Drug of choice for social phobia is

(A) SSRIs # Social Phobia> This is an example of irrational fear of activities or social interaction, characterized by an irrational fear of performing activities in the presence of other people or interacting with others.>The patient is afraid of his own actions being viewed by others critically, resulting in embarrassment or humiliation.> There is marked distress and disturbance in daily functioning.> Examples are fear of blushing (erythrophobia), eating, public speaking, public performance (e.g. on stage), participating in groups, writing in public (e.g. signing a check), speaking to strangers (E.g. for asking for directions), dating, speaking to authority figures, and urinating in a public lavatory (shy bladder).> Sometimes, alcohol (and rarely other drugs is used to overcome the anxiety occurring in social situations.# Drug Treatment of phobia are:> Benzodiazepines are given to reduce the anticipatory anxiety.> Alprazolam is believed to have anti-phobic, anti-panic and anti-anxiety properties.> So, it is the drug of choice when benzodiazepines are used.> Long-term follow-up of double-blind trials are needed before it is firmly established as an anti-phobic.> The other drugs used include Clonazepam, lorazepam and diazepam.> Among the antidepressants, SSRIs are currently drugs of choice, with paroxetine being the most widely used and effective drug.> Other SSRIs, like fluoxetine and sertraline are also very effective.