What causes generalized/social anxiety disorder?

I have social anxiety disorder for about 3 years now. I'm not sure what caused it but I remember when I was a kid, I was utterly shy. I've been so until high school. Just a year after high school, first I had generalized anxiety disorder with agoraphobia, then social anxiety disorder. Analyzing my life, I would say it's possible it has something to do with my overprotective family and having a tough childhood. But I see people with this disorder who never had a serious problem and still doesn't have one.

What causes this disorder? I ask both medical explanation AND your guesses.

Oceanid, I also suffer from social anxiety, however I have not been officially diagnosed.

I think the reasons for it are mixed, nature vs. nurture. A part is due to your genetics and biology - it is just the way you react to certain situations, the behaviour your mind generates (i.e. anxiety). However I think that this "default" behavioural reaction can be adjusted or changed to rid oneself of anxiety.

How you were raised also plays a part. Your parents' personalities as well as your siblings, and your early childhood experiences all have some weight on a child's psychology.

More importantly im concerned with fighting and ignoring it. It may help for you to realize that everyone suffers from some level of anxiety in social situations. Take a page from Nike's book and JUST DO IT. Face your social fears and you'll see there is nothing to be anxious about.

I'm no Carl Jung but tis' just what I think.

I dont think it has a lot to do with the way you were raised if at all, unless you got beat of something of that nature. There is a difference between what you call tough childhood and what a tough childhood actually is. My family raised me just fine and i always had friends as a child. i was really outgoing. I have the same anxiety that you have but its just something that runs in my family (My dad has it too, and i have all is issues lol). If you have a true anxiety disorder, then it really should have anything to do with how you were brought up because its caused by chemical imbalances.

I also have general anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. I have been to a therapist and have been on medication. Both helped to a degree. The cause, to the best of my understanding, is a very sensitive nervous system which causes me to over-react in certain situations. I think some of our stressors are formed as a result of our life experiences, but we are born with the disorder. I hope you learn to minimize the impact of this troublesome and sometimes painful condition.

i have this problem also and i would say its because i was so sheltered and didn't experience enough social situations in my life to know how to deal with ppl and therefore felt out of place and it causes anxiety. it gets better if you work on it and read anything you can to help you out with it.

I believe there are a variety of reasons...some genetic, some social/the way you were brought up and just your personal characteristics...are you a people pleaser, need approval from other people, etc? I've read that it can be partially genetic as well.

I think its the way you were raised, you get all your social skills between the ages of 1-5 if you were a neglected child during these years and was shown little affection. you will have the disorder