In social anxiety disorder, which specifier indicates fear is limited to public speaking or performance?

• A. Generalized specifier
• B. Situational specifier
• C. Performance-only specifier
• D. Global specifier

Answer: (C)

In social anxiety disorder, the way the fear spreads across situations is what the specifier describes. When the fear is limited to performance contexts—things like public speaking or performing in front of others—the appropriate descriptor is the performance-only type. This means the person is anxious specifically in performance-related social situations and not in most other social settings.

Generalized type, by contrast, would indicate fear across a wide range of social situations, not just performance. The terms “situational” or “global” aren’t the formal DSM-5 specifiers for this disorder, so they don’t capture the precise pattern described. Identifying a performance-only pattern helps tailor treatment toward exposure and cognitive strategies focused on performance anxiety, rather than broad social fears.