Could brain scans be the key to determining the benefit of cognitive behavior therapy for patients with social anxiety disorder? According to a recent study led by neuroscientists at MIT, this may be the case.
Social anxiety disorder is believed to impact the lives of 15 million people living in the United States today, and previously doctors have struggled to determine the correct course of treatment. This recent study measured patient brain activity while looking at photos of faces. Those patients who demonstrated a big difference in high-level visual processing had the most improvement over the course of 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy. More information here.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/treating-social-anxiety-disorders-0906.html
This post was contributed by Dr. John Holleran, a physician in the psychiatry department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
