Treating Social Anxiety with a Computer?
Treatment for social anxiety disorder varies widely in application. Many with anxiety disorders are able to take medication to offset the symptoms of their disorder, while others benefit from therapy. Because anxiety is often accompanied by other mental disorders, such as eating disorders or depression, it is sometimes a challenging problem to treat.
Recently, researchers from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, developed a computer task that proved helpful to those with social anxiety disorder. The treatment is called cognitive behavior modification and is focused on helping patients divert their attention from anxiety and learn to interpret situations in a more calm way.
The researchers, led by Courtney Beard, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, recruited 32 individuals with social anxiety disorder. The participants were enrolled in a small, randomized controlled trial in which a computer task was used to redirect reactions.
The therapy used in the trial is of great interest because of its low cost, accessibility and evident effectiveness without the need to have a therapist present. It is certainly not intended to replace traditional forms of therapy, insist the authors, but may be useful as a first-line treatment.
The inexpensive treatment could help a lot of people and is worth trying because it is inexpensive and easy to deliver. It could be tried as an initial treatment, with those who are not effectively helped by the treatment moving on to more intensive treatment options.
The study’s findings are published in the September 2 online issue of Depression and Anxiety. Patients who have social anxiety disorder tend to focus on negative aspects of situations and interpret everything in a negative light.
The researchers enrolled the participants into a four-week trial consisting of eight twice-weekly computer task sessions, following an initial screening using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. In order to be included in the study, participants had to meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder as specified by the DSM-IV.
In the therapy sessions, the participants were trained to redirect thoughts after observing an image of a disgusted face. When compared with the placebo group, the active treatment group exhibited significant improvement in their processing of the images of faces.
While computer-task therapy may not be effective for all patients suffering from social anxiety disorder, the strategy may be a good option for first-line treatment. After completion, therapists could evaluate whether additional, more expensive therapy is required.
