The treating social anxiety disorders is not an easy task due to the fact that most sufferers do not seek medical attention for the disorder itself but only require medical intervention much later when depression or alcohol and substance abuse has become a serious problem for them. This is most unfortunate as in the early stages of the disorder not only are the symptoms easier to treat but there is more likelihood of the cause being satisfactorily treated as well.

Apart from a form of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that can be used in the short term to make sufferers more aware of their fears, help change their thinking patterns and use a gradual exposure to their situations that cause their anxiety, there are certain medications that prove helpful in treating these disorders. Social anxiety disorder medications come in different forms and one of the most useful has been found to be selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and is usually the first choice of medical practitioners. They are a class of antidepressant and have been trialled using different compounds.