[Social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorders]

Social anxiety disorder is a mental condition with anxiety and avoidance in social settings and is frequently accompanied by self-medication with alcohol. Epidemiological studies demonstrate that the risk that patients with social anxiety disorder will develop alcohol dependence is more than two-fold. We will discuss epidemiological research findings about this comorbidity, as well as reasons for the comorbidity and the various treatments available for these conditions. Very few studies have analyzed the efficacy of treatments for the combination of these disorders and it is not yet clear whether to treat the social anxiety disorder first, to treat the alcohol use disorder first or to treat both conditions simultaneously. Nevertheless, we propose to treat the symptoms of social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder in combination with the hope of achieving maximal improvement in these patients. Disclosure: I received financial assistance from Lundbeck Israel.