Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

•Diagnosis of SAD (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM, SCID-I, [18]) and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale >30 (>60 for generalized subtype) [LSAS, 19, 20]

•age: 18 to 70 years

•SAD must be primary diagnosis (most severe disorder according to ADIS-IV)

•SAD patients with comorbid disorders will be included, provided that SAD is the primary diagnosis, thus ensuring a clinically representative sample as well as analyses of subgroups (e.g. type of SAD, patients with comorbid depressive disorder)

•Informed consent

Exclusion criteria

•psychotic disorder

•prominent risk of self-harm

•acute substance related disorders

•personality disorders except for cluster C: avoidant, obsessive-compulsive or dependent personality disorder (SCID-II)

•organic mental disorder

•severe medical conditions

•concurrent psychotherapeutic treatment

•psychopharmacological treatment (stable medical treatments; e.g. SSRI without dose adaptation are permitted)