GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND WORRIES - CHANGES OF A DIAGNOSIS

This article reviews the development of the DSM diagnosis of Generaliz ed Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a common, c hronic, and very distressing disorder. However, it has rarely been emp irically investigated. This lack of research was mainly caused by the difficult diagnosis of GAD. The DSM classification system has been cha nged several times in order to improve the reliability of the diagnosi s. As the changes were made, the worries of GAD patients became the di stinctive symptom of the disorder. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of wo rrying has not been well investigated either. Empirical studies of wor ries are reviewed and their relevance for the diagnosis of GAD is disc ussed.