Social Anxiety Disorder and The Placebo Effect

A recent study by Mats Fredikson at Uppsala University Sweden, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was conducted using sufferers of social anxiety disorder. A major symptom of social anxiety disorder is a fear of negative judgement by third parties. A classic example is that sufferers show a powerful fear of speaking in public.

Sufferers of social anxiety disorder were asked to take part in a stressful public speaking event. The subjects were prescribed a placebo for eight weeks and then asked again to speak at a similar event. 40% of the subjects treated with the placebo demonstrated significant improvement in their symptoms over the trial period.

psychologytoday.com - social anxiety disorder and the placebo effect