helper what his or her role will be during the practices.
DEALING WITH ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS
Many people who suffer from social anxiety also experience other problems, includ -
ing other anxiety disorders, depression, alcohol or drug use problems, and relationship 
 difﬁculties. In most cases, these other problems tend not to interfere with the treatment 
of social anxiety. However, if you are currently suffering from problems in addition 
to your shyness, there are two questions that you should consider. First, is your social 
anxiety the most important problem to focus on currently? If not, you should probably 
focus on the problem that is interfering the most with your life. For example, if your 
depression is more severe than your social anxiety, it may be important to deal with your 
depression ﬁrst and then turn your attention to the social anxiety when your depression 
is under control. Second, are your other problems so severe that they are likely to get in 
the way of your social anxiety treatment? If so, you should work on the other problems 
ﬁrst. For example, if you are drinking alcohol so frequently that you’re unlikely to follow