**OT**
Savant,
Saw this new item and thought it may be just the thing to help Jason Olim along:
(PR NEWSWIRE) First Medication for the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorde
First Medication for the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder Approved by the
FDA
SmithKline Beecham's Paxil(R) to Treat Highly Debilitating Condition
PHILADELPHIA, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- SmithKline Beecham (NYSE: SBH) today
announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Paxil(R)
(paroxetine HCl) for the treatment of social anxiety disorder, making it the
first and only medication approved for this disorder in the United States.
Affecting over 10 million Americans, social anxiety disorder, also known
as social phobia, is the most common type of anxiety disorder and the third
most common psychiatric disorder after depression and alcoholism. Social
anxiety disorder is also considered one of the most neglected anxiety
disorders, with only five percent of patients receiving some form of
treatment.
People with social anxiety disorder have an intense fear of being
scrutinized by other people in social or performance situations and of
negative evaluation. They literally become "sick with fear" and are afraid of
acting in a way that will be embarrassing or humiliating, causing them to
avoid such situations in the future or endure these "everyday" situations with
dread. These situations may include speaking in public, initiating or
maintaining a conversation with strangers or people in authority,
participating in meetings or classes, attending parties or dating.
"The FDA approval of Paxil for the treatment of social anxiety disorder
provides a much-needed addition to the physician's armamentarium against
mental illness," said Rodrigo Munoz, M.D., president of the American
Psychiatric Association and clinical professor of psychiatry, University of
California at San Diego. "The FDA's action has given psychiatrists and other
physicians an approved option from which to develop effective treatment plans
for this debilitating disorder -- usually combining medication and some form
of psychotherapy."
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