Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Review

This essay examines the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It begins by defining SAD and its impact, then explains how CBT, a structured psychotherapy approach, is commonly used to address it. The essay discusses various CBT techniques, including cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization, and internet-based CBT (i-CBT), highlighting their effectiveness in changing negative thought patterns and reducing anxiety in social situations. It emphasizes the importance of identifying and replacing irrational beliefs with more realistic ones, and details how exposure therapy helps individuals gradually confront their fears. The paper also references several studies to support the efficacy of CBT for SAD, concluding that it can significantly improve a patient's self-esteem and perception of themselves and the world.

Running head: TREATMENT OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDERS
Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorders with the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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1TREATMENT OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDERS
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder comprises of a clear and continuous fear of seeing others in small
groups or performing certain actions in the public place, such as eating in public toilets, talking
in public or meeting other individuals. Cognitive behavioural therapy is likely the most popular
type of contemporary psychotherapy, and has become an extremely organized treatment package
for socially phobic patients. Cognitive care is helpful in restructuring and altering the adverse
cognitive convictions of the patient for himself and others.

2TREATMENT OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDERS
Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorders with the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Social anxiety disorder or SAD, also known as social phobia, is a feeling
of significant nervousness or tension in circumstances involving other people. Most of the
people regularly experience a certain amount of social anxiety. But social anxiety can be
increased to the point of social phobia if it causes considerable distress or impacts the
functioning of a person negatively (Andersson et al., 2012). Nearly seven per cent of Americans
fulfil the social anxiety disorder requirements in any given year and may become weaker,
causing other psychological illnesses, including significant depression and agoraphobia, if left
untreated. Social Anxiety Disorder or SAD is frequently handled with CBT or cognitive
behavioural therapy which was first became popular in
the 1980s and 1990s for treating anxiety disorders. Studies have shown that CBT is a type of
treatment that helps to overcome disorders of clinical anxiety reliably (Andersson et al., 02012).
CBT is not a fixed technique, but a mixture of different methods, depending on the
treatment of the disease. CBT will, for instance, be distinct from CBT for SAD or other anxiety
disorders in comparison with when treating depression. One of CBT's main objectives is to
define irrational convictions and thinking patterns and to substitute them with reasonable
opinions. Research showed that CBT for social anxiety disorder has several keys to achievement.
Although this type of treatment is intensive and needs an individual with SAD to participate
actively, it shows that the enhancement is long -term and worthwhile (Goldin et al., 2012). CBT
is comprised of a variety of methods, many focusing on problem -based thinking. Cognitive
techniques help to reduce anxiety and control the individual with SAD in social situations
with interpersonal relations and groups. The presence of automatic negative thinking is one of
CBT's main problems. Persons with SAD have automatically acquired negative emotions that are

3TREATMENT OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDERS
not realistically connected, increase anxiety and reduce the capacity to cope. For instance, if the
patient is afraid of public speaking, thinking about the scenario will evoke perplexity and sense
of failure. CBT's objective is to substitute these behavioural distortions for more realistic
opinions (Hofmann et al., 2012). Systematic desensitization is one of the most used behavioural
methods for treating SAD. The exposure training includes exposing people to circumstances that
cause anxiety gradually, so that they become less afraid over time. It has to be a very progressive
method for SAD exposure practice. Exposure which is not structured step by step is more
damaging than useful. It exacerbates the anxiety of the individual, holds them in a wretched
cycle and leads to doubts and depression. Cognitive behavioural treatment over internet, also
know as i-CBT, is becoming progressively prevalent, with research evidence that supports its
use, especially when endorsed by a psychiatrist (Mewton, Wong & Andrews, 2012). Because
CBT is structured, it is particularly suitable for internet apps including therapeutic or self-help
interventions. This type of CBT can also serve people with serious social anxiety that do not yet
have access to personal treatment meetings (Mewton, Wong & Andrews, 2012). In CBT,
participants are trained how to examine about fearful circumstances. They took part in it by
looking into whether their conduct is actually insufficient. If they do, they look at whether other
individuals are likely to assess them negatively, and if they do how crucial that is. Equipped with
fresh thinking, they can work with their therapeutic or therapy attendants or other community
members to deal with these circumstances. After that, participants are motivated to face their
fears for real life (like exposure treatment), to use their fresh ability to cope, and to draw on good
experiences (Hedman et al., 2012). Thus, it would be fair enough to conclude that cognitive
therapy can work on providing direction to the actions of thought carried out by the patient. The
positive activities of reinforcing thoughts provide a clear idea to the fact that the mentioned

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therapy can work on giving right direction to the depressive mood of the individual. Thus, it can
be conclusively stated that Social anxiety disorder is highly characterised by depressive thinking.
It becomes duty of the therapist applying CBT to redirect present thoughts and focus on the
positive aspects of life. Finally, evidence based study conducted by Mewton, Wong and
Andrews, (2012), provide a clear idea to the fact that cognitive therapy provides a wide range of
idea in treating anxiety and panic, a characteristic behaviour among SAD patients.
Therefore, it can be concluded that cognitive restructuring assisted to alter adverse
automatic thoughts which in turn improved the self-esteem of the patient and changed the way
the patient perceived and thought about him/ her and the world. Cognitive therapy is helpful for
restructuring and altering the adverse cognitive views of the patient about himself and everybody
else. The main objective is to shift the focus, reduce security behaviour, process the scenario and
evaluate what was effectively forecasted against what was going on.

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References
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Hedman, E., Andersson, E., Ljótsson, B., Andersson, G., Andersson, E., Schalling, M., ... &
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