CBT for social anxiety may have a protective effect on cells

21 January 2020

Science Daily reports that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for patients with social anxiety not only helps to reduce anxiety levels but also seems to protect against accelerated cellular ageing. These are the findings of a study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Translational Psychiatry reports.

“This is the first step towards better understanding the link between cellular ageing and the treatment of psychiatric issues,” says lead author Kristoffer Månsson, researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Individuals affected by mental ill-health are at greater risk of developing somatic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, earlier in life than unaffected individuals. While the reasons for this are unclear, one possible contributory factor is that mental health disorders are associated with shorter telomeres and accelerated cellular ageing.

Read the full article.

CBT for Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is far more common than we might think and most of us have suffered from social anxiety in one form or another during our lives. It manifests itself as a fear of rejection or being judged or embarrassed in front of other people. It leads to avoidance behaviour and can have a disruptive, negative effect on how you live your life, including but not exclusively –

  • Meeting new people
  • Giving presentations
  • Speaking to authority figures
  • Shopping
  • Eating out
  • Rejection

If you are looking for CBT for social anxiety, please contact me today to start the journey back to behavioural freedom.