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Contents and Severity of Worries in Outpatients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Compared to Normal Control  

Kim, Hwigon (Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine)
Kim, Daeho (Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine)
Oh, Daeyoung (Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University)
Seo, Ho Jun (Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea)
Huh, Hyu Jung (Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea)
Chae, Jeong Ho (Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea)
Publication Information
Anxiety and mood / v.11, no.1, 2015 , pp. 47-53 More about this Journal
Abstract
Objective : Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common anxiety disorder characterized by excessive worries and anxiety symptoms. To distinguish between pathological and normal worries, this study compared the contents and severity of worries among patients with GAD with those of matched non-psychiatric control Methods : Thirty outpatients with GAD receiving treatment at the psychiatric department of Hanyang University Guri Hospital were recruited. As a matched control group, we selected 30 adults without psychiatric history who participated in the Anxiety Disorder Survey, during the Mental Health Exposition held in Seoul in April, 2014. Matched demographic data were age, sex, education, and household income. Self-questionnaires included demographic data, contents of worry (10 categories of worries and each severity), and the Pennsylvania State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). Results : There was no statistical difference in the contents of worry between patient and control groups. However, the total PSWQ scores significantly higher in the GAD group. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that patients and non-patients worry about the similar contents and worries in GAD cannot be differentiated by what people worry about. Only the severity of worry was a distinguishable feature. Our finding supported inclusion of the diagnostic criterion of "excesslve wornes" in GAD.
Keywords
Generalized anxiety disorder; worry; The Pennsylvania State Worry Questionnaire; Pathological anxiety;
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