A 2010 Evidence-Based Algorithm for the Pharmacotherapy of Social Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

A growing evidence base on the management of social anxiety disorder has yielded many meta-analyses and guidelines on the pharmacotherapy of this clinically important condition. We aimed to update a pharmacotherapy algorithm for the treatment of social anxiety disorder that was developed to be concise and user friendly and that was addressed to the primary care practitioner in particular. The updated algorithm attempts to summarize succinctly the recent literature in this area, as well as to include the views of an international panel of experts with diverse experience. The algorithm comprises eight sequential steps, beginning with those focused on diagnosis and initiating treatment and ending with the management of the treatment-refractory patient.