What type of disorder is characterized by excessive worry and restlessness?

Prepare for the Diagnostician Certification Test. Review with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Enhance your understanding with hints and detailed explanations. Excel in your examination!

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive and persistent worry about various aspects of life, including work, health, and social relationships. Individuals with GAD often find it challenging to control their anxiety even when there is little or no reason for concern. This chronic worry is typically accompanied by physical symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances.

In contrast, the other disorders listed have distinct features that differentiate them from GAD. Major Depressive Disorder focuses on persistent sadness and anhedonia rather than excessive worry. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is primarily a response to experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, typically involving flashbacks and avoidance behaviors, rather than generalized excessive worry. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder involves unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) to reduce anxiety but does not encompass the broad and continual worry characteristic of GAD.

Thus, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is the most accurate description of a condition marked by widespread anxiety and restlessness.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy