Social anxiety disorder (SAD; also known as social phobia) is a prevalent disorder with an onset mostly in childhood or adolescence. Furthermore, SAD was found to be a predictor of the subsequent development of depressive disorder. There is a possibility that early intervention for SAD may prevent the subsequent development of depressive disorder. SSRI treatment may benefit patients with primary SAD and comorbid depressive disorder. Moreover, it is important to pay attention to depressive symptoms showing atypical features or bipolarity. Clearly, much more work is needed to establish the treatment of patients with SAD who fail to respond to SSRI.
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