Cognitive therapy versus moclobemide in social phobia: A controlled study

Eighty-two patients with social phobia were randomly assigned to cognitive therapy or double-blind drug treatment with moclobemide (300-600 mg per day ) or placebo. After 15 weeks of active treatment, a 2-month treatment-free follow-up as well as a 15-month naturalistic follow-up were scheduled. At p ost-test, cognitive therapy was significantly superior to moclobemide, but not to placebo, on a composite social phobia measure. At 2-month follow-up, cognitive therapy was superior to both moclobemide and placebo. Treatment gains were maintained in cognitive therapy during 2-month and 15-month foll ow-up, however, most patients (66%) who completed the study needed addition al cognitive and/or behavioural treatment. Moclobemide proved not superior to placebo at post-test as well as at 2-month follow-up. As most patients f rom the medication conditions were treated with cognitive and/or behavioura l treatment during the naturalistic follow-up period, at the 15-month asses sment no between-group differential effects were found to remain. These res ults indicate that cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for social p hobia in both the short and long term. As the results from previous studies on the efficacy of moclobemide in social phobia were inconclusive, our dat a tip the scales in the direction that there is no place for moclobemide in the treatment of social phobia. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.