Revisiting the SSRI vs. Placebo Debate in Social Anxiety Treatment
How Much of SSRI Benefits for Social Anxiety Are Real vs. Placebo?
A comprehensive analysis published in Frontiers in Psychology revisits the SSRI vs. placebo debate in the treatment of social anxiety disorder, exploring the role of expectancy effects, neural responsivity, and monoamine transporters. Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders, affecting millions of people worldwide and significantly impairing social and occupational functioning. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are commonly prescribed for social anxiety, but questions remain about how much of their benefit represents true pharmacological effects versus placebo responses, expectancy effects, and individual biological variations.