Social phobia. Epidemiology and cost of illness.

Social phobia is a prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorder. It entails significant economic costs in the form of educational underachievement, increased financial dependency, decreased work productivity, social impairment and poorer quality of life. It is associated with increased prevalence of other psychiatric disorders including depression and alcohol dependence. Its onset is early and typically precedes onset of comorbid disorders. Despite its debilitating effects, social phobia is often unrecognised and is undertreated. The availability of efficacious pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for social phobia makes it imperative to carefully consider the impact of this disorder and to consider the cost effectiveness of available treatments.