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A Review of the Epidemiology and Approaches to the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

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Abstract

This review presents current literature on the epidemiology and treatment of social anxiety disorder (social phobia). This illness has been demonstrated to be the most common anxiety disorder with a 1-year prevalence of 7 to 8% and a lifetime prevalence of 13 to 14% in patients aged between 15 and 54 years. Social anxiety disorder can be classified into 2 subtypes, discrete and generalised. Morbidity is high with this disorder, and 70 to 80% of patients have co-morbid mental disorders. Although effective treatments are available, social anxiety disorder is under-recognised and under-treated. Treatments that have been systemically studied and have shown efficacy in patients with social anxiety disorder include pharmacotherapy (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, reversible inhibitors of monoamine-A and benzodiazepines) and short term psychotherapies (cognitive behaviour therapy, social skills training and exposure in vivo therapy). β-blockers are useful in treating performance-related anxiety. Few published data are available on the treatment of social anxiety disorder with a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. We conclude this review by discussing proposed algorithms for treating both subtypes of social anxiety disorder.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Anju Sareen, BSc Pharm, for her careful review of and comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    Jitender Sareen (Research Fellow)

  2. Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive (0985), La Jolla, California, 92093-0985, USA

    Murray Stein (Professor of Psychiatry-In-Residence)

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  1. Jitender Sareen
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Correspondence to Murray Stein.

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Sareen, J., Stein, M. A Review of the Epidemiology and Approaches to the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder. Drugs 59, 497–509 (2000). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200059030-00007

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