Generalized Anxiety Disorder | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA

Defining Anxiety Disorders

Discover when you should become concerned that you might have an anxiety disorder.

Learn the symptoms typical of anxiety disorders, and in particular of GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder. The symptoms of each anxiety disorder vary in different people, but they all provoke extreme fear or worry that interferes with daily life.

Diagnosing GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

If you’ve worried chronically on more days than not about a variety of everyday problems for at least six months, you may receive a GAD diagnosis.

Treatment for GAD

Effective treatment options, including medications, are available for people who are diagnosed with GAD and other anxiety disorders.

Tips and Strategies to Manage Anxiety and Stress

At some point, anxiety and stress affect everyone. They can manifest differently in different people, and the level of anxiety one experiences can vary, but there is one thing for certain: there are ways to manage anxiety, even if it feels out of control.

Now I’m in Control

by Stacy Gregg

November 23, 2009

Looking back, I recall first experiencing a panic attack in the sixth grade. I remember getting so nervous that I would have to leave class and go to the counselor’s office. Until I was 16, I was in and out of psychiatrists’ offices. It was a challenge to find a psychiatrist that I could connect with. Throughout junior high and high school, I still experienced anxiety and panic attacks. And when I started college, my anxiety and panic attacks intensified.

Screening for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

If you suspect that you might suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, also known as GAD, answer the questions below, print out the results and share them with your health care professional.

All screening tools are downloadable from this website and no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute them.

To locate a specialist who treats GAD, visit the ADAA Find a Therapist.

Please answer the following:

Redefining My Life

by Veronica Feeney

October 28, 2009

My struggles with emotional and mental problems began at age 12, when I experienced my first nervous breakdown. At age 20 I was diagnosed with major depression. By the time I was 30 that diagnosis had changed to chronic major depression with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Later, ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were added to my diagnoses. At age 40, and after three suicide attempts within two years, my therapist began to suspect that I suffered from bipolar disorder.