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Looming Vulnerability in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

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Abstract

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by chronic, excessive, and uncontrollable anxiety and worry about a variety of topics (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 2013), the worry occurs more days than not for a period of at least 6 months and causes significant distress and/or functional impairment (e.g., academic, occupational, social functioning). The focus of the anxiety and worry cannot be confined to symptoms of another disorder (e.g., fear of having panic attacks as in panic disorder, fear of embarrassing oneself in social situations as in social phobia, or fear of having a serious illness as in hypochondriasis). In addition to excessive anxiety and worry, GAD is also associated with at least three of the following symptoms over a 6-month period: feeling restless, keyed up or on edge, becoming easily fatigued, having difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance (APA, 2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Stephanie E. Cassin

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Stephanie E. Cassin & Neil A. Rector

  3. Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VI, USA

    John H. Riskind

Authors
  1. Stephanie E. Cassin
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  2. Neil A. Rector
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  3. John H. Riskind
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Correspondence to Stephanie E. Cassin .

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Cassin, S.E., Rector, N.A., Riskind, J.H. (2018). Looming Vulnerability in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In: Looming Vulnerability. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8782-5_11

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