Science News about Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Phobia Patients Have Heightened Reactions to Negative Comments

October 22, 2008 • Science Update
In a study using functional brain imaging, NIMH scientists found that when people with generalized social phobia were presented with a variety of verbal comments about themselves and others (“you are ugly,” or “he’s a genius,” for example) they had heightened brain responses only to negative comments about themselves.

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The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.