Thérapies comportementales et cognitives des phobies sociales : programmes classiques et nouvelles approches

Abstract: Social phobia (SP) is a prevalent and impairing condition, occurring especially in young subjects with deleterious consequences on their occupational and familial functioning. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective for the treatment of SP in many studies for about 20 years. Validated components of this treatment can include psychoeducation, social skills training, in vivo exposure, video feedback, and cognitive restructuring. Other complementary methods, coming from the CBT, have been also integrated in therapeutic programs during last years. This is the case for example of specific techniques focused on fear of blushing (erythrophobia), based on the task concentration training. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy can be also interesting for the treatment of patients with past traumatic social experiences, as well as mindfulness meditation for the prevention of relapses after a CBT. Researches are conducted on the use of new technologies for web therapy or virtual reality exposure therapy. Lastly, drug facilitation of exposure therapy is a great challenge for the treatment of SP, and positive results have been recently obtained with agents like d-cycloserine or oxytocin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]