Social anxiety disorder(SAD) involves a persistent fear or anxiety in social controls.
But help does exist, with the most common social anxiety disorder treatments being medication and psychotherapy.
Social Anxiety Disorder Medication Options
Several different types of medications can help treat SAD.
Illustration by Brianna Gilmartin, Verywell
Here’s an overview of the most common or preferred social anxiety disorder medication options.
Drugs within all these categories have been found to be effective in treating this disorder.
This increases serotonin levels in the brain, which helps better regulate feelings of anxiousness and mood.
Get our printable guide to help you ask the right questions at your next doctor’s appointment.
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are anotherclass of antidepressantsused to treat anxiety disorders.
As their name suggests, these drugs act on the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.
Serotonin affects social behaviors while norepinephrine impacts alertness and attention.
This helps reduce social anxiety because monoamine oxidase breaks down the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
Thus, blocking it helps increase the level of these neurotransmitters.
MAOIs were once a first-line treatment for social anxiety disorder.
This is because MAOIs have been found to be useful when social anxiety symptoms are treatment-resistant.
MAOI medications include:
Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockersare an off-label social anxiety treatment.
Although fast-acting and well-tolerated,benzodiazepine drugshave the potential to be habit-forming.
Clinical guideline recommendations suggest that benzodiazepines should not be used to treat anxiety for longer than eight weeks.
It can be used alone or it may be used in combination with a social anxiety disorder medication.
The best approach for you depends, in part, on your particular symptoms.
Like the medications, people with social anxiety have various therapy-based options.
Each psychological method is geared toward helping create a more positive response when faced with social situations.
Here are several to consider.
Get our printable guide to help you ask the right questions at your next doctor’s appointment.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)is a first-line psychotherapeutic treatment for SAD.
This form of psychotherapy is designed to modify a person’s thoughts and behaviors for positively influence their emotions.
Research indicates that CBT is the best intervention for treating social anxiety, especially in the initial treatment phases.
The pop in of exposure can depend on the severity of your symptoms.
If you have severe social anxiety, for example, your therapist may begin with imagined exposure.
Once you’re more comfortable with imagined experiences, you may then progress to real-life exposures.
Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive restructuringfocuses on the mental symptoms of SAD.
Challenging negative self-imagery is important to treating social anxiety disorder.
Social skills training can include modeling, rehearsal, and role-playing.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy(ACT) is another social anxiety disorder treatment.
This therapeutic approach is based on Buddhist philosophy.
This helps reduce their inner struggle, enabling the symptoms to naturally lessen.
Options include engaging in experiential exercises, values-guided interventions, or mindfulness training.
Psychodynamic therapy can be most useful for people with deep, unresolved conflicts contributing to their social anxiety.
It may also be helpful in some instances to explore a potential resistance to change.
While not all alternative treatments have been scientifically proven to help reduce SAD symptoms, some do show promise.
Thus, it is unclear whether these approaches will work for social anxiety specifically.
The length of treatment also varies.
Find out which option is the best for you.
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