INTERPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR SOCIAL PHOBIA

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's abstract): Social phobia is a common and debilitating disorder. Because established treatments are effective for many but not all social phobia patients, research into alternative treatments in needed. In response to this need, this Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award proposal pursues two distinct, yet interdependent goals. The first is to develop the principal investigator's ability to conduct independent research in the psychosocial treatments of anxiety disorders. Second, the proposed research tests the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for social phobia and expands on this question through additional projects. The training program will integrate: 1) course work in research design, statistics, and the ethical conduct of research, 2) intensive tutorials and ongoing training in specific psychotherapy approaches, 3) supervision by the primary mentor in carrying out the research plan, and 4) supervision from specialized preceptors in various aspects of research with IPT and psychotherapy research for the anxiety disorders. The planned research expands on promising preliminary results with interpersonal psychotherapy for social phobia through three projects. The primary project is a controlled clinical trial with randomized assignment to interpersonal psychotherapy for social phobia (IPT-SP) or a credible psychotherapy control. Comprehensive assessment will be conducted periodically during treatment and at 6 and 12 months following treatment. In a second project, IPT-SP will be modified for treatment of groups, and this treatment will be piloted in a group of social phobia patients. In a third project, available narrative summaries from 120 panic disorder patients will be analyzed to explore the relevance of IPT for panic disorder.