Generalised anxiety disorder diagnosis

If your experience with anxiety is affecting your everyday life, you should make an appointment to speak with your GP.

Your GP may ask you questions about your symptoms and your experience in order to establish the potential cause. They might also perform tests to rule out the possibility of other health conditions causing your symptoms, such as an overactive thyroid. Once other physical health factors have been ruled out the GP may refer you to a mental health professional for a full assessment.

To be diagnosed with GAD, a mental health specialist will conduct an assessment against a specific validated criterion, such as the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) developed by the World Health Organisation. The assessment will look at the nature, duration and intensity of an individual’s anxiety along with the symptoms being experienced.

It may feel like your symptoms cannot improve, but treatment and recovery from generalised anxiety disorder is possible.