Anxiety and Fear-Related Disorders: Social Anxiety Disorder and Specific Phobia

This chapter provides an overview of two of the most prevalent anxiety disorders: social anxiety disorder and specific phobia. Following a summary of the key diagnostic features, phenomenology, and subtypes for each disorder, factors contributing to etiology are presented. Both social anxiety disorder and specific phobia have complex etiologies involving an interaction of biological, psychological, and social/environmental factors. Clinical issues relevant to social anxiety disorder and specific phobia are presented, including assessment methods, patterns of comorbidity, differences in developmental and cultural presentations, and differential diagnosis. Treatment goals and evidence-based treatment approaches are discussed including somatic and psychotherapeutic approaches. Cognitive behavioral treatments have strong empirical support for both social anxiety disorder and specific phobia. Medication treatments are associated with a good treatment response in social anxiety disorder (i.e., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs) but have a limited role in the management of specific phobias.