A community-based telephone survey of social anxiety disorder in Hong Kong
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Sing Lee1, Margaret T Y Lee, Kathleen Kwok
1Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. singlee@cuhk.edu.hk
Background:
Research on the prevalence and characteristics of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is lacking in Chinese communities.
Methods:
A random telephone survey of 3006 individuals aged 15-45 years in Hong Kong was conducted using a questionnaire that generated DSM-IV diagnosis and other clinical characteristics of SAD.
Results:
3.2% of the participants surveyed met criteria for SAD in the previous year. Their demographic and clinical characteristics are typical. Only 8.7% of sufferers sought medical treatment.
Limitations:
No clinical reappraisal was conducted. Severity and comorbidity of SAD were not examined.
Conclusions:
SAD is a cross-culturally real illness. The prevalence, chronicity, and under-treatment of SAD in Chinese people calls for further research and efforts to reduce its treatment gap.
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