Background: It is unclear whether generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has a specific relationship to pain syndromes, going beyond the established association of pain with anxiety syndromes in general. Methods: Mental disorders were assessed in a community sample (N = 4181; 18–65 years) using the DSM-IV/M-CIDI. Several threshold definitions were used to define GAD and medically unexplained pain. Results: The association between pain and GAD (odds ratio, OR = 5.8 pain symptoms; OR = 16.0 pain disorder) is stronger than the association between pain and other anxiety disorders (OR = 2.4 pain symptoms; OR = 4.0 pain disorder). This association extends to subthreshold level definitions of GAD with some indication for a non-linear dose–response relationship. The GAD-pain link cannot sufficiently be explained by demographic factors, comorbid mental or physical disorders. Conclusions: The association of pain and generalized anxiety is not artifactual. Compared to other anxiety syndromes, it appears to be stronger and more specific suggesting the need to explore clinical and public health implications.

En effectiveness-studie undersökte effekten av Dugas och Robichauds (2007) behandlingsmodell för GAD på en specialistmottagning för patienter med komplicerade ångest och eller depressionstillstånd. Utöver detta undersöktes vilka övriga KBT-behandlingar för GAD som förmedlats på mottagningen. Alla patienter behandlades som en del av klinikens ordinarie verksamhet. Huvudutfallsmått var Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) som mättes före och efter behandling. Därutöver mättes även grad av depressiva besvär med PHQ-9 samt grad av klinisk remission efter behandling. Behandlingsmodellens resultat för de patienter som bidragit med eftermätning (completerdata) visade en stor inomgruppseffektstorlek för GAD-7 (Cohen’s d=1,76) och 65% bedömdes även efter behandling inte längre uppfylla kriterier för GAD enligt DSM-IV. Bortfallet av data från före- till eftermätning var dock stort, vilket försvårar tolkningen av huvudutfallsmåttet. Även moderatorer för effekt undersöktes, men inga signifikanta samband mellan behandlingsutfall och tidigare visade moderatorer för effekt såsom ålder, kön eller samtidig farmakologisk behandling kunde visas. Resultaten jämförs med tidigare studier och en diskussion förs kring studiens begränsningar. / Objective: While the efficacy of Dugas and Robichauds (2007) CBT treatment model for GAD has been tested in clinical trials, it is still unclear how the treatment is received in a outpatient setting with clinically referred patients. The present effectiveness study aimed to examine the effect of Dugas and Robichauds (2007) CBT treatment on a large outpatient group (N=188) diagnosed with GAD. In addition other types of CBT treatments delivered to the outpatient group were examined, as well as potential moderators for treatment effect such as age, sex, initial GAD-7 scores and concurrent pharmacological treatment. The treatment for the outpatient group was delivered in a clinic (WeMind, www.wemind.se) specialized in treatments of depression and anxiety.  Method: The study is an analysis of gathered data from CBT treatments of GAD during a 3 year span at the clinic. Patients (N=188) diagnosed with GAD were categorized according to type of CBT treatment received and if treatment was completed with intact data. 71 patients were treated with Dugas and Robichauds (2007) CBT treatment, but 22 of these patients also received other CBT interventions at the same time. 33 patients received other kinds of CBT treatment. A large group (N=84) had missing data or did not complete treatment. Measurements taken at the beginning and end of treatment were Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 (GAD-7), Public Health Questionnaire-9  (PHQ-9) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). Clinical remission was measured at the end of treatment with the help of the therapists. A completeranalysis design was used with no waitlist or control group. Results: A paired samples T-test for patients treated with Dugas and Robichauds (2007) CBT treatment and measured with GAD-7 and PHQ-9 gave significant results for GAD-7, t70=13,17 (p<0.001) and PHQ-9, t67=10,25 (P<0.001). 46 of the 71 patients (65%) was assessed with clinical remission (no clinical diagnoses after treatment). Effectsize calculated with Cohen's d were GAD-7=1.76, PHQ-9=1.46 and PSWQ=1.76. Moderators were examined by calculating GAD-7 change score (difference pre-post GAD-7) and correlating the change score with age, sex, initial GAD-7 score and pharmacological treatment. Age and sex gave no significant results. Whether concurrent pharmacological treatment had an moderator effect was examined by categorizing the patients into three groups: (1) no pharmacological treatment, (2) stable pharmacological treatment and (3) changed pharmacological treatment (increased dosage or new treatment). Again no significant effect was found. One positive significant correlation was found with initial GAD-7 scores and GAD-7 change score, GAD-7, r=.66, t69=7,36 (p<0.001). Higher initial GAD-7 measurement correlated with a greater change score. Conclusions:The results indicate a large treatment effect for Dugas and Robichauds (2007) CBT treatment model for GAD in an normal outpatient setting, with clinically referred patients and treatment administered by general CBT therapists. The effect was superior compared to the group that received general CBT treatment interventions for GAD. The effect of treatment measured with GAD-7 and PHQ-9 was also drastically improved if other CBT interventions was added to the treatment model, but these interventions did not have an effect on clinical remission. Serious limitations such as a high percentage of drop outs, a completeranalysis model, no control group and no follow up data restrict the possible interpretations of the results.

