Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Question 1

Diagnostic features

Answer 1

Essential feature is excessive anxiety or worry about a number of events or activities. The intensity of the anxiety and worry is out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the anticipated event.The difficult to control the worry interfere with attention to tasks at hand.
-we worry about every day, routine life circumstances, such as possible job responsibilities, health and finances, the health of family members, misfortune to their children, or minor matters.

Question 2

What distinguishes general anxiety disorder from nonpathological anxiety?

Answer 2

1. The worries associated with generalized anxiety disorder or excessive and typically interfere significantly with psychosocial functioning, whereas the worries of every day life are not excessive and are perceived as more manageable and maybe put off when more pressing matters arise
2. The worries associated with generalized anxiety disorder are more pervasive, pronounced, and distressing; have longer duration; and frequently occur without precipitants. The greater the range of life circumstances about which a person worries, finances, children safety, job performance, the more likely his or her symptoms are to meet criteria for generalized anxiety disorder.
3. Every day worries are much less likely to be accompanied by physical symptoms like restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge. Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder report subjective distress due to constant worry and related impairment in social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning.

Question 3

Diagnostic criteria

Answer 3

1. excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days then not for at least six months about a number of events or activities such as work or school performance
2. The individual finds it difficult to control the worry
3. The anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms:
   - restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
   - being easily fatigued
   - difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
   - irritability
   - muscle tension
   - sleep disturbance, difficulty falling or staying asleep, restless, unsatisfying sleep
4. The anxiety and worry or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
5. The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition
6. The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder, e.g., worry about having panic attacks and panic disorder, negative evaluation and social anxiety disorder, contamination or other obsessions or excessive compulsive disorder, separation from attachment figures, reminders of traumatic events and PTSD, gaining weight. In anorexia, physical complaints of somatic symptom disorder, perceived flaws in body dysmorphic disorder, having a serious illness and illness anxiety disorder

Question 4

The anxiety and worry are accompanied by at least three of the following additional symptoms:

Answer 4

1. restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
2. Being easily fatigued
3. Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
4. Irritability
5. muscle tension
6. disturbed sleep

Question 5

What are some associated features supporting diagnosis?

Answer 5

1. Muscle tension-there may be trembling, twitching, feeling shaky, and muscle aches or soreness.
2. They may also experience somatic symptoms: sweating, nausea, diarrhea, and an exaggerated startle response
3. Symptoms of autonomic hyperarousal: accelerated heart rate, shortness of breath, and dizziness or less prominent in generalized anxiety disorder than in other anxiety disorders
4. Other conditions that may be associated with stress are irritable bowel syndrome, and headaches. These frequently acompany generalized anxiety disorder.

Question 6

Development and course of general anxiety disorder

Answer 6

1.median age at onset is 30 years. Excessive worrying at earlier ages is attributed to anxious temperament.
2. symptoms tend to be chronic and wax and wane across the lifespan. Rates of full remission are very low.
The primary difference across age groups is in the contents of the individuals worry. I tend to worry about the well-being of my family and my own physical health. Occupation can also be something to worry about
3.The younger the age of onset the more comorbidity they tend to have and the more impaired they’re likely to be