Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Symptoms

The American Psychiatric Association lists the following as diagnostic criteria of generalized anxiety disorder:

Excessive anxiety and worry occurring most days over at least six months, over a number of events or activities
The worry is difficult to control

Furthermore, the anxiety is associated with some of the following symptoms:

Restlessness
Being easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling asleep, or unsatisfying sleep)

Making a Diagnosis

The American Psychiatric Association criteria indicate that an adult sufferer will have at least three of the above symptoms. For instance, they may exhibit difficulty concentrating, irritability and restlessness. A child sufferer may only have one major symptom, for example sleep disturbance.

If symptoms have been evident for less than six months, the problem may be temporary. A stressful event, like moving house or a wedding, can cause elevated levels of worry and anxiety over a period of two or three months, but this will usually eventually subside.

For a diagnosis to be made, either the symptoms, the anxiety or the worry must be causing significant distress to the sufferer. If they have chosen to talk to a professional about the problem, then this is probably already the case.

Difficulties in Diagnosis

Generalized anxiety disorder is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are not exclusive. Before making a diagnosis, a professional will first attempt to ascertain whether they come from an outside source.

Some physical illnesses can cause symptoms similar to generalized anxiety disorder. A cold, for instance, may leave a patient restless, easily fatigued and irritable. If anxiety levels are obviously not excessive, the symptoms are unlikely to be evidence of an anxiety disorder. Even if anxiety levels are high, it may be considered best for a patient to take some bed rest, let the immune system combat the infection and see if anxiety levels return to normal.

Certain drugs and over the counter medications have effects on anxiety. Steroid-based drugs (such as those used for the treatment of asthma), caffeine and nicotine are all linked to elevated levels of anxiety. Street drugs containing amphetamines (speed) and MDMA (ecstasy) are also known to increase anxiety, sometimes hugely. A physician will often recommend that a patient reduce their intake of these substances before undergoing any other anxiety treatment.