Pharmacotherapy of Social Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

Antidepressants and high-potency benzodiazepines have been used successfully to treat patients with social anxiety disorder. This review considers the efficacy of irreversible and reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, high-potency benzodiazepines, and beta-blockers and presents the response rates for each of these classes. Aspects of the social anxiety syndrome that are sensitive to drug treatment are discussed, and the data relating to relapse following treatment discontinuation are presented. Predictors for negative treatment outcome following completion of acute treatment trials are reviewed.
(J Clin Psychiatry 1998:59[suppl 17]:47–51)