Understanding Social Anxiety And Its Possible Treatments

Social anxiety is common among children and people in their 30s. It is when the individual feels like the walls are closing in, which is then triggered by panic attacks and shortness of breath. Though there are countless reasons as to why social anxiety develops, it was mentioned that cognitive therapy can positively treat social anxiety.

Social anxiety is a result of a person diagnosed with social phobia as explained by the Mayo Clinic. A group of researchers has been working their way into providing a positive and effective treatment among people suffering from social anxiety. According to Knowridge, a team of doctors and psychologists from NTNU and the University of Manchester in England are focused on a research where they keenly examined the effect of cognitive therapy among patients with social anxiety disorder.

"We've set a new world record in effectively treating social anxiety disorders," Hans M. Nordahl, a professor of behavioral medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology stated. "This is one of the best studies on social anxiety disorders ever. It's taken ten years to carry out and has been challenging both academically and in terms of logistics, but the result is really encouraging."

As a result of the study, it was mentioned that one of the most effective treatments for social anxiety does not only focus on the cognitive treatment sessions but it requires a support group from the family and loved ones as well. Aside from cognitive therapy, some doctors would give patients medications and some would pertain to it as a "happy pill."

It was explained that pills can effectively help a person suffering from depression but Nordahl explain that people with social anxiety do not positively respond to happy pills. "Happy pills," like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), is often equipped with very strong side effects that can greatly affect a person's mental health.