Abstract

CATIVO, Catarina  and  BARATA, Vera. Social anxiety disorder: cognitive-behavioral therapy as a therapeutic approach. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2021, vol.22, n.3, pp.857-866.  Epub Dec 31, 2021. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/21psd220307.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and incapacitating disorder, manifested by marked fear or anxiety in situations in which the individual might be negatively evaluated by others Current investigations suggest that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment strategy. The objective of this work was to provide a structured review of the role of CBT in SAD, addressing cognitive-behavioral models and their effectiveness. Thus, a non-systematized review of the literature was carried out through a bibliographic research at PubMed. CBT models for SAD suggest that these patients focus their attention selectively in interoceptive processes and in threatening cues perceived in the interaction with others. They develop maladaptive schemas that result in negative self-representations that don’t coincide with their overestimation of other’s expectations. This leads to negative emotions and symptoms of anxiety. In order to reduce these symptoms, patients tend to develop safety or avoidant behaviours that function as a negative reinforcement and perpetuate their dysfunctional beliefs. The main TCC approaches for SAD are: cognitive reconstructing and exposure techniques. To date, studies show that TCC is an effective treatment for SAD, but more investigation is necessary to improve treatment strategies for these patients.

Keywords : Social anxiety disorder, Cognitive-behavioural therapy; Cognitive-behavioural model; Efficacy.

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