Education and Training
Social Anxiety Telehealth Therapy Study
The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased the risk of adverse mental health outcomes; while physical distancing is required to reduce infection risk, it also increases loneliness and isolation and prevents access to traditional in-person therapy, which further contribute to risk of adverse mental health outcomes. These problems may be especially acute for individuals with social anxiety disorder (as many as 12% of Americans), however there is a limited evidence-base for telehealth options to directly address social anxiety. This project aims to adapt exposure therapy for social anxiety to a telehealth and physical distancing-compatible intervention, and test whether this effectively decreases loneliness in adults with elevated social anxiety.
Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial.
Intervention(s):
- behavioral: Telehealth CBT
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 18+,
- Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score > 50
- Fluent spoken and written English
- Access to the internet via a smartphone or computer with a camera
- Ability to provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of mania or psychosis
- Moderate or severe substance use disorder within the past year
- Current psychiatric diagnosis of greater impairment than that arising from social
anxiety
- High risk for suicide (>8 on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview
suicidality section)
- Prior exposure therapy (more than 2 sessions)
- Current psychotropic medication use
- Current psychotherapy other than couples counseling.
Ages Eligible for Study
18 Years - N/A
Genders Eligible for Study
All
Not currently accepting new patients for this trial
Contact Information
Stanford University
School of Medicine
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford,
CA
94305
Tali Ball, PhD
650-723-2686
Not Recruiting