CBT Factsheet
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

If you have Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), you’re likely to worry excessively about a range of everyday events and situations, including friendships, family, world events, your health, the news, schoolwork, the past and the future. You may find it difficult to control your worry which has over time becomes more severe and led to increased levels of distress. You may also feel restless and on edge, experience significant fatigue, struggle to concentrate, feel irritable and have sleep difficulties. Over time, GAD may also have impacted on your mood.

Can treatment help?

The evidence-based treatment for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). A short course of CBT may be effective for GAD but for young people whose worry is severe and chronic, treatment may require more sessions.

CBT Assessment and Key Treatment Strategies:

At Bristol CBT Clinic for young people, an assessment will include use of standardised questionnaires that assess the severity of the worry, how it impacts on daily life, what thoughts and beliefs are associated with the problem, and an assessment of other difficulties. Following the assessment, treatment may focus on the following:

Download our Health Anxiety Factsheet
Download our Generalised Anxiety Disorder Factsheet