Diagnosis of social phobia

There is something distinctly human about social anxiety. Mark Twain once remarked, Man is the only animal that blushes—or needs to. Although there are other mammalian species with complex social pecking orders, we, as humans, are particularly sensitive to how we are perceived by others. This sensitivity, when marked by a fear of evaluation by others, can become maladaptive. If that fear is transient and leads to little or no avoidance of social interactions, then it is considered normal shyness. However, when the social consequences of that fear become more pronounced, then the diagnosis of social phobia, now more commonly referred to as social anxiety disorder, is warranted. 

In another study, B. Black et al. [1992] reported an open trial of fluoxetine in 14 subjects, all with a primary diagnosis of social phobia, generalized subtype. Ten of the subjects were treated with only fluoxetine. Four subjects... 

Another open trial of fluoxetine was reported by Van Ameringen et al. (1993). In this study, 16 subjects with a primary diagnosis of social phobia were entered into a 12-week clinical trial. Treatment started at a dose of 20 mg/day and was increased every 4 weeks, according to clinical response and side effects, to a maximum daily dose of 60 mg. Of the 16 subjects, 10 were considered responders, 3 were nonresponders, and 3 dropped out of the trial as a result of adverse effects related to the medication. The response rate of the different subtypes of social phobia was not reported in this study. 

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