What are the DSM-5 criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

• A. Worry for 2 weeks only.
• B. Excessive anxiety and worry most days for at least 6 months about multiple events, with at least three associated symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, concentration difficulty, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance) and clinically significant distress or impairment.
• C. Worry about a single event with no associated symptoms.
• D. Presence of panic attacks only.

Answer: (B)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when there is excessive anxiety and worry that occurs most days for at least six months about a range of events or activities, with difficulty in controlling the worry. In addition, at least three of six accompanying symptoms must be present: restlessness or on edge, easy fatigability, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. This combination must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning, and the pattern is not better explained by another disorder or a substance.

The option described matches these elements—duration, breadth of worry across multiple domains, the difficulty in control, multiple associated symptoms, and the resulting distress or impairment—making it the best choice. The other descriptions fall short: worry for only two weeks is too short; worrying about a single event with no symptoms doesn’t meet the symptom threshold; and panic attacks alone point to a different disorder.