According to the official website of the Drug Evaluation Center (CDE) of the State Drug Administration, a nasal spray called PH94B was approved for clinical trials on January 7 for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in adults.
Photo/ CDE official website
In today's social software so developed, everyone is accustomed to using radio communication, many modern people face-to-face social ability is automatically weakened, it seems as if the surrounding people are more or less with a little social fear.
Graph/Network
What we often call social phobia is actually a disease that needs to be treated with medication? As for this nasal spray that can treat social fear with one spray, what is the origin?
Social phobia is one of the most common mental disorders
Some people are born extroverted, some people play small and do not love social, everyone's feelings about the comfort level of social occasions are different, "social fear" or "social cow", which depends on the personality and life experience of the individual. It's also normal to feel scared and nervous on certain occasions, such as speaking up at a formal setting, attending a large group dinner, or going on a first date with someone you like.
80.22% of the college students surveyed said that they had a slight "social terror";
6.90% of the college students surveyed said that they had serious "social fears";
0.64% of the college students surveyed said that they had severe "social phobia" and were medically diagnosed with social phobia.
12.24% of the college students interviewed said that they were not "socially afraid" at all, calling themselves "social cows themselves".
The "social fear" that is often used to ridicule others or oneself is actually a generalized concept, which is not equivalent to social terrorism in the medical sense. Clinical social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder (SAD). It is mainly divided into general forms of SAD and SAD limited to performance status.
When in social or performance situations, SAD individuals feel embarrassed and restrained by extreme fear of scrutiny or evaluation by others. Because of excessive fear of embarrassment or embarrassment in front of others, they often choose to avoid socializing or endure socializing with strong anxiety (e.g., reducing eye contact and not participating in chats). In addition to anxiety, there may be some physiological reactions, such as blushing, sweating, shaking, palpitations, and vomiting.
After socializing, SAD individuals often become depressed, self-blame, or depressed due to social failure or poor performance. They will show concern about their lack of social skills, and they will be afraid of negative evaluations such as criticism from others. There is even anticipatory anxiety, fear of anxiety just when anticipating social situations, and worrying hours or even days before socializing.
In simple terms, the clinical symptoms of social phobia are more severe than those we generally recognize, and there is a set of strict diagnostic criteria.
After reading the diagnostic criteria, do you dare to say that you are really socially afraid?
SAD is one of the most common mental disorders, usually new in childhood or adolescence, and new-onset SAD after age 30 is uncommon.
Studies have found that genetic and environmental factors affect the onset of SAD. Childhood abuse (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect), experience of social trauma events (being teased, ostracized), maternal stress (often angry with children), and other factors are all associated with the onset of SAD.
If individuals with SAD do not receive medication or psychological intervention and allow them to develop, it will affect interpersonal relationships, disrupt normal learning and work life, and lead to a decrease in quality of life. In addition, it can trigger depression, substance abuse, and other psychological problems.
A spray can cure social terror?
Ph94B, which was approved in the domestic clinical trial, is an innovative neurosteroid aerosol that activates the chemical sensing neurons in the nasal cavity by intranasal administration in microgram doses, triggering neural circuits in the brain that inhibit fear and anxiety, and can be effective within 15 minutes, with high safety.
Photo: VistaGen official website
Ph94B is said to be an innovative treatment because its pharmacological activity is fundamentally different from the pharmacological activity of all approved anxiolytic drugs.
Now common drug treatments for general SAD include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), etc. These drugs have a slower onset of action, usually require continuous treatment for 4 to 6 weeks to be effective, and have certain side effects, such as agitation, headache, diarrhea, nausea, insomnia, and even sexual dysfunction.
Although it is the first time to be approved for clinical trials in China, foreign research trials for PH94B have begun very early. Back in 2011, a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial demonstrated that PH94B was beneficial in relieving symptoms of social anxiety disorder in women.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01217788 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.12101342
Globally, PH94B has entered Phase 3 clinical trials, and the study is expected to be completed next year. Once the safety, efficacy and tolerability of PH94B are confirmed, there will be opportunities for commercial clinical applications and become a blessing for patients with social phobia.
In addition to being used to treat acute social phobia, PH94B is also expected to treat postpartum anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), preoperative anxiety, panic disorder and other anxiety-related disorders.
In addition to medication, how can social phobia be treated?
Mental illness is different from the general body self-limiting disease, time can not cure everything, if there is no intervention treatment, patients have no way to self-relief, is likely to enter a vicious cycle.
SAD is widespread, but only a small percentage of patients receive targeted treatment, and most people with SAD have been ill for many years and decide to seek a diagnosis after a long time, and the prolongation of the chronic course of the disease is likely to lead to a worse prognosis.
In addition to medication to help patients relieve anxiety symptoms faster, there are many ways to help patients get rid of social phobia at the root, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), of which exposure therapy is the first choice for social fears with avoidant behaviors.
Doctors gradually increase the level of exposure (e.g., expand social coverage) depending on the patient's status, and exposure therapy is estimated to be up to 90% effective for patients who cooperate carefully.
In addition, social phobia should be confronted, and when the fear is so strong that it is beyond the control of the self and brings trouble to normal life, remember to seek help.
End
bibliography:
[1] MSD Manual: Social Phobia
[2] UTD: Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of social anxiety disorder in adults - UpToDate
[3] Mayo Clinic: Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
[4] Drug Evaluation Center of State Drug Administration, Drug Evaluation Center of State Drug Administration (cde.org.cn)
[5]https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01217788
[6]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24700254/
[7]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27561175/
[8]https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04754802?term=PH94B&draw=2
[9]https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04404192?term=NCT04404192.&draw=2&rank=1
[10]https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT05011396?draw=2
[11]https://www.vistagen.com/pipeline/PH94B/overview
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Source: Science Park
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