There are various different ways to approach the treatment of social phobia and cognitive therapy is based on the idea that certain ways of thinking can trigger social phobia. Therapists try to help these subjects understand that their current though patterns is causing their social phobia and in addition help them identify with any false perceptions that they hold true to themselves. The therapists aim is to help them change their way of thinking and show them how to avoid these ideas. Cognitive therapy helps the subject to develop a more realistic approach towards life.
People that suffer from social phobia need to attend therapy for several months and usually have weekly sessions with their therapist and they are required to participate actively and carry out assignments given to them by the therapist. The person may have to keep a diary of their daily thoughts especially when they become anxious prior to a social event. The aim is to change the subjects behavior patterns which are destructive and make the person face up to their fearful situations and this is done one step at a time.
In addition the patient is given various different techniques such as breathing techniques which will help them cope and calm them down when they become exposed to a feared situation and included are social skills training whereby the patient learns to verbalize when confronted with social situations. These skills include conversation skills as well as eye contact. In addition to therapy there are tapes, self help books and videos that help to relieve and combat social phobia as well as many self help groups are now available.
Besides therapy there are many medications that have proven effective in the treatment of social phobia which include antidepressants to help the patient overcome their depression as well as anti anxiety medications.
An example of the different types of medications used to treat social phobia include Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine, Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft, Effexor, Sertraline Celexa and Cloazepam Xanax. These medications are only given based upon certain factors such as the patients past history and medical history and if the patient has any other psychological or medical problems. In addition the doctor or therapist needs to know if they are on any current medications or if there has been any substance abuse.
However the best psychotherapy treatment for social phobia is CBT which is cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to other help such as interpersonal psychotherapy which may be useful based on research. Cognitive therapy includes:
• Learning to identify anxious thought patterns and replace them with positive and realistic thoughts
• Learning to confront a feared situation repeatedly until the situation no longer triggers an anxiety situation
• The patient does role play whereby they are exposed to an anxious situation like an interview or similar and once they have mastered the situation they will go onto to a real situation
• Social skills training is incorporated whereby the patient is taught how to use non verbal communication such as eye contact and body language more effectively
Cognitive therapy in conjunction with medication work exceptionally well short term and it will depend on the patient which treatment they respond to and what works for them. Once the therapy is completed these patients are less likely to revert back to their social phobia and many continue to lead a normal lifestyle once again.
However there are those patients that shortly after having therapy encounter a triggering experience and revert back to their social phobia once again. In such cases the patient is put onto antidepressants long term and has found to be helpful in that this type of medication reduces the symptoms of social phobia even if the patient is not depressed. This form of medication adjusts the chemical compounds in the brain such as serotonin and cortisol which may be the leading factors that cause anxiety symptoms.
Antidepressants are not addictive and take at least three to four weeks to kick in and produce positive results which in some instances present a problem as the patient after a week of taking their medication does not fell better and will stop taking their medication and will then proceed to reinvent the wheel all over again and revert straight back to their social phobia.