The effect of Social Anxiety Disorder on perception and Therapeutic treatments for Social Anxiety disorder.

Abstract

Social Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions and is characterized by fear of negative evaluations. This fear can influence perceptions of how people with social anxiety disorder view the world and themselves. It has been found that people with social anxiety disorder have interpretation biases that make them perceive others as more threatening than they are in reality and often believe others think negatively of them. This is influential as people with Social Anxiety Disorder view themselves as they think others perceive them, which can negatively affect their self-image. Therapy that has addressed these perceptions has been found to be influential in reducing social anxiety. The goal of this paper is to review the biased perceptions of facial processing, negative beliefs, and negative body image, as well as how therapy can be an effective treatment for social anxiety disorder.