What are the common treatments for social anxiety disorder?

What are the common treatments for social anxiety disorder?

Christopher Reist (Academic Psychiatrist, Co-Author of “Psychiatry”) gives expert video advice on: What are the most common causes of social anxiety disorder?; Is there anything I can do to avoid developing social anxiety disorder? and more...

The common treatments for social anxiety disorder include pharmacotherapy, typically with antidepressants and psychotherapy. Antidepressants that can be used to treat social anxiety disorder are the SSRIs, or the serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine or citalopram. Sometimes, we also use a beta blocker called propranolol which can block some of those performance anxiety symptoms. In fact, sometimes performers - musicians or public speakers - will use a little bit of propranolol to dampen some anxiety symptoms such as increased heart rate and general edginess. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a focus on relaxation and is useful for treating social anxiety disorder. It's important to remember that if you've had social anxiety disorder for a while, you've really had a pattern of social dysfunction. Low self-esteem and depression can accompany social phobia; this needs to be dealt with as a separate issue and often psychotherapy can be very helpful. It's important to get treatment for social anxiety disorder because these symptoms can be effectively treated.