Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Diagnosis

You may consult a primary care doctor first if you suspect your physical symptoms are part of a medical illness. Your doctor may do tests to check for medical problems. If the results are normal, your doctor may ask about your family history, your history of any mental distress, current anxieties, recent stresses and daily use of prescription and nonprescription drugs. Some drugs can cause anxiety symptoms. The doctor then may refer you to a psychiatrist for care.

Your psychiatrist will diagnose generalized anxiety disorder based on a full psychiatric evaluation that includes:

• Asking you to describe your worries, anxieties, and anxiety-related symptoms

• Determining how long you have had these symptoms

• Assessing how worry and anxiety have affected your ability to function normally at home, at work and socially

• Checking for symptoms of other forms of psychiatric illness that might be present at the same time as generalized anxiety disorder

The psychiatrist also may order diagnostic tests, if necessary, to check for a medical illness. These won't be needed if they already have been done by the doctor who referred you to the psychiatrist.

Expected Duration

By definition, symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder last for at least six months. If untreated, the condition can last longer, with symptoms occurring over many years.