Symptom Tests for Adults

[Self-Test] Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults

Do I have anxiety? No two people experience anxiety in the same way, however common symptoms do exist. In this anxiety quiz, learn how generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms often manifest in the daily life of an adult.

By ADDitude Editors Verified Medically reviewed by Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. Updated on January 21, 2023
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Symptom Test for Adults

If you have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), you worry about everything — whether appropriate and necessary or not.

Symptoms of anxiety are nearly constant — and often blown out of proportion when compared to their causes. Anxiety usually starts in early adulthood, and affects as many as 6.8 million adults in the United States. Most patients are able to function socially and hold down a job, but the constant worry can impair quality of life and cause physical symptoms like headaches.

If the symptoms in the generalized anxiety disorder test below seem familiar, take the results to a mental health professional for evaluation and possible diagnosis and treatment.

Adapted from the screening for Generalized Anxiety Disorder from the ADAA and the anxiety screening test from Mental Health America. This is not a diagnostic tool. If you have concerns about anxiety see a mental health professional. An accurate diagnosis can only be made through clinical evaluation. This self-test is for personal use only.

Over the last three months, have you felt excessively worried for more days than not?

Has the worry you felt seemed “irrational,” or out of proportion with the situation, but beyond your control to “reason away?”

Have there been times you couldn’t identify what exactly was causing your anxiety?

Have you had trouble falling or staying asleep?

Have you felt more tired than usual, even on days when you got adequate sleep?

Have you had more difficulty concentrating on work or school than usual?

Have you felt “keyed up,” “on edge,” or unusually tense?

When you’ve felt worried over the past three months, have you experienced tightness in your chest, shortness of breath, a pounding heart, or a feeling of choking?

Over a three-month span, have you experienced persistent muscle tension or muscle aches without any increased or altered physical activity that might explain it?

Over a three-month span, have you experienced persistent nausea, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome without any dietary changes that might explain it?

Have you felt shaky or wobbly, experienced numbness or tingling in your body, or had chills or hot flashes while feeling anxious?

Have you found yourself avoiding situations that you think may cause more anxiety?

Over the last year, has your use of drugs or alcohol negatively impacted your home or work life, yet persisted regardless?

Have you been unusually irritable?

Do you find it difficult to "shut off" or disengage from worry, (even at times when the worry seems initially warranted)?

Do you find it is difficult to soothe or "come down" from the worry/anxiety, even after the thing you are worried about seems resolved?

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Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults: Next Steps

1. Take This Test: Do You Have Emotional Hyperarousal?
2. Take This Test: Do You Have Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria?
3. Take This Test: Do I Have ADD?
4. Learn What Anxiety Disorders Look Like In Adults
5. Read “I Feel Like I’m Losing My Grip”
6. Listen to the Free Webinar “The Anxiety Hiding Within: How to Recognize and Treat Co-occurring Conditions,” with Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D.
7. Find: Specialists or Clinics Near You