Types of SAnD

There are two main types of SAD, based on the number of situations feared by patients:

• Generalised social anxiety disorder where the patient fears most social and performance situations
•  Non-generalised social anxiety disorder in which the fear is focused on one, two or three specific social situations

Some doctors consider fear of only one situation, such as public speaking or eating in public, to be a third distinct type of SAD, or possibly a Specific Phobia.

The age of onset of generalised SAD is usually younger than in non-generalised SAD, and the symptoms may be more severe with higher levels of distress and greater functional impairment.