Abstract
![CDATA[Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is diagnosed in people with excessive worry and anxiety, which the person finds difficult to control. Somatic complaints and sleeping problems often accompany the anxiety. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria, in addition to uncontrollable worrying, there must also be at least three of six somatic symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, tension or sleep disturbance) occurring for a period of at least six months.1 For a diagnosis of GAD to be reached, significant distress or impaired functioning from the condition must be present. As in major depressive disorder (MDD), a number of exclusion criteria must also be ruled out (e.g. symptoms must not be confined to features of another mental disorder or due to substance use or general medical conditions). Occasional worry and situational anxiety is a normal human experience; true chronic generalised anxiety is a disorder whereby the worrying becomes self-perpetuating and uncontrollable, has a number of distressing somatic features and causes marked impairment of work or social functioning. It should be noted that the diagnosis of GAD is fairly restrictive in terms of the requirement of a long duration and multiple somatic symptoms. As the condition commonly waxes and wanes, the DSM-5 diagnosis may be excessively restrictive in clinical practice.2 A utilitarian diagnosis may involve a period of anxiety or worry that is bothersome to the patient and has occurred for longer than two weeks. It is also worth considering that in some people GAD may reflect ‘trait anxiety’— that is, a person whose personality archetype is that of a chronic worrier.]]
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Clinical Naturopathy: An Evidence-Based Guide to Practice |
Editors | Jerome Sarris, Jon Wardle |
Place of Publication | Chatswood, N.S.W. |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 270-290 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Edition | 2nd |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780729581745 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780729541732 |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- anxiety