P7: The Prevalence of Social Anxiety in Inpatients with Schizophrenia

Social anxiety is a frequent, disabling condition but often unrecognized feature in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of social anxiety among inpatients with schizophrenia. Sixty inpatients with DSM-V schizophrenia were recruited from Niayesh psychiatric hospital in 2015 in Tehran, Iran. They were interviewed with the Anxiety Disorders section of the SCID for DSM-IV. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (Farsi Version), conducted by an experienced interviewer, will be used to determine the diagnosis. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale appeared adequate and reliable in assessing social anxiety disorder in patients with schizophrenia. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) is a 24-item interview that assesses fear and avoidance, in 11 social interactions and 13 performance situations with a 4-point-Likert scale. The cut-off point for social anxiety diagnosis in LSAS was determined 80. Specific prevalence of social anxiety comorbidity was 20% in this sample. If these data are confirmed, it is recommendable to use psychological treatments to decrease social anxiety symptoms in schizophrenia patients. Social anxiety disorder may impose an additional burden to patients with schizophrenia, resulting in further decline in their quality of life Given that anxiety disorders are relatively responsive to treatment, greater awareness of their comorbidity with psychosis should yield worthwhile clinical benefits. Moreover, since the sample in this study was consisted only of middle-aged male iranian inpatients, it is recommended for future researchers to focus on other sex, age, cultural and ethnic groups.