Social anxiety: an often silent disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a chronic, often debilitating disorder with a high potential for comorbid conditions. Despite being among the most common of psychiatric disorders it is often under-recognized. This case illustrates the treatment of a patient who had initially presented for treatment of major depressive disorder, but was later discovered to also have SAD. Treatment of the SAD, which had predated the major depressive disorder, resulted in a markedly improved outcome. Discussions of treatment options including pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are presented.