Effect of quetiapine vs. placebo on response to two virtual public speaking exposures in individuals with social phobia.

Objective: Clinical practice and open-label studies suggest that quetiapine (an atypical anti-psychotic) might improve symptoms for individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The purpose of this study was to provide a rigorous test of the acute impact of a single dose of quetiapine (25mg) on SAD symptoms.

Method: Individuals with SAD (N=20) were exposed to a 4-min virtual reality (VR) public speaking challenge after having received quetiapine or placebo (double-blind) 1h earlier.