Can Social Anxiety Be Cured?

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a crippling phobia that prevents you from feeling comfortable and safe around other people. You may fear that they’re judging you, or worry that you don’t fit in.

If you have SAD, your life may get smaller and smaller with time. At first, you just avoid large gatherings. But you might then start to isolate yourself from friends, co-workers, and even family members.

More than 7% of women and men in the United States have SAD. About 12% may experience a social anxiety disorder within our lifetimes. More women (8%) than men (6.1%) suffer from SAD.

At Precise Research Centers, we and our founder, Joseph Kwentus, MD, treat SAD and other forms of anxiety. At our offices in Flowood, Mississippi, we provide talk therapies and other supportive therapies as part of the clinical trials we run to help you control and manage SAD symptoms.

Can SAD be cured? With the right treatment and support, you can minimize the impact that SAD has on your life and enjoy a rich social world again. Here’s how.

Therapy helps you thrive

When you have SAD, you’re cut off from the situations that can actually help you to thrive and achieve your potential in life. Human beings evolved as social animals; we need each other as we learn, grow, and solve problems.

In fact, managing your SAD may also extend your life. Adults who have strong social networks are 45% more likely to live longer than those who live more isolated lives due to SAD. 

While you may not be able to fully cure your fear of being judged or criticized, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other supportive treatments help you put that negative self-talk in the background. You learn that most people around you are also somewhat insecure and fear judgment. 

Through treatment and therapy, you learn to turn your anxiety about their judgment into curiosity. You reframe your fears and negative thoughts into more positive thoughts. You also learn how to ask questions that shift the focus from yourself. 

Medications control symptoms

Of course, you may wonder how you’re ever going to approach that potential partner or potential client, or make that upcoming speech when your heart races, your palms sweat, and your mouth goes dry. Medications may be part of your treatment plan if you have physical symptoms, such as:

• A rapid heartbeat
• Chest pain
• Blushing
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Choking sensation
• Shortness of breath

Depending on how severe your SAD symptoms are, we may recommend a variety of medications that give you relief. The basic types of drugs that work well with SAD include:

Antidepressants

Antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), help to control SAD. The SSRIs and SNRIs increase the amount of serotonin in your body, which reduces anxiety.

Beta-blockers

If you suffer from physical symptoms of SAD, you could benefit from a beta-blocker, such as propranolol or metoprolol. Beta-blockers can help calm a speeding heart and reduce sweating in anxiety-provoking situations. They work by blocking the release of stress hormones.

Anti-anxiety medications

Benzodiazepines can relieve symptoms of anxiety so you can approach social situations calmly. They enhance the action of GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps calm the brain. However, they may become less effective in the long term, due to tolerance.

There’s no cost to you

We may be conducting clinical trials on new classes of drugs as well as new medications. There’s no cost to you when you participate in a clinical trial. Your supportive therapies, such as CBT, are free, too.

Are you eager to join the world again, but anxious that you can’t yet do it? Please call our team at 601-685-3457, book an appointment online for social anxiety disorder treatment, or send a message to our team on the website. 

You may be eligible for our ongoing clinical trials with new medications and supportive therapies — all of which are free of charge — as well as traditional talk therapies and other behavioral interventions.