Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders Quiz

See Anxiety Disorders. Option B is correct. Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a long-lasting condition in which a person has excessive worry about many everyday issues, such as health, money, work or family, out of proportion to any real risk. The worry is not tied to one trigger (which is why it is called generalised), it is present on most days, and the person finds it difficult to control. It comes with physical and mental features of ongoing anxiety, namely restlessness or feeling on edge, tiring easily, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension and disturbed sleep. NICE CKS (the Clinical Knowledge Summaries used in UK primary care) describes the symptoms as present for at least six months and causing real distress or impairment. Think of GAD as the constant background hum of worry, as opposed to the sudden spike of a panic attack or the fear of one particular object. The physical symptoms (palpitations, sweating, tremor) are real but secondary, so the defining feature is the persistent worry itself.

• Core feature: excessive worry about many everyday issues, out of proportion to any real risk.
• Control: the worry is difficult to control and present on most days.
• Duration: symptoms are present for at least six months and cause real distress or impairment.
• Associated features: restlessness, tiring easily, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension and disturbed sleep.