Clinical Aspects of Social Anxiety Disorder and Specific Phobias

Social anxiety disorder and specific phobia are the two most common anxiety disorders and are among the most prevalent of all psychiatric disorders. This chapter reviews the history of development of these diagnoses, their prevalence, and clinical course. Clinical features of each diagnosis and clinical assessment, including differential diagnosis, are discussed. The chapter describes theoretical understanding of the causes of these disorders and reviews available data on their treatment, including psychotherapy and medication approaches. Future directions of research include better understanding the cause of SAD, in order to predict who might respond best to a specific treatment and to determine the best next-step approaches for those patients who have an inadequate response to a first treatment.