Which statement best describes the DSM-5-TR criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Which statement best describes the DSM-5-TR criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

• A. Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about multiple events, with symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, concentration difficulties, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance.
• B. An intense fear of a specific object or situation causing avoidance.
• C. Chronic depressed mood with anhedonia and hypersomnia.
• D. Mood swings with manic episodes lasting at least one week.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing the way Generalized Anxiety Disorder is defined in DSM-5-TR. GAD involves persistent, excessive worry that occurs more days than not for a period of at least six months and is about multiple events or activities. A key part is that the worry is difficult to control. In addition, at least three of six symptoms typically accompany the worry: restlessness or feeling on edge, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. These features together lead to clinically significant distress or impairment, and the symptoms aren’t better explained by another medical condition or substance. The statement you’re evaluating aligns with these criteria because it specifies worry about multiple topics for at least six months, emphasizes the difficulty in controlling the worry, and lists several of the characteristic symptoms. The other descriptions point to different disorders—one describes a specific phobia, another a depressive episode, and another a manic episode—so they don’t capture the generalized, multi-domain worry pattern that defines GAD.

The main idea here is recognizing the way Generalized Anxiety Disorder is defined in DSM-5-TR. GAD involves persistent, excessive worry that occurs more days than not for a period of at least six months and is about multiple events or activities. A key part is that the worry is difficult to control. In addition, at least three of six symptoms typically accompany the worry: restlessness or feeling on edge, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. These features together lead to clinically significant distress or impairment, and the symptoms aren’t better explained by another medical condition or substance.

The statement you’re evaluating aligns with these criteria because it specifies worry about multiple topics for at least six months, emphasizes the difficulty in controlling the worry, and lists several of the characteristic symptoms. The other descriptions point to different disorders—one describes a specific phobia, another a depressive episode, and another a manic episode—so they don’t capture the generalized, multi-domain worry pattern that defines GAD.