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What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterised by excessive, persistent worry about various areas of daily life (work, health, family, finances), difficult to control and present on most days for at least 6 months. GAD affects approximately 6% of people at some point in their lives. It differs from ordinary stress by its pervasive nature, persistence, and accompanying physical symptoms (muscle tension, sleep disturbance, fatigue).
Common symptoms
GAD symptoms include: excessive and difficult-to-control worry, irritability, concentration difficulties, chronic fatigue, muscle tension, sleep disturbances, and a constant feeling of being on edge. Work-related anxiety, night-time rumination, and avoidance of stressful situations are also characteristic.
About the GAD-7
The GAD-7 is a validated anxiety screening and severity scale developed by Spitzer et al. (2006), published in Archives of Internal Medicine. It is widely used in primary care and clinical research. A score ≥ 10 is associated with moderate-to-severe GAD warranting clinical evaluation.