Introduction

This chapter begins by reflecting on how I came to research, and write about, socially anxious women. For one, Social Anxiety Disorder is yet to be scrutinised using approaches which have been deployed in the case of other gendered psychiatric diagnoses—for example, Depression and Eating Disorders—which leaves a critical void in existing scholarship. But my motivation also comes from somewhere else: as a socially anxious woman, the topic means a great deal to me. Taking inspiration from scholars of feminist methodologies, I muse on how my personal investment has shaped the research. Having outlined the rationale underpinning the book, I offer a brief history of SAD, from its earliest mentionings by Hippocrates right through to current DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Current diagnostic and treatment protocols in the UK are then discussed. Participants are subsequently introduced and their key characteristics germane to the research topic—race and ethnicity, experiences of mental distress, cultural background, physical health conditions and disabilities, neurodiversity—are outlined. I also detail the particulars of my interviews with socially anxious women, such as inclusion criteria, recruitment, interview format, and analysis. The chapter concludes with an overview of the book’s structure.