Comorbid social phobia does not predict the outcome in alcohol use disorder outpatient treatment

Previous studies have reported high rates of co-morbidity between anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders (AUD) (Grant et al., 2004; Modesto-Lowe and Kranzler, 1999). Social phobia (SP), characterized by the intense fear of being the focus of attention and/or behaving in a way that could be embarrassing and humiliating in specific or diffuse social situations (WHO, 1992), is one anxiety disorder that often co-occurs in individuals with AUD (Kessler et al., 1997; Morris et al., 2005; Terra et al., 2006a,b) SP normally appears at a very early age, with 50% of those who develop SP having developed it by age 11, and 80% having developed it by age 20, (Stein and Stein, 2008), which contrasts to other anxiety disorders such as panic disorder (PD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that typically appear after the age 20 (Moreno-Peral et al., 2014).

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - October 10, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Angelina Isabella Mellentin, Anna Mejldal, Bent Nielsen, Anette S øgaard Nielsen Tags: Full length article Source Type: research