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Integrative mental health
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Anxiety & fear

Generalised anxiety disorder

Also called GAD, Anxiety, Chronic worry

Excessive, hard-to-control worry about many everyday things, with physical tension.

Symptoms used to diagnose

The ruleExcessive, hard-to-control worry about many things on more days than not for at least 6 months, with at least 3 of the symptoms below.

Core symptoms

  • Excessive worry about several areas of life
  • Finding the worry hard to control

Other symptoms

  • Restlessness or feeling on edge
  • Easily tired
  • Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension
  • Sleep disturbance

How diagnosis works

  • Excessive worry more days than not about several areas of life, which feels hard to control.
  • At least 3 of: restlessness, tiredness, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems.

A diagnosis is made by a qualified clinician after a full assessment — this summary is to help you understand it, not to self-diagnose.

Commonly used medications

Sertraline →Escitalopram →Venlafaxine →Duloxetine →Pregabalin →

Therapies & support

  • CBT
  • Applied relaxation
  • Guided self-help

Good to know

  • NICE advises against benzodiazepines for GAD except short-term in a crisis.

Sources

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    The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines

    Horowitz & Taylor, Wiley-Blackwell, 2024