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die diagnostischen Kriterien der Generalisierten Angststörung (GAS) und ihr Status als eigenständige psychische Störung waren lange umstritten. Inzwischen liegen neuere epidemiologische Daten vor, die ein präziseres Bild dieser Störung und ihrer Besonderheiten ermöglichen. Methode: Es wird ein systematischer Überblick zu Prävalenz, Verlauf und Komorbidität, zur Beeinträchtigung und zum Inanspruchnahmeverhalten sowie zur Spezifität des Kernsymptoms (Sorgen) erstellt. Ergebnisse: GAS ist eine häufige Störung, die im jungen Erwachsenenalter einsetzt, jedoch auch – anders als andere Angststörungen – hohe Inzidenzraten im mittleren Lebensalter aufweist. Der Verlauf ist eher chronisch. Trotz hoher Komorbidität lässt sich die Störung valide abgrenzen. Klinisch relevante Sorgen erweisen sich als störungsspezifisch. Die Beeinträchtigungen sind auch bei GAS-Patienten ohne Komorbidität beträchtlich. Schlussfolgerung: Der Forschungsstand spricht für die Bedeutung und Eigenständigkeit der Diagnose sowie für die stärkere Beachtung offener Forschungsfragen. / Background: The diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and its status as an independent mental disorder have been controversial. More recent epidemiological data provide a more precise picture of this disorder and its specific features. Methods: A systematic overview is given in regard to prevalence, course and comorbidity, impairment, and help-seeking behavior as well as to specificity of the core symptom (worries). Results: GAD is a frequent disorder with high incidence rates in middle-age groups, which are not seen in other anxiety disorders. Despite the high comorbidity GAD can be validly distinguished. Clinically relevant worries have been proven as specific for the disorder. The impairments are also considerable for patients without comorbid disorders. Conclusions: Research supports the independent status of GAD and the importance of this diagnosis. Unsolved questions are to be analyzed in future research.

Background. The proposed revisions of the ICD and DSM diagnostic systems have led to increased interest in evaluation of diagnostic criteria. This report focuses on the DSM-IV requirement that episodes of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) must persist for at least 6 months. Community epidemiological data are used to study the implications of changing this requirement in the range 1–12 months for estimates of prevalence, onset, course, impairment, co-morbidity, associations with parental GAD, and sociodemographic correlates. Method. Data come from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a US household survey carried out during 2001–2003. Version 3.0 of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used to assess DSM-IV anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance disorders, and impulse-control disorders. Results. Lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day prevalence estimates of DSM-IV GAD changed from 6·1%, 2·9%, and 1·8% to 4·2–12·7%, 2·2–5·5%, and 1·6–2·6% when the duration requirement was changed from 6 months to 1–12 months. Cases with episodes of 1–5 months did not differ greatly from those with episodes of [gt-or-equal, slanted]6 months in onset, persistence, impairment, co-morbidity, parental GAD, or sociodemographic correlates. Conclusions. A large number of people suffer from a GAD-like syndrome with episodes of <6 months duration. Little basis for excluding these people from a diagnosis is found in the associations examined here.

Concerns have been raised that the DSM-IV requirements of 6-month duration, excessive worry, and three associated symptoms exclude a substantial number of people with clinically significant anxiety from a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). We examined the implications of relaxing these three criteria for the estimated prevalence and predictive validity of GAD using nationally representative data from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Relaxing all three criteria more than doubles the estimated prevalence of GAD. Broadly defined GAD significantly predicts the subsequent first onset of a wide range of temporally secondary disorders. The odds of secondary disorders are somewhat smaller for broadly defined than DSM-IV GAD, though few of these differences are statistically significant. Results suggest that subthreshold manifestations of GAD are significantly related to elevated risk of subsequent psychopathology. Further research is needed to determine whether broadening the current diagnostic criteria results in a more valid characterization of GAD.

Background: It is unclear whether generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has a specific relationship to pain syndromes, going beyond the established association of pain with anxiety syndromes in general. Methods: Mental disorders were assessed in a community sample (N = 4181; 18–65 years) using the DSM-IV/M-CIDI. Several threshold definitions were used to define GAD and medically unexplained pain. Results: The association between pain and GAD (odds ratio, OR = 5.8 pain symptoms; OR = 16.0 pain disorder) is stronger than the association between pain and other anxiety disorders (OR = 2.4 pain symptoms; OR = 4.0 pain disorder). This association extends to subthreshold level definitions of GAD with some indication for a non-linear dose–response relationship. The GAD-pain link cannot sufficiently be explained by demographic factors, comorbid mental or physical disorders. Conclusions: The association of pain and generalized anxiety is not artifactual. Compared to other anxiety syndromes, it appears to be stronger and more specific suggesting the need to explore clinical and public health implications.

Previous research has shown that Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is related to stress levels, poor sleep quality, female gender, and younger age. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine if stress level, sleep quality, gender, and age could predict an increased risk of developing GAD. We hypothesized that increased levels of stress, poorer sleep quality, female gender and younger age predicted an increased risk of developing GAD. A quantitative data collection was performed. The questionnaire was presented on Facebook and was sent by email to contacts at “Blekinge Tekniska Högskola” and “Telenor Connexion” who then forwarded the survey to their colleagues. This self-assessment survey was based on three measuring instruments “Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item Scale” (GAD-7),” Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale” (KEDS) and” Insomnia Severity Index” (ISI). A total of 154 participants (93 women, 61 men), were included in the study. The results from the study showed that stress level and age predicted an increased risk of suffering from GAD, where the variable stress level strongest predicted the risk of developing GAD. It could be concluded that stress level and age could predict an increased risk of developing GAD. / Tidigare forskning har visat att generaliserat ångestsyndrom (GAD) är relaterat till stress, sämre sömnkvalitet, kvinnligt kön och lägre åldrar. Därmed var syftet med föreliggande studie att undersöka om stressnivå, sömnkvalitet, kön och ålder kunde predicera en ökad risk för GAD. Studiens hypotes var att ökade nivåer av stress, sämre sömnkvalitet, kvinnligt kön och yngre ålder predicerade en ökad risk att drabbas av GAD. En kvantitativ datainsamling utfördes genom insamling från sociala medier såsom Facebook samt via email till kontaktpersoner från ”Blekinge Tekniska Högskola” och ”Telenor Connexion” som i sin tur vidarebefordrade enkäten till sina arbetskollegor. Enkäten som skickades ut var ett självskattningsformulär som baserades på de tre mätinstrumenten “Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item Scale” (GAD-7),” Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale” (KEDS) and ”Insomnia Severity Index” (ISI). Totalt deltog 154 personer (93 kvinnor, 61 män). Resultatet från studien visade att prediktorerna stressnivå och ålder kunde predicera en ökad risk att drabbas av GAD, där stressnivå i störst utsträckning kunde predicera GAD. Sammanfattningsvis kunde man dra slutsatsen att stressnivå och ålder kunde predicera en ökad risk för att utveckla GAD.

The present study examined the social skills and social acceptance of children with SAD (n=20), children with GAD (n=18), and typically developing (TD) children (n=20). A multimodal assessment paradigm was employed to address three study objectives: (a) to determine whether social skills deficits are unique to children with SAD or extend to children with GAD, (b) to assess whether skills vary as a function of social context (in vivo peer interaction Wii Task versus hypothetical Social Vignette Task) and (c) to examine the relationship between anxiety diagnosis and social acceptance. Parent questionnaire data indicated that both youth with SAD and GAD experienced difficulties with assertiveness, whereas children with SAD experienced a broader range of social skills difficulties. Blinded observers’ ratings during the behavioral assessment social tasks indicated that compared to children with GAD and TD children, children with SAD have deficits in social behaviors and social knowledge across settings, including speech latency, a paucity of speech, few spontaneous comments, questions and exclamations, and ineffective social responses. In addition, vocal analysis revealed that children with SAD were characterized by anxious speech patterns. By comparison, children with GAD exhibited non-anxious speech patterns and did not differ significantly from TD youth on social behaviors, with the exception of fewer spontaneous comments and questions. Lastly, children with SAD were perceived as less likeable and less socially desirable by their peers than both children with GAD and TD children. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed

No description available.

Objetivos: Estudar a confiabilidade e validade de uma versão brasileira dos módulos Episódio Depressivo Maior (EDM) e Transtorno de Ansiedade Generalizado (TAG) do Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview TRACKING (MINI-TRACKING); comparar a evolução de pacientes com diagnóstico de EDM e TAG seguidos por equipes de Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) com acesso ao modelo de Cuidado Colaborativo (CC) em Saúde Mental versus um grupo de pacientes seguidos por equipes sem acesso ao CC. Metodologia: O estudo envolveu quatro equipes de ESF vinculadas à Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP), sendo duas com acesso ao CC e duas sem CC. Um total de 147 pacientes foram entrevistados com o objetivo de rastrear transtornos mentais com a aplicação do WHO-5 e do COOP-WONCA Quadro Sentimentos. Após a confirmação diagnóstica de EDM e/ou TAG, com a entrevista MINI, 42 pacientes foram selecionados e concordaram em participar da pesquisa. Estes pacientes foram acompanhados por doze meses por um médico de família (MF), que aplicou periodicamente a cada oito a doze semanas os módulos EDM e/ou TAG do MINI-TRACKING. Para avaliação da fidedignidade e da validade concorrente, um psiquiatra (cego quanto ao diagnóstico do MF e quanto a qual equipe seguia o paciente) aplicou, com intervalo máximo de 72h do MF, os mesmos módulos do MINI-TRACKING, o PHQ-9 e/ou o GAD-7. Resultados: Não foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os pacientes das equipes com e sem CC no que se refere as características clínicodemográficas. Os itens individuais dos dois módulos do MINI-TRACKING mostraram boa fidedignidade inter-avaliadores (Kappa entre 0,78 e 0,98), bem como seus escores totais (Coeficiente Intra-classe de 0,996 e 0,993 para EDM e TAG, respectivamente). Os módulos EDM e TAG mostraram também boa validade concorrente com as escalas PHQ-9 e GAD-7 (coeficiente de Pearson 0,994 e 0,976, respectivamente). Trinta pacientes (quinze de equipes com CC e 15 de equipes sem CC) completaram as cinco avaliações no decorrer de um ano de seguimento. A ANOVAmr destes pacientes mostrou diferenças significativas no fator tempo e na interação tempo x intervenção, com diminuição significativamente maior dos escores do MINI-TRACKING nos pacientes seguidos pelas equipes com CC. Conclusão: Os módulos EDM e TAG do MINI-TRACKING são uma opção confiável para o seguimento de pacientes com estes diagnósticos. Este estudo também mostrou, de forma preliminar, que o CC em saúde mental é uma estratégia eficaz na redução de sintomas dos pacientes com EDM e TAG na Atenção Primária. / Objectives: To study the reliability and validity of a Brazilian version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview - TRACKING (MINI-TRACKING) modules for Major Depressive Episode (MDE) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD); To compare the outcomes of patients diagnosed with MDE and GAD followed by teams of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) with access to the Mental Health Collaborative Care model (CC) versus a group of patients followed by teams without access to CC. Methodology: The study involved four FHS teams of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP), two of them with access to CC and two without it. A total of 147 patients were tracked for mental disorders with the application of the WHO-5 and the COOP-WONCA Chart Feelings. After confirming the diagnosis of MDE and/or GAD using the MINI interview, 42 patients were selected and agreed to participate. These patients were followed for twelve months by a family physician (FP), who applied regularly every eight to twelve weeks the MDE and/or the GAD MINI-TRACKING modules. To assess the reliability and concurrent validity, a psychiatrist (blind to the diagnosis and to which team the patient was followed) also applied the same modules of the MINI-TRACKING, the PHQ-9 and/or the GAD-7, with a maximum interval of 72 hours of the FP. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the patients with and without CC teams regarding demographic and clinical characteristics. The individual items of the two MINI-TRACKING modules showed good inter-rater reliability (kappa between 0.78 and 0.98), as well as their total scores (Intra-class coefficient of 0.996 and 0.993 for MDE and GAD, respectively). The MDE and GAD modules also showed good concurrent validity with PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales (Pearson coefficient 0.994 and 0.976, respectively). Thirty patients (fifteen with CC and 15 without CC) completed the five assessments during one year of follow up. The repeated-measures analysis of variance (rmANOVA) showed significant differences in the time factor and the interaction time x intervention, decrease significantly higher of the MINI-TRACKING scores in the patients followed by teams with CC. Conclusion: MINI-TRACKING MDE and GAD modules are a reliable option for following patients with these diagnoses. This study also showed, preliminarily, that CC in Mental Health is an effective strategy in reducing symptoms in Primary Care patients with MDE and GAD.