On-Demand ADHD Webinars

“Hidden Fears, Quiet Shame: Social Anxiety in Middle School to College Students” [Video Replay & Podcast #551]

Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#551), and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this webinar on social anxiety in adolescents, teens, and young adults originally broadcast on April 2, 2025.

Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D.
ADHD Expert: Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D. Updated on June 5, 2025
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Episode Description

ADHD is not a prerequisite for social anxiety, but many adolescents, teens, and young adults with ADHD do suffer from hidden fears about being embarrassed or humiliated in social situations. These worries about what others think of them appear in the diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

However, this definition of social anxiety excludes other ways in which some people suffer with fears, such as how others may perceive or disapprove of them. These fears are not tied to how they perform in social situations. Instead, these fears relate to aspects of their behavior, thoughts, or wishes that may be seen as inappropriate by others. These fears, sometimes fueled by shame, sound like this: “What would other people think about me if they knew what I was thinking?” This type of social anxiety isn’t talked about much and less than half of those affected seek treatment.

What does research say about the causes and effects of social anxiety among those with and without ADHD? Which treatments and interventions work best to help and support students in social situations?

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • About the genetic, family, and environmental factors that contribute to social anxiety
  • How to recognize social anxiety through real-life examples and case studies
  • About common fears at different ages and stages
  • Why students are often reluctant to seek help for excessive worries
  • How untreated social anxiety can lead to higher risk of dropping out of school, higher rates of unemployment, and suffering a decreased sense of wellbeing
  • About effective treatments and interventions for social anxiety

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO

Social Anxiety: More Resources

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on April 2, 2025, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Thomas E. Brown earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Yale University and served on the clinical faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine for 20 years while operating a clinic in Connecticut for children and adults with ADHD and related problems. In May 2017, he relocated to California where he opened the Brown Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders in Manhattan Beach.

He has taught continuing medical education courses on ADHD for the American Psychiatric Association for 18 years and has given lectures and workshops in hospitals, medical schools, universities and for professional and advocacy groups throughout the United States and in more than 40 other countries.

Dr. Brown is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the University of California Riverside School of Medicine and is an elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association, The APA Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse, and the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. He has published 30 articles in professional journals and seven books on ADHD, including Smart, but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD; Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults-A Practical Guide, and ADHD and Asperger Syndrome in Smart Kids and Adults: Twelve Stories of Struggle, Support and Treatment; and Social Anxiety: Hidden Fears and Shame in Teens and Adults.

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