Social Anxiety Disorder and the Neurobiology of Social Relationships

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder with the potential for considerable impairment. A patient with SAD is presented and treatment options are discussed. Novel concepts guiding our understanding of the neurobiology of SAD are presented, including the concept of sensory maps of the body, which is used to speculate on the nature of internal representations of relationships and their potential role in triggering anxiety in SAD. Understanding the neural circuitry mediating social relationships and its role in the threat response in SAD may be important for the development of new treatments for this disorder.