When drug treatment for social anxiety is insufficient

7 November 2019

When drug treatment for social anxiety is insufficient

Drug Treatment for social anxiety is insufficient

A Japanese study group maintain that when drug treatment for social anxiety is insufficient CBT continues to work.  They clarified that cognitive therapy maintained its effects more than a year after the end of therapy for patients with a social anxiety disorder even for those who did not respond to antidepressant drugs. The study was published online in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics on May 23, 2019. Read the full article.

What is 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

How I Treat Social Anxiety

At Behavioural Freedom, I use a skills-based model for treating anxiety. During our sessions, I will teach you relaxation techniques and helpful ways in which you can fundamentally and positively change the way you behave, think and act. It’s also important to note here that you can’t be stressed or suffer from anxiety when you are in a relaxed state. The skills you’ll learn during your time with me will be vital to both your on-going treatment and perhaps more so as you leave my care.

A combination of Applied Relaxation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is considered by the British Medical Journal to be one of the most effective therapies to alleviate anxiety and put you on a path to having a positive mind-set and being able to live life to the fullest, free of worries. By combining both and adding in the element of hypnosis, I believe this is the most effective, pragmatic and relevant approach to the treatment of anxiety.

Support for Social Anxiety

There are several charities, support groups and online forums for people with social anxiety and other anxiety disorders, including: