Treatment of Social Phobia With Cognitive Bias Modification

Reduction of Social Phobia Symptoms With Internet-Based Cognitive Bias Modification

The purpose of this study is to determine whether different internet-based treatment programs, consisting of cognitive bias modification, reduce symptoms of social phobia among a population diagnosed with this disorder.

Previous studies have shown that individuals with social phobia have attention biases, often focusing on aversive stimuli or avoiding aversive stimuli. Computerized training programs have been developed to implicitly direct the users attention towards a neutral, non-threatening stimuli. In this study, such a program will be provided to 128 participants that meet the diagnostic criteria for social phobia. It will be compared with a program that implicitly directs the users' attention towards threatening cues. Pre/post-measurements will be compared. Participants will be randomized to one of three groups, receiving one of the two variants of the cognitive bias modification program or a control training.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent provided
• Diagnosed social phobia (according to DSM-IV criteria)
• Access to computer with internet connection, and printer

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe depression (and/or suicidal behavior)
• Addiction and/or abuse
• Suffer from other severe psychiatric condition (e.g. psychosis)
• Non-stable use of medication
• Undergoing other, parallel psychological treatment