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Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Psychiatry/Behavioral · ~7% of blueprint
Pathophysiology
Genetic vulnerability with neurobiological changes in serotonin, noradrenergic and GABA systems.
Signs & Symptoms
Excessive, hard-to-control worry ≥6 months + restlessness, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance.
Gold Standard Diagnosis
Clinical (DSM-5): excessive, hard-to-control worry >=6 months with >=3 of 6 associated symptoms (GAD-7).
First-line Treatment
SSRIs/SNRIs first-line + CBT; avoid long-term benzodiazepines.
Drug cardsSertralineVenlafaxineBuspirone
High-Yield Pearl

SSRIs/SNRIs are first-line; avoid chronic benzodiazepines (dependence) for GAD.

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Sources

Reviewed September 2026
  1. The German Guidelines for the treatment of anxiety disorders: first revision (S3) — DGPPN and 28 further German specialist societies, 2022
  2. StatPearls: Generalized Anxiety Disorder — StatPearls Publishing / NCBI Bookshelf, 2026

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