Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder
Medication
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Antidepressants (e.g. Paroxetine、Sertraline、Venlafaxine) and beta (e.g. Propranolol) to ease the symptoms
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Antianxiety medications (e.g. Benzodiazepine)can also reduce anxiety symptoms.
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please seek for psychiatrist’s advice before using medication.
Psychological counseling
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Individual or group counseling can be helpful in overcoming social anxiety according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most popular counseling approach, in which the counselor will guide the client to identify and change negative thoughts related to social anxiety, re-examine the client's behavioral response to social situations and try to respond in new ways.
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During the treatment process, the counselor will also guide the client to gradually face and deal with the anxiety and negative thoughts according to his/her anxiety level in the specific social situations he/she is afraid of, which is called exposure therapy.
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In addition, the counselor will also guide clients to practice social principles and skills through role-playing, feedback and other methods, so as to improve interpersonal relationships.
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Moreover, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is another suggested counseling technique. The counselor will help the client deal with the inner conflict behind social anxiety, thereby rebuilding self-confidence and improving social skills.