GAD — Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive, persistent worry that is difficult to control and spans multiple areas of life — work, health, family, finances, everyday events — lasting at least six months. The worry is out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the feared event, hard to control, and accompanied by at least three physical symptoms: muscle tension, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep disturbance, or restlessness.
GAD is one of the most common anxiety disorders — affecting roughly 5-6% of the population at some point in life — and it causes significant impairment in daily functioning. It is frequently underdiagnosed because many people experience it simply as 'being a worrier by nature' rather than recognizing it as a treatable condition.
The most effective treatment combines CBT (particularly cognitive restructuring and uncertainty-tolerance techniques) with medication (SSRIs or SNRIs as first-line pharmacotherapy).
💡 Practical example
Maria has GAD: she constantly worries about her children's performance at school, the family's finances, and every family member's health — and as soon as one worry resolves, another immediately takes its place. She knows she worries 'too much' but can't stop — and it keeps her from sleeping well and leaves her perpetually tense.
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