Which statement accurately reflects DSM-5-TR criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

• A. Excessive anxiety and worry more days than not for at least 6 months about multiple events or activities; difficulty controlling worry; impairment present.
• B. Excessive anxiety and worry for at least 6 months about a single domain; impairment present.
• C. Excessive anxiety and worry more days than not for at least 6 months about multiple events or activities; difficulty controlling worry; at least three of six symptoms.
• D. Excessive anxiety and worry more days than not for at least 6 months about multiple events or activities; difficulty controlling worry; at least three of six symptoms; impairment present.

Answer: (D)

In DSM-5-TR, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when someone experiences excessive worry more days than not for at least six months about a variety of events or activities, and they find it hard to control that worry. This worry must be accompanied by at least three of six specific symptoms: restlessness or feeling keyed up, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. The symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, and the anxiety or symptoms can’t be better explained by another medical condition, substance, or another disorder.

The best answer includes all of these elements: the six-month duration, worry about multiple domains, difficulty controlling the worry, at least three of the six symptoms, and impairment present. The other options miss one or more components—such as focusing on a single domain, lacking the required symptom count, or omitting the impairment/distress criterion—so they don’t fully match DSM-5-TR criteria for GAD.