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The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) defines Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, with at least six months of "excessive anxiety and worry" in a patient who is unable to control this anxiety and worry, and who also has had the presence of three or more of the primary symptoms for most days in the previous six months.

Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

  • Feeling wound-up, tense, or restless
  • Becoming easily fatigued or worn out
  • Problems concentrating
  • Irritability
  • Significant muscle tension
  • Difficulty sleeping

In addition, these symptoms cannot be attributed to another disease, illness, substance, or other medical issue, and they must cause significant distress in the person's daily functioning.

Many people who do not have GAD may have a hard time understanding this mental illness, as common sense dictates that everyone gets stressed sometimes. The important difference in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder is that external stressors do not have to be present to produce anxiety symptoms, and when external stress is present, coping skills are not present that would help most non-anxiety patients to deal with the anxiety-provoking event.