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Anxiety

How do doctors diagnose anxiety disorder?

If you think you may have anxiety disorder, you should see your doctor. He or she will need to ask you questions to see how anxious you are and how much you worry.

It's normal to worry, so your doctor will need to find out whether you are worrying more than you should. Here are the sorts of questions your doctor will ask to find out whether you have anxiety disorder.

Source:
American Psychiatric Association
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR).
4th edition. American Psychiatric Association, USA; 2000.

Are you worried and anxious about lots of things?
Is your worry out of proportion to the situation?
How long have you been worrying like this? (Doctors call your worry anxiety disorder if it has gone on for at least six months.)
Do you find it difficult to control your worrying?
Does worry interfere with your life?

You doctor will also ask whether you've had any of these symptoms and if so, how often:

Feeling restless or keyed up
Becoming tired easily
Finding it hard to concentrate or that your mind goes blank
Being irritable
Tension in your muscles
Finding it hard to fall asleep or not sleeping well.

Your doctor may also ask about your general health, whether you are taking any medication, and what's going on in your life. He or she may want to talk to your family or partner too. He or she may want to ask about your medical history or do a physical examination to rule out any medical problems.

It can be hard to talk about yourself in this way. Try to give your answers in your own words and in your own time.

Some doctors also use special questionnaires to measure your symptoms. To read more about these tests, see Symptom rating scales.

Source:
Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R.
The Anxiety Disorders.
1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

Anxiety disorder can be hard to spot

Doctors often don't diagnose anxiety disorder right away. Many patients end up seeing several doctors, over many months or years, before they find out they have anxiety disorder and start having treatment. There are several reasons for this.

Many people with anxiety disorder don't talk to a doctor about it because they just think of themselves as natural worriers. You may assume you were born that way and that there's nothing a doctor can do about anxiety. Only about half the people with anxiety disorder see a doctor about it.

Source:
Andrews G, Creamer M, Crino R et al.
The treatment of anxiety disorders: clinician guides and patient manuals.
2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 2002.

³

Source:
Ninan PT.
Dissolving the burden of generalized anxiety disorder.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 19): S5-S10.

⁴
Some of the symptoms of anxiety disorder are similar to the symptoms of other mental health problems, such as depression or panic attacks. So a doctor may think a patient has one of these other disorders. And many people with anxiety disorder also have other mental health disorders, so a doctor may diagnose another problem without realizing that you also have anxiety disorder.

Source:
Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R.
The Anxiety Disorders.
1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

²

Source:
Barbee JG.
Mixed symptoms and syndromes of anxiety and depression: diagnostic, prognostic, and etiologic issues.
Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 1998; 10: 15-29.

⁵

Source:
Wittchen HU, Hoyer J.
Generalized anxiety disorder: nature and course.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 11): S15-S19.

⁶
Anxiety disorder often causes real aches and pains, so a doctor may look only for a physical cause and overlook the possibility of a mental health problem. Or the doctor may think that the physical symptoms are a sign of heart disease or another physical illness.

Source:
Andrews G, Creamer M, Crino R et al.
The treatment of anxiety disorders: clinician guides and patient manuals.
2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 2002.

³

Source:
Wittchen HU, Hoyer J.
Generalized anxiety disorder: nature and course.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 11): S15-S19.

⁶

Source:
Baughan DM.
Barriers to diagnosing anxiety disorders in family practice.
American Family Physician. 1995; 52: 447-450.

⁷

Some of the physical diseases that share symptoms with anxiety disorder can be very serious. So your doctor will want to be sure that you don't have any of these disorders. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may take blood tests or do other tests to rule out the possibility of heart disease, thyroid disease or other illnesses.

Discussing the options

If your doctor does decide you have anxiety disorder, he or she should discuss with you all the options for treatment. Your doctor should also agree on a plan with you for your treatment that includes how long it will take to work and how often you will see a health professional. Your doctor may also be able to tell you about any self-help groups, both national and local, that can offer you support.

Most people with anxiety disorder can be treated by their family doctor. But if your treatment is not working, you may be referred to a team of professionals who specialize in mental health. This might include a

psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry, a branch of medicine that covers the science and practice of treating mental, emotional or behavioral disorders.

psychiatrist, a

psychiatric nurse
A psychiatric nurse is a nurse who specializes in helping patients who have mental health problems.

psychiatric nurse and a

psychologist
A psychologist is trained to study the human mind and human behaviour. A clinical psychologist provides mental health care in hospitals, clinics, schools or to private patients.

psychologist.

Sources for the information on this page:

American Psychiatric AssociationDiagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR).4th edition. American Psychiatric Association, USA; 2000.

Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R.The Anxiety Disorders.1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

Andrews G, Creamer M, Crino R et al.The treatment of anxiety disorders: clinician guides and patient manuals.2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 2002.

Ninan PT.Dissolving the burden of generalized anxiety disorder.Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 19): S5-S10.

Barbee JG.Mixed symptoms and syndromes of anxiety and depression: diagnostic, prognostic, and etiologic issues.Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 1998; 10: 15-29.

Wittchen HU, Hoyer J.Generalized anxiety disorder: nature and course.Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 11): S15-S19.

Baughan DM.Barriers to diagnosing anxiety disorders in family practice.American Family Physician. 1995; 52: 447-450.

This information was last updated on Jul 09, 2009

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