Trastorno de ansiedad social: aproximación a un caso clínico desde el enfoque cognitivo conductual

Abstract

Social anxiety disorder manifests itself in people who perceive their social environment as threatening, causing them fear and discomfort. The main characteristic of this disorder is the sudden and perennial fear of experiencing shame and humiliation within a social interaction. The aim of the present research is to characterize social anxiety disorder from the analysis of a clinical case for the indication of a cognitive-behavioral intervention plan. The study was carried out based on the analysis of a documented case and the review of updated bibliography. The case in question deals with a 14 years old patient who presented problems with sphincter control and neglect of personal hygiene, which was noticed by her classmates and teachers, becoming the cause of constant criticism and mockery, causing difficulty in her interpersonal relationships and sustained thoughts of being abandoned, not accepted or love. Different studies indicate that psychotherapy with cognitive-behavioral approach is by clinical relevance the most used to address social anxiety disorder, allowing the patient to identify his own interpretations about the threatening situation, so that he understands and accepts it; it operates through the modification of thoughts, behaviors and emotions that cause discomfort about his state of mind, in order to improve his performance in daily activities, both at social, family, educational and work levels. From the various techniques such as: psychoeducation, relaxation training, conflict resolution, cognitive restructuring and different types of exposure techniques.