hoddesdon
Well-known member
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy does not work in 35 - 40% of cases. The same thing can happen with formal or informal exposure therapy. Despite repeated exposure to feared situations, such as working in the retail industry, there is no habituation to the situation, or, in other words, the therapy has no effect.
There have been clinical trials indicating that an antibiotic, d-cycloserine (DCS), can facilitate matters. Habituation does happen, so that facing the feared situation does result in desensitisation, or reduction in anxiety.
1. Use of an Antibiotic as an Enhancer for the Treatment of Social Phobia - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov
"This study examines whether an antibiotic, d-cycloserine (DCS), boosts the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for social anxiety. CBT has been shown to be effective for the treatment of social anxiety in children and adults, but even after treatment, approximately 40% may remain diagnosable. The antibiotic DCS has been shown to enhance the type of learning that is promoted by exposure therapy, a main component of CBT. This study will test whether DCS can improve the effectiveness of CBT for social anxiety."
2. Augmentation of exposure therapy with D-cycloserin... [Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006] - PubMed result
"CONCLUSION: The pilot data provide preliminary support for the use of short-term dosing of d-cycloserine as an adjunctive intervention to exposure therapy for SAD."
This is a counter-intuitive use of antibiotics. Their side-effects have been used before as the primary treatment for skin problems, for example.
There is the downside that antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad bacteria. However, they only need to be taken for a limited period. So, while having therapy it may be a good idea to take d-cycloserine. If you have tried before without success, perhaps it will be more successful the second time around with d-cycloserine.
There have been clinical trials indicating that an antibiotic, d-cycloserine (DCS), can facilitate matters. Habituation does happen, so that facing the feared situation does result in desensitisation, or reduction in anxiety.
1. Use of an Antibiotic as an Enhancer for the Treatment of Social Phobia - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov
"This study examines whether an antibiotic, d-cycloserine (DCS), boosts the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for social anxiety. CBT has been shown to be effective for the treatment of social anxiety in children and adults, but even after treatment, approximately 40% may remain diagnosable. The antibiotic DCS has been shown to enhance the type of learning that is promoted by exposure therapy, a main component of CBT. This study will test whether DCS can improve the effectiveness of CBT for social anxiety."
2. Augmentation of exposure therapy with D-cycloserin... [Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006] - PubMed result
"CONCLUSION: The pilot data provide preliminary support for the use of short-term dosing of d-cycloserine as an adjunctive intervention to exposure therapy for SAD."
This is a counter-intuitive use of antibiotics. Their side-effects have been used before as the primary treatment for skin problems, for example.
There is the downside that antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad bacteria. However, they only need to be taken for a limited period. So, while having therapy it may be a good idea to take d-cycloserine. If you have tried before without success, perhaps it will be more successful the second time around with d-cycloserine.
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