Washington: Social phobia is one of the more chronic and perplexing disorders a person can have.
Now, a study has tried a slightly modified version of the current treatment for shyness, cognitive therapy, with success. Researchers at Macquarie University, showed that with a few adjustments to existing cognitive behaviour therapy, outcomes for people with social phobia can improve dramatically, the US 'Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology' reported.
Improvements to existing treatment included giving sufferers clear, detailed feedback about their social performance and teaching them how to better focus their attention when feeling frightened.
Participants in the study were divided into small groups. After learning some basic anxiety management techniques, they were gradually encouraged to face their fears over 12 weekly sessions.
At the end of treatment, over 40 per cent of participants showed large and dramatic changes in how they coped with their fears while many others showed good improvements.
According to Professor Ron Rapee, who led the study, people with social phobia have high levels of shyness, and worry other people will think badly of them.
"When a shy person feels they are the centre of attention, they immediately assume that the attention is negative and they are being judged and found lacking in some way. As a result, they avoid social activities most of us take for granted such as meeting new people, going on dates, talking to authority figures and speaking in public," he said.
Profr Rapee claimed that while no one knows entirely what causes social phobia, it's clear that the people who suffer from this disorder have lives that are dramatically limited by their fears. "In extreme cases, social phobia can interfere with relationships, work and social life."