Cognitive behavior therapy  appears to be more effective than other evidence -based psychological techniques , and its effects appear to be more enduring than those of pharmacotherapy .
There is some evidence , albeit limited to certain drug classes , that the combination of  medication and cognitive behavior therapy may be more effective than either strategy used alone .
This article proposes a number of recommendations for the treatment of  generalized social phobia  , based on a systematic literature review and meta- analysis .
For medications , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are first-line choices based on their efficacy and tolerability profiles .
There are other medication classes with demonstrated efficacy in social phobia ( benzodiazepines , antipsychotics , alpha-2-delta lig and s ) , but due to limited published clinical trial data and the potential for dependence and withdrawal issues with benzodiazepines , it is unclear how best to incorporate these drugs into treatment regimens .
Randomized trial of a meditation-based stress reduction program and cognitive behavior therapy in generalized social anxiety disorder.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction ( MBSR ) has been reported to reduce anxiety in a broad range of clinical population s. However , its efficacy in alleviating core symptoms of specific anxiety disorders is not well established . We conducted a r and omized trial to evaluate how well MBSR compared to a first-line psychological intervention for social anxiety disorder ( SAD ) . Fifty-three patients with DSM-IV generalized SAD were r and omized to an 8-week course of MBSR or 12 weekly sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy ( CBGT ) . Although patients in both treatment groups improved , patients receiving CBGT had significantly lower scores on clinician- and patient-rated measures of social anxiety . Response and remission rates were also significantly greater with CBGT . Both interventions were comparable in improving mood , functionality and quality of life . The results confirm that CBGT is the treatment of choice of generalized SAD and suggest that MBSR may have some benefit in the treatment of generalized SAD
Cognitive behavior therapy  appears to be more effective than other evidence -based psychological techniques , and its effects appear to be more enduring than those of pharmacotherapy .
There is some evidence , albeit limited to certain drug classes , that the combination of  medication and cognitive behavior therapy may be more effective than either strategy used alone .
This article proposes a number of recommendations for the treatment of  generalized social phobia  , based on a systematic literature review and meta- analysis .
For medications , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are first-line choices based on their efficacy and tolerability profiles .
There are other medication classes with demonstrated efficacy in social phobia ( benzodiazepines , antipsychotics , alpha-2-delta lig and s ) , but due to limited published clinical trial data and the potential for dependence and withdrawal issues with benzodiazepines , it is unclear how best to incorporate these drugs into treatment regimens .