Skip to main content

Am I Experiencing Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a condition characterized by problematic worry. Am I Experiencing Generalized Anxiety Disorder? is an indicative screening questionnaire designed to help clients to self-assess whether their experiences might warrant further investigation.

Download or send

Choose your language

Notice: The 'Fillable PDF' format has been retired. For resources with form elements, both the 'Professional' and 'Client' versions are now available as fillable PDFs by default.

Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Client version

Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Translation Template

Are you a qualified therapist who would like to help with our translation project?

Tags

Languages this resource is available in

  • Arabic
  • Chinese (Simplified)
  • English (GB)
  • English (US)
  • German
  • Greek
  • Italian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (European)
  • Spanish (International)
  • Vietnamese

Problems this resource might be used to address

Mechanisms associated with this resource

Introduction & Theoretical Background

Everyone worries to some extent, but people with GAD find that their worries form chains of thoughts and images that progress in ever more catastrophic and unlikely directions. GAD is experienced by between 2 and 6 people out of every 100 (Stansfield et al, 2016; Kessler et al, 2005), but like many anxiety disorders, it is under-diagnosed and often goes unrecognized (Munk-Jørgensen et al, 2006; Kasper, 2006).

DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for GAD include:

  • Excessive anxiety and worry, occurring most days for at least 6 months, about more than one event or activity.
  • Finding it difficult to control one’s worry.
  • Anxiety and worry which is associated with 3 or more of the following 6 symptoms (with at least some symptoms present on most days for the past 6 months): 
  • Restlessness, feeling ‘keyed up’, on edge, or easily fatigued
  • Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension
  • Sleep disturbance (difficulty

Get access to this resource

View all plans and pricing options

Get Access

Therapist Guidance

"Some people who worry a lot have a condition called generalized anxiety disorder. Would you like to try a short quiz that could give us an idea of whether this problem troubles you?"

Get access to this resource

View all plans and pricing options

Get Access

References And Further Reading

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 617–627. 

Munk-Jørgensen, P., Allgulander, C., Dahl, A. A., Foldager, L., Holm, M., Rasmussen, I., … Wittchen, H.-U. (2006). Prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in General Practice in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Psychiatric Services, 57(12), 1738–1744.

Stansfeld, S., Clark, C., Bebbington, P., King, M., Jenkins, R., & Hinchliffe, S. (2016). Chapter 2: Common mental disorders. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital. 

World Health Organization. (2019). ICD-11: International classification of diseases (11th revision). Retrieved from https://icd.who.int/

Get access to this resource

View all plans and pricing options

Get Access