Gaze Contingent Feedback in Social Anxiety Disorder

Gaze Contingent Feedback in Treatment of SAD

The purpose of this study is to determine whether giving gaze-contingent feedback is an effective attention modification procedure, helping in the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD)

The study examines giving social anxious participants gaze-contingent feedback as a novel attention training procedure. Half of the participants will receive contingent feedback while the other half would receive non-contingent "placebo" feedback.

Inclusion Criteria:

• A signed consent form
• Men and women between the ages of 18 and 60.
• Meeting a current diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (SP) according to the DSM-IV
• A minimum of a 1-year duration of SP
• SP as the primary diagnosis: In cases of co-morbidity, SP will be deemed as the most distressing and clinically significant condition among the co-morbid disorders
• Stable pharmaco-therapy: Participants receiving a pharmacological treatment who are taking a stable medication for at least 3 months before the beginning of the procedure.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychotic episode in the past or the present time.
• Co-morbidity with any neurological disorder (i.e., epilepsy, brain injury).
• Another psychotherapeutic treatment during the study.
• Usage of neuroleptic medication.
• Change in medication status during the study.
• Substantial usage of drugs or alcohol in the present time.
• Poor judgment capacity (i.e., children under 18 and special populations).