| For many years, the advancement of the medical | | | | The premise of cognitive behavioral therapy is that the |
| fields has led to the discovery of new medications, | | | | mind and the body are interconnected and therefore, |
| especially for the treatment of social anxiety. | | | | by changing one, the mind, we can also alter the |
| However, there have still been many cases of people | | | | reaction of the other half of the equation, namely the |
| suffering from relapses after coming off their | | | | body. For example, the patient would be led to be |
| medication. This only shows that drugs are not as | | | | exposed to different types of social situations and |
| effective as once thought in curbing anxiety from | | | | then told to talk about what he or she is thinking about |
| arising. | | | | right now. Later on, these thoughts would be |
| There have been many other treatments been | | | | challenged in the therapy room and hopefully, under the |
| proposed other than drugs. These include cognitive | | | | guide of the therapist be changed into a less |
| behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques and using | | | | destructive type of thought which would lead to a less |
| natural herbs to treat social anxiety. | | | | adverse reaction from the patient. |
| However, not all of these treatments are effective or | | | | However, there have been cases where cognitive |
| even useful in trying to minimnise anxiety, what more | | | | behavioral therapy does not turn out to be effective, |
| so treat anxiety.Only cognitive behavioral therapy has | | | | and the anxiety has still remained the same for the |
| proven to be the most effective in treating anxiety as | | | | sufferer. Other than this, the cost of cognitive |
| it focuses on changing the thoughts that one has | | | | behavioral therapy is also another factor to be taken |
| towards social situations and thereby also the feelings | | | | into consideration. |
| that one feels towards that social situation. | | | | |