screen for social phobia when individuals present with illnesses like depression and anxiety disorders. Equally important, those with social phobia should be checked for co-occuring mental illnesses.

Knowing how many older people have conditions like social phobia, and whether certain groups are at especially high risk, can help identify services needs and gives physicians tools to recognize symptoms. Evidence on differences in social phobia among demographic groups can also be useful to researchers working to understand the underlying causes of the disorder, since it suggests that these difference may be related to certain psychological, social, or biological factors that also differ among these groups.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is one of the leading addiction and mental health organizations in North America and Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital. CAMH is a Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, and is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. CAMH combines clinical care, research, policy, education and health promotion to transform the lives of people impacted by mental health and addiction issues.

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For more information or to schedule interviews please contact Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH at (416) 595-6015