Dhaka, Sept. 30 -- Mary began experiencing anxiety in social situations as a teenager. It became severe enough for her to develop depression and take time off school.

By the time she started university, she avoided group settings altogether and did not make a single friend during her degree, she told the BBC.

Mary, who is not her real name, was later diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, which affects up to 12 percent of people at some point in their lives. More people report struggling with social anxiety without having a clinical diagnosis.

As students return to university, experts told the British broadcaster how they can manage such feelings.

A study by the University of Chichester found more than a fifth of university students ...