Sample Report On Social Phobia

1. What is the disorder you are reviewing?
The disorder being reviewed is social phobia, defined as “a strong fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed. This fear can be so strong that it gets in the way of going to work or school or doing other everyday things” .
2. What are the symptoms of this disorder? What would it be like to be a person with this disorder? Be as specific as possible.
The symptoms of the social phobia disorder include the following: extreme anxiety when being with people, feelings of self-consciousness and embarrassment, strong apprehensions and fears of being judged, excessive worrying especially in anticipation of impending social events, deciding to stay away in places deemed to be filled with people, manifestations of exemplifying difficulties establishing friendly relationships and keeping them, exhibiting blushing, trembling, or sweating in the presence of other people, and experiencing nausea or sickness to the stomach when in the company of people . As such, a person with this disorder could be perceived as similar to loners, reclusive individuals, or persons who want to be isolated.
3. Does this disorder fit into a larger category of disorders? (For example, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, etc.) Name and describe this category in detail.
The social phobia disorder is noted as an anxiety disorder . As emphasized, the generalized social anxiety disorder (SAD) “is one of the most common anxiety conditions and is associated with impairment in social adjustment to the usual aspects of daily life, increased disability, dysfunction, and a loss of productivity” (Kessler, 2007; Filho, et al., 2010; cited in Bergamaschi, et al., 2011, p. 1219).
4. What are some possible causes of this disorder? Explain the potential causes in detail.
The possible cause of social phobia was insufficiently identified; yet strongly links apparently stem from hereditary factors . In addition, researchers on the disorder deduce that parts of the brain which are associated with anxiety and fear are apparently triggered by identified factors. Specifically, the paramount cause was noted as “self-focused attention leading to intense self-consciousness, resulting in the individual focusing on the content of consciousness in which the feared representation of self is often manifest as an image of the person seen from an observer perspective” .
5. How do different psychological perspectives view this disorder (for example: learning/behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive, biological, etc.).
6. How is this disorder treated? Describe specific treatment techniques and how they are carried out.
The social phobia disorder was learned to have several treatment techniques. The general treatments include psychotherapy, medication, or both . Other treatments revealed that “sertraline, fluoxetine, phenelzine, and moclobemide are some of the medications that have been studied in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of social anxiety disorder” . Another study found that a single dose of Cannabidiol (CBD), one major non-psychotomimetic compound of the cannabis sativa plant, “significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort in their speech performance and significantly decreased alert in their anticipatory speech” .
7. Review and critique your academic research article.
One of the academic research articles for the social phobia subject was written by Bergamaschi, et al., (2011) and explored the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) as treatment for individuals diagnosed with social phobia and who are about to deliver a public speaking engagement. As asserted, the “study aimed to compare the effects of a simulation public speaking test (SPST) on healthy control (HC) patients and treatment-naıve social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients who received a single dose of CBD or placebo” . The participants for the study included 24 SAD patients as well as 12 HC patients. The selection of participants was made through undertaking a “a self-assessment diagnostic instrument, the short version of the Social Phobia Inventory named MINISPIN” . Psychological and physiological measurements were undertaken. The Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) was the test to determine state-anxiety level as well as other subjective states. Likewise, other measurements generated information through skin conductance, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate of the participants. A speech was to be delivered by the participants on the topic ‘the public transportation system of your city’ . The speech was reported to be recorded on videotape at defined time frames where pre-test and post-test measurements were conducted after injecting one single dose of CBD or a placebo, as required. The findings revealed “that a single dose of CBD can reduce the anxiety-enhancing effect provoked by SPST
in SAD patients, indicating that this cannabinoid inhibits the fear of speaking in public, one of the main symptoms of the disorder” .
The article presented crucial information that augmented current data on treatment methods for social phobia. As an alternative to the usually known medications for social phobia, CBD allegedly assists in inhibiting fear in public speaking, a symptom identified to be manifested by individuals diagnosed with the anxiety dilemma. However, this type of treatment should first be consulted with medical professionals to ensure that appropriate administration in proper doses and frequency is observed. Likewise, it’s application in conjunction with other treatment methods could assist in facilitating speedy recovery of patients diagnosed with social phobia.
8. References
Bergamaschi, M., Q. R., 2, 3. N., de Oliveira, D., De Martinis, B. S., Kapczinski, F., et al.
(2011). Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients. Neuropsychopharmacology, 36, 1219–1226.
Filho, A., Hetem, L., Ferrari, M., Trzesniak, C., Martı´n-Santos, R., Borduqui, T., et al. (2010). Social anxiety disorder: what are we losing with the current diagnostic criteria? Acta Psychiatr Scand, 121, 216–226.
Ganasen, K., & Stein, D. (2012). The Biology and Efficacy of Combination Strategies for Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from Psychobiological Approaches for Anxiety Disorders: Treatment Combination Strategies: http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/00/04709718/0470971800-4.pdf
Kessler, R. (2007). The global burden of anxiety and mood disorders: putting the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) findings into perspective. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68 (Suppl 2), 10–19.
Kopala-Sibley, D., Zuroff, D., Russell, J., & Moskowitz, D. (2013). Understanding heterogeneity in social anxiety disorder: Dependency and self-criticism moderate fear responses to interpersonal cues. British Journal of Clinical Psychology , 1-16.
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from nimh.nih.gov: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/social-phobia-social-anxiety-disorder/index.shtml
Stopa, L., Denton, R., & Wingfield, M. (2013). The Fear of Others: A Qualitative Analysis of Interpersonal Threat in Social Phobia and Paranoia. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 41, 188–209.