GAD
Meaning of GAD: Worry that will not switch off is the core of it, and the body keeps score through tension, tiredness and broken sleep.
Definition of GAD
GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder, is a condition marked by excessive worry that spreads across many areas of life rather than fixing on one concern. The worry is hard to control, persists on more days than not for at least six months, and comes with physical symptoms such as restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue and disturbed sleep.
What separates it from ordinary worry?
Everyone worries, and worry is often useful, since it prompts preparation. Three features separate the disorder from that. The first is control: the worry does not switch off when a situation resolves or when reassurance is given, and deliberate attempts to set it aside do not hold for long. The second is scope, since it moves from one topic to the next, taking in work, health, money, family and small daily matters in turn, so settling one concern simply frees attention for another. The third is cost, in that it consumes time, disrupts concentration and sleep, and wears the body down. Duration turns the pattern into a diagnosis, since the symptoms have to be present on more days than not across at least six months, which excludes a reaction to one passing crisis.
What does it do to the body?
Anxiety is not only a mental state. Persistent anxiety keeps the body's alerting systems partly engaged, and the effects are physical: muscle tension across the shoulders, neck and jaw, headaches, restlessness, an inability to settle, digestive upset, and fatigue that rest does not repair. Sleep is characteristically disturbed at the start of the night, when nothing is left to occupy attention. These bodily symptoms are frequently what brings someone to be seen, with the worry itself mentioned only once it is asked about directly.
How is it distinguished from other conditions?
| Condition | Where the anxiety settles |
|---|---|
| Generalized anxiety disorder | Many areas at once, shifting between them |
| Panic disorder | Sudden surges of fear, and fear of further attacks |
| Social anxiety disorder | Being judged or scrutinized by other people |
| Specific phobia | One object or situation |
| Obsessive-compulsive disorder | Intrusive thoughts paired with rituals that relieve them |
Medical explanations are weighed as well, since an overactive thyroid, several medications, stimulants and caffeine, and withdrawal from alcohol or sedatives all produce symptoms resembling an anxiety disorder. Depression occurs alongside GAD often enough that both are looked for whenever either one is found.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient was evaluated for GAD after describing months of persistent, difficult to control worry.
Good to know
Ordinary worry is distinguished from generalized anxiety disorder mainly by duration and pervasiveness, since GAD involves excessive worry present on most days for at least six months rather than worry tied to a single passing concern.