Ask me questions to see if I have anxiety

To assess whether you have an anxiety disorder, start by evaluating if you experience persistent and excessive anxiety or worry that lasts for at least six months and affects daily functioning. Anxiety disorders involve symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep disturbances, and these symptoms should cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of life NICE CKS.

Begin with a self-assessment or clinical evaluation using validated tools such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) or the shorter 2-item (GAD-2) questionnaires. These screening tools provide an indication of whether an anxiety disorder may be present by measuring symptom frequency and severity. Scores of 10 or higher on the GAD-7 and 3 or higher on the GAD-2 suggest the presence of an anxiety disorder, but they cannot definitively diagnose it alone NICE CKS,PubMed[(Aktürk et al., 2025)].

Take a comprehensive history including the nature, severity, and duration of your symptoms, plus any current physical or emotional stressors, past trauma, mental health history, family mental health background, and comorbid conditions. Consider also substance use and any medications, including herbal remedies, as some can induce anxiety. Additionally, repeated physical symptoms unresponsive to treatment (like insomnia or headaches) may suggest underlying anxiety NICE CKS.

Physical examination is usually normal but may reveal signs such as increased heart rate, trembling, or shortness of breath; these physiological symptoms support anxiety but are not diagnostic on their own. It is important to exclude other causes of anxiety symptoms, such as medical conditions (cardiac disease, substance use, withdrawal states), other mental health disorders (depression, panic disorder, social phobia), and situational anxiety