In today’s world, everyone is talking about mental health, and much attention is given to it however, it is generally challenging to diagnose Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD). Normally panic attacks are considered a hallmark feature of anxiety disorders however, it is different in the case of GAD in which there are no panic attacks.

This misconception about GAD leads people to believe that in the absence of panic attacks, they are completely normal despite having other symptoms. Hence, Gad is not diagnosed timely and not treated accordingly.

Feeling worried and anxious are pretty common these days and almost all of us experience it. So, the actual question is what are the major symptoms which the physicians are looking for to help decide if someone’s worry and anxiety a normal behavior or are related to GAD?

“The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition” (also known as the DSM-5) outlines that evaluation of symptoms is a crucial step in diagnosing the person with GAD. The experts of mental health look for factors like excessive worrying along with several physical symptoms and then using scientifically proven diagnostic assessments to reach a diagnosis and exclude other possibilities.

Symptoms of GAD:

The DSM-5 highlights a particular criterion to help the health care workers diagnose GAD. A Standard set of signs and symptoms to refer to while assessing patients allows doctors to diagnose more precisely and acknowledge the patient’s concerns related to mental health which ultimately lead to an effective treatment plan.

Diagnosing criteria of GAD:

Whenever you are assessing a patient with GAD, look for the following:

1. Excessive anxiety and worry about several topics, activities, or events. The symptom of worrying has been present f"

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