The 4 main comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder

Most anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety disorder or social phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia or any type of specific phobia, they are linked to a symptomatology related to some bodily sensation, an external situation or a stimulus specific. However, this does not happen in the case of generalized anxiety disorder.

In the case of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the symptoms are not triggered by any specific situation or stimulus, but rather occur without the The person who suffers from this alteration can detect which are the situations that trigger the symptoms, having a wide range of contents between the signs of threat.

However, it should be noted that comorbidities are common in generalized anxiety disorder, that is, overlap between this and other disorders. In this article we will see which are the most important, focusing on the field of mental health.

• Related article: "Generalized Anxiety Disorder: symptoms, causes and treatment"

Characteristics of generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder, according to the DSM-5 Diagnostic Manual for Mental Disorders, is made up of symptoms of excessive worry and anxiety for at least 6 months and are associated with various activities and / or events. Likewise, the person has serious difficulties in controlling their worries and anxiety symptoms, associating these with 3 or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration difficulties, muscle tension, irritability and disturbances in the dream.

It should also be noted that worry, anxiety or physiological symptoms cause significant discomfort or difficulties in their day-to-day life (for example, at the academic, work, etc. level). Furthermore, this alteration cannot be attributed to the side effects of a substance or another health condition and cannot be better explained by another mental disorder.

Next we will explain the most common comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder.

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The most important comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder

There are clinical studies conducted with anxiety disorders that estimated that approximately 80% of patients with any anxiety disorder tend to have comorbidities with another mental disorder; in most cases the second psychological alteration is another anxiety disorder, although they also overlap with depressive or personality disorders.

In this sense, here we will see the most common comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder,

1. Comorbidity of GAD with other anxiety disorders

Comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder usually occur with other anxiety disorders (eg, specific phobia, social phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, etc.).

The high degree of neuroticism or emotional responsibility that is usually found in patients with a generalized anxiety disorder are usually the main factors that sustain comorbidity with other anxiety disorders being associated with the temperamental antecedents of these patients.

Studies have also found that generalized anxiety disorder and the other anxiety disorders share a number of genetic and environmental risk factors.

• Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

2. Comorbidity of GAD with depressive disorders

The second most common comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder are those that occur with other depressive disorders, such as major depressive disorder or dysthymiaIt should be noted that there may also be comorbidity between generalized anxiety disorder and bipolar disorders.

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3. Comorbidity of GAD with personality disorders

Other comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are those that occur when patients with a diagnosis of GAD and also meet the criteria for the diagnosis of a personality disorder, especially obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

When there is a case in which there is any of the possible comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder with a disorder of the personality the patient usually suffers symptoms with a higher level of clinical severity than in the case of comorbidities with disorders anxiety or depressive, so the degree of negative interference is also greater in the various areas affected in the life of the patient. patient.

• Related article: "The 10 types of Personality Disorders"

4. Comorbidity of GAD with other conditions

Cases with comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder have also been found with other conditions such as headaches or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), in which cases they usually occur as a consequence of the stress suffered by the patient for a long time.

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Main comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder in adolescents

Generalized anxiety disorder has a low percentage of cases among the adolescent population; However, cases have also been found in these population groups, so it is worth noting which are the comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder in this age group.

In Spain there is a study carried out with 962 participants aged between 12 and 16 years in which it was found a prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder of 3% globally, having on the other hand a prevalence of 2.4% in men and one of 3.7% in women.

What was most striking is that comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder were found in 58% of the cases with this disorder, the most common being that These comorbidities occurred together with another anxiety disorder in general, with 48.3%, which represents almost half of the cases with anxiety disorder generalized.

Other comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder found in the study should also be highlighted. First, it was found that together with panic disorder there was a comorbidity of 20.7%; with oppositional defiant disorder a comorbidity of 10.3% was found; with some anxiety disorders in isolation, and not in general, as is the case with agoraphobia, specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder and social phobia, the results revealed a comorbidity of 13.8% in each disorder.

With the Eating disorder (ED) comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder of 13.8% were found; with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a comorbidity of 13.8% was also observed, as was the case with oppositional defiant disorder; with obsessive compulsive disorder and also with major depressive episode it was found that both had a comorbidity with GAD of 6.9%; and finally, the one with the least comorbidity observed to have with GAD is the case of conduct disorder, with 3.4%.

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Interference caused by comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder

When there are comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder, as well as when it occurs in isolation, those who suffer from it usually suffer a series of negative consequences when interfere in a very significant way in their daily life, since it affects various areas of day-to-day life (for example, work, academic, interpersonal relationships, care of their Health...).

High levels of pathological worry tend to drain a lot of time and energy for the person with general anxiety disorder.. Likewise, other symptoms of the disorder that are related such as muscle tension, nervousness, difficulty in Concentration, sleeping difficulties, or fatigue often contribute to the interference of the disorder in these diverse areas of the child's life. patient, getting to increase all these problems and having another one when the comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder occur in the same person.

On the other hand, comorbidity between this and other disorders is associated with a high number of cases of sick leave and suffering from high levels of distress, which in clinical and medical psychology is known as a prolonged state of tension at the psychological level associated with suffering or anguish; in situations like this the patient cannot adapt to a series of factors that he conceives as threatening and that may have been increased by these comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder.

Factors that are directly related to a worse prognosis of GAD

The factors that are directly related to a worse long-term prognosis Among people who have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are the following:

• The most serious, when there are comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder with personality disorders.
• Comorbidities of generalized anxiety disorder with other anxiety and / or depressive disorders.
• When there are high levels of neuroticism.
• When the symptoms of GAD have high levels of severity.
• Have a low socioeconomic status.
• Have a poor adjustment on a social level.
• Not having a job.