Social anxiety disorder treatment usually involves psychotherapy, medication, or both. Psychotherapy techniques include role-playing, behavioral experiments in the office and the real world, and social skills training. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) effectively treats social anxiety disorder. It teaches people that their thoughts and beliefs, not the situation itself, trigger their anxiety.

Increased Self-Esteem

Increasing self-esteem can help you feel better about yourself and your life. Caring for yourself by following good health guidelines and doing things you enjoy is also important. Research suggests that low self-esteem may be a risk factor for developing anxiety and depression later in life, and high self-esteem is associated with better social relationships and academic achievement. It is an important intervention target, especially since higher quality of life and self-esteem are linked to lower depressive symptoms and anxiety disorders. For example, a study of CBT for SAD found that reappraisal training led to positive changes in self-esteem scores and reduced negative emotions. The effect on self-esteem was greater in girls and older children. Psychotherapy and medication can help improve self-esteem, but noticing changes takes time. Talk to your healthcare provider about what option is best for you. Medications include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as paroxetine or sertraline or the serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine. For your unique needs, your healthcare professional will collaborate with you to select the ideal dosage and course of treatment.

Increased Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is recognizing and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, it's also important not to become overly attached to these thoughts and emotions—a common trap for people with social anxiety disorder. When you know you're nervous about giving a presentation; you can use this information to prepare and calm your fears. If you spend the rest of the day thinking about why you're nervous or how your performance will be affected, you can get overwhelmed and may not benefit from knowing you're anxious. Social anxiety disorder therapy in NYC helps you identify and understand your underlying beliefs. Your therapist will help you gain different perspectives to improve how you respond to and cope with stressful situations. They'll also teach you skills to manage your symptoms. You might also be prescribed medication to ease your symptoms. The most commonly recommended medicines for social anxiety disorder are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

Increased Self-Confidence

Social anxiety disorder can be debilitating, and when it goes untreated for a long period, it can interfere with many aspects of life. Relationship development may be challenging, and performance at work or school and the general quality of life may suffer. But successful outcomes are possible with treatment—including talking therapy or medication. A potent weapon in the struggle against social anxiety is psychotherapy, sometimes called talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It can help you understand your symptoms and discover the root cause of your fear. You may also participate in a support group for people with the same condition, which can provide additional resources and coping mechanisms.

Medications for social anxiety can be effective on their own or in conjunction with psychotherapy. Some common medicines used to treat social anxiety include SSRIs, such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft), or SNRIs, such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor XR). It can take several weeks to months to see results from medication. Your healthcare provider can help you find the right dosage and type of medication for your needs.

These medications can be helpful when used in combination with other treatment techniques.

Increased Self-Regulation

The ability to regulate one's behavior proactively to achieve personal goals is an important aspect of self-sufficiency. For example, people initiate diets to help control weight and save money for future expenses. People also self-regulate to promote positive health outcomes, such as avoiding tobacco use and limiting alcohol consumption. Several types of psychotherapies and medications are available to treat social anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely used treatment that teaches patients how to transform their negative attitudes and beliefs about social circumstances. It can also teach techniques for dealing with stressful situations. With the help of a therapist, exposure-based CBT entails progressively working up to confronting frightening events. Longer-term symptom control can be achieved with medications such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors paroxetine and sertraline, as well as the serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine (Effexor XR). Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam and alprazolam, or beta-blockers, which can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, may be used to manage physical symptoms of anxiety when it takes for the antidepressants to take effect. Finding the right combination of medication and psychotherapy for a person with social anxiety disorder could take some time.

Increased Independence

A major goal of treatment is to help you become independent, which can happen with psychotherapy or medication. Therapy includes practice and exposure to the situations you are afraid of, often in a group with a counselor. It also involves teaching you to control physical symptoms of anxiety through relaxation and breathing exercises, and it may include challenging negative thoughts that contribute to social anxiety by disputing them (e.g., "You're going to make a fool of yourself" or "People will think you're stupid"). The most common treatments for social anxiety disorder are counseling and medications. Psychotherapy is considered the most effective approach. This talk therapy allows you to discuss your feelings with a professional and learn skills to change negative thoughts. Some people need to try a combination of treatments. Research shows that people with social anxiety disorder have less time spent working than those without it, which can lead to poverty and other problems. This impedes welfare reform efforts significantly because it undermines the effectiveness of work attainment programs and deprives welfare recipients of access to economic self-sufficiency.