Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was first characterized by Freud as part of anxiety neurosis and became part of the diagnostic nomenclature in 1980. GAD is a chronic condition, which affects between 6% -10% in the general population. It is associated with significant functional impairment and increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease. It is also frequently found in conjunction with other psychiatric conditions, including mood and other anxiety disorders, and alcohol and substance abuse/dependence. Somatic symptoms are common in GAD, and patients diagnosed with GAD visit primary care physicians twice as often as patients with similar medical and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Part of the Oxford Psychiatry Library series, this pocketbook provides a user-friendly overview of the characterization, diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of GAD in addition to differential diagnoses, pathogenesis, course and clinical co-morbidity associated with this disorder. Each chapter begins with a series of key points.