Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Mary Kimmel, M.D., Claire Zachik, Traci Speed, M.D., Ph.D.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide.

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DEFINITION

  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is defined as persistent excessive free-floating anxiety and worry about multiple general aspects of life (e.g., family/relationships, school/work, and health).
  • Anxiety and worry are normal phenomena in response to stress.
  • The anxiety and worry associated with GAD is:
    • Out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the anticipated event, activity, or situation
    • Difficult to control
    • Causes significant distress, with associated physical symptoms
    • Interferes with psychosocial functioning
  • The etiology of GAD is not completely understood, but biological and psychosocial factors appear to contribute
    • One third of the risk of experiencing GAD appears due to genetic causes

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Last updated: June 10, 2017

Citation

TY - ELEC T1 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder ID - 787058 A1 - Kimmel,Mary,M.D. AU - Zachik,Claire, AU - Speed,Traci,M.D., Ph.D. Y1 - 2017/06/10/ PB - Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787058/all/Generalized_Anxiety_Disorder ER -