Recognizing a SAD fact

Social anxiety disorder is a crippling shyness that makes its sufferers want to avoid being in large social settings. The nation is only now waking up to this growing concern. Guo Shuhan reports.

Before finally accepting a position as department head, Wu Ting turned down three promotion opportunities in the past 20 years just so she could avoid giving presentations at large gatherings.

Wu works for a State-owned corporation in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. Not long after joining the company, she was asked to convey to her colleagues the proceedings of a meeting that she had attended.