Clinical presentation

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common and disabling disorder characterised by excessive worry (apprehensive expectation), anxiety and somatic symptoms. Unfortunately, being that the diagnosis of GAD is poorly recognized, general practitioners and mental healthcare professionals are not exactly aware of the presenting symptoms. The disorder is associated with severe subjective impairment and high social costs. Consequently, unrecognized GAD results in an intensive use of unnecessary and expensive healthcare facilities for a long time. GAD can be considered as a gateway disorder that, if not recognized and treated in time, may lead to the development of other psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, addictive disorders and also psychosis. Because of its relevance as a predisposing factor for the development of other psychopathologies, GAD requires more consideration from a clinical point of view. In this regard, several evidences suggest that GAD is better conceptualized as a dimensional construct, and in light of this, a dimensional approach to generalized anxiety disorder has important implications for conceptual models, assessment and treatment.