Mental alteration in which there is a persistent excessive anxiety and worry, unreal and persistent, about a variety of aspects of a person's daily life. The individual has difficulty controlling their worry, causing a significative malaise.
The cause is unknown, but it is believed that there is a hereditary component due to the predisposition to suffer it if other family members have suffered it.
It manifests with a state of constant concern, which usually develops gradually, affecting personal and work relationships. It can be accompanied by irritability, muscle tension, agitation, disturbance of concentration, problems falling asleep and non-restorative sleep. Sometimes, it causes symptoms such as headache, muscle pain, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc.
The diagnosis is clinical, often through a questioning done by a psychiatrist.
It should be treated early with medication and psychotherapy to prevent it from becoming chronic. The drugs used are antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Cognitive-behavioural therapy has been shown to be effective, alone or accompanied by stress reduction techniques.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, Arlington 2013.
- Wittchen HU, Kessler RC, Beesdo K, et al. Generalized anxiety and depression in primary care: prevalence, recognition, and management. J Clin Psychiatry 2002; 63 Suppl 8:24.
- Lenze EJ. Anxiety disorders in the elderly. In: Textbook of Anxiety Disorders, 2nd ed, Stein DJ, Hollander E, Rothbaum BO (Eds), American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, Washington, DC 2010. p.651.
- Beesdo K, Hoyer J, Jacobi F, et al. Association between generalized anxiety levels and pain in a community sample: evidence for diagnostic specificity. J Anxiety Disord 2009; 23:684.
- Allgulander C. Morbid anxiety as a risk factor in patients with somatic diseases: A review of recent findings. Mind Brain 2010.
