A time for romance and relaxation for many, Valentine's Day can trigger severe anxiety in a significant number of people, a West Australian psychology researcher says.

Associate Professor Peter McEvoy from Curtin University's School of Psychology said the day of love is often terrifying for people suffering social anxiety disorder (SAD).

What is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)? SAD was the most common anxiety disorder in the most recent National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

SAD was the most common anxiety disorder in the most recent National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing 8.4 per cent of Australian adults or around 1.3 million meet the condition's criteria at some point in their lifetimes.

8.4 per cent of Australian adults or around 1.3 million meet the condition's criteria at some point in their lifetimes. SAD is substantially more severe than shyness and can be debilitating by preventing people from pursuing their career and relationship goals.

SAD is substantially more severe than shyness and can be debilitating by preventing people from pursuing their career and relationship goals. Trigger situations include where you may be observed, such as eating or drinking in public, using public toilets, giving presentations, job interviews, or even walking down the street, parties, work lunch rooms, or any situation requiring small talk.

"Social Anxiety Disorder is characterised by a core fear of negative evaluation from other people, and a common trigger is attractive other people," Mr McEvoy said.

"So this makes it very difficult for them to meet other people even though someone with SAD desires relationships with other people, this makes it hard to get know person well enough to establish a relationship."

Mr McEvoy said Valentine's Day could be a stark reminder of this person's own difficulty in establishing relationships.

"It is likely to highlight the perceived inadequacy," he said.

"If I'm at home alone and my perception based on social media, [is] that everyone is out there having a great time with the love of their lives, that will heighten my sense of loneliness and isolation.

"Valentine's Day can be a trigger for this anxiety and they can have a severe reaction."

Social media inflames feelings of inadequacy

Social media is a double-edged sword for people with anxiety on Valentine's Day, Mr McEvoy said.

"On the one hand, people can make a connection with people after only a few clicks which might have been more than they would have done in the past," he said.

"But on the other hand, people usually put their happiest moments online which can make us all feel inadequate, but especially for people with SAD, this can make the difference very stark, between the relationships that other people enjoy and their own isolation and loneliness."

Online dating an outlet

Mr McEvoy believed dating websites were good first step to help people with anxiety interact and meet people in a comfortable environment.

But he warned that if it was used in isolation, it could exacerbate the problem.

"If people are only engaging in online dating, the risk is that they don't get the variety of social situations that could help them develop confidence in their social ability," he said.

"They could be denying themselves the opportunity to prove to that they cope."

A treatment study is currently being conducted for people suffering from SAD at the Curtin Adult Psychology Clinic.