# Free Social Anxiety Treatment at Stanford University



## StanfordCAMstudy (Aug 8, 2011)

At Stanford University, we are starting another large treatment study for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) that will run continuously from now until June of 2015. We are offering free treatment in the form of 12 weeks of group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or 12 weeks of group Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to people with SAD. Eligible participants are expected to do behavioral and fMRI assessments pre and post treatment (8 hr. assessments) and commit to a year of follow-up contact (online questionnaires). Participants must be located in the Bay Area and must be willing to be randomly assigned to one treatment or another. Participants cannot select which treatment they would like to participate in.

The following are eligibility requirements: primary SAD, 21-55, right-handed, no current psychotropic medication, no schizophrenia, no bipolar disorder, no substance dependence, no claustrophobia, no metal in body, no more than 8 sessions of CBT for SAD, and no regular current meditation practice.

If you do not meet eligibility criteria but are still interested in receiving treatment for social anxiety, please email us for our list of referral resources throughout the Bay Area.

To screen people for social anxiety, the following 3 questions work very well. Have the person rate how much he/she has been bothered by the items below during the PAST WEEK on a scale of 0 to 4.
0=not at all bothered 1=a little bit bothered 2=somewhat bothered 3=very much bothered 4=extremely bothered

_____1. Being embarrassed or looking stupid are among my worst fears.
_____2. Fear of embarrassment causes me to avoid doing things or speaking to people.
_____3. I avoid activities in which I am the center of attention.

Scores of 6 or higher indicate probable social anxiety disorder.

If you or someone you know has SAD, please contact:
[email protected] to request an ID number to complete the online screener

For more information please visit our study website: http://caan.stanford.edu/current_research.html

Thank you!


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