ABSTRACT

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is “a marked and persistent fear of one or more social performances in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others” (Ref. 1, p. 417). Over the past 10 years, there has been increasing interest in the occurrence of this disorder among children and adolescents. Most of these studies have focused on its psychopathology, and-as reviewed elsewhere in ths volume-the resultant data clearly document the pervasive and serious nature of social anxiety disorder in children as well as its immediate and long-term consequences. Thus the need for effective interventions is evident, and data examining both pharmacological and psychosocial interventions are beginning to emerge. In this chapter, the current status of both pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for children with social anxiety disorder is reviewed.