Here comes a treatment for social anxiety disorder - Read

Researchers examined the effects of structured talk therapy and medication on patients with social anxiety disorders.(Representational image)

New Delhi: As per a new study, talk therapy is the only treatment that can help people with social anxiety disorders, claim scientists.

Researchers from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University of Manchester in the UK examined the effects of structured talk therapy and medication on patients with social anxiety disorders.

Until now, a combination of cognitive therapy and medication was thought to be the most effective treatment for these patients.

The findings show that cognitive therapy on its own has a much better effect over the long term than just drugs or a combination of the two.

"We've set a new world record in effectively treating social anxiety disorders," said Hans M Nordahl, professor at NTNU.

Nearly 85 per cent of the study participants significantly improved or became completely healthy using only cognitive therapy.

Social anxiety is not a diagnosis, but a symptom that a lot of people struggle with, researchers said.

For example, talking or being funny on command in front of a large audience can trigger this symptom.

On the other hand, social anxiety disorder - or social phobia - is a diagnosis for individuals who find it hard to function socially and anyone with this diagnosis has high social anxiety.

(With PTI inputs)