If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  Paroxetine Shown To Be Effective In Treatment Of Severe Social Phobia CHICAGO, IL -- Aug. 25, 1998 -- The drug paroxetine appears to be an effective short-term treatment for people affected by social phobia, according to an article in tomorrow’s issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Murray Stein, M.D., from the University of California at San Diego in La Jolla, CA., and colleagues found that paroxetine appears to improve the quality of life for persons with a severe type of social phobia. The researchers found that in this 12-week study 55 percent of the persons who received paroxetine compared to 24 percent of the persons who received a placebo rated themselves as much improved or very much improved by the end of their short-term treatment. Paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), was chosen for this study because of the previous success of SSRIs in treating other mood and anxiety disorders. "Earlier research has shown monamine oxidase inhibitors [MAOIs] or benzodiazepines to be effective in treating this condition, but neither has achieved widespread use," the authors write. "These treatment choices are associated with dietary restrictions [MAOIs] and potential difficulties with withdrawal and dependence [benzodiazepines.]" Not only did the study find paroxetine to be effective, it also was tolerated well and had few side effects. Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, can be a severe and often disabling condition that affects approximately five percent of the general population. "After major depression and alcohol dependence, social phobia is the third most common psychiatric disorder in the general population with lifetime, 12-month and 30-day prevalence rates of 13.3 percent, 7.9 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively," they write. Unfortunately, this disorder often goes unrecognised by physicians and therefore many people suffering from the disorder go untreated. The main feature of social phobia is the fear of embarrassment and humiliation when being observed or evaluated by others. "Consequently, people with social phobia often avoid situations where such scrutiny might take place or they endure them with intense distress," they write. "Not surprisingly this can result in impaired functioning and reduced quality of life." People with social phobia are at risk for depression, alcohol and substance abuse, as well as other psychiatric disorders. They may have few friendships, experience trouble dating, drop out of school and even reject promotions at work because of the intense anxiety they experience in social situations. While most physicians associate the term social phobia with the anxiety associated with public speaking, the patients in this study had a more severe sub-type of social phobia known as generalised social phobia. "Persons with this variant of the disorder typically fear and avoid a broad array of situations that most people take for granted," they write. "Examples might include speaking in small groups, attending social gatherings, talking to people in authority, or interacting with peers in informal settings. "Based on its efficacy, safety and relatively good tolerability, paroxetine can be considered among the first-line treatments for social phobia. Given the experience that all SSRIs tend to be effective for those conditions in which any have demonstrated efficacy, we would surmise that efficacy for the treatment of generalised social phobia will eventually be shown to extend to other SSRIs as well." The authors added that future research should address questions of optimal dose and duration of treatment, as well as the potential utility of education and psychotherapeutic strategies to augment response and/or reduce relapse. Related Links: The Journal of the American Medical Association
|
