Psychotherapy and integrated treatment of social phobia and comorbid conditions

Various treatment interventions for social phobia and its comorbid conditions have been developed in the past decade, including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and psychopharmacological approaches. Because social phobia has only fairly recently been recognized, no one form of treatment has been identified as superior to another. The difficulty in recognizing social phobia and identifying its frequent comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders poses particular treatment challenges. In this light, the author suggests eight operating principles that should be implemented to facilitate an effective, integrated approach to the treatment of patients with social phobia and comorbid conditions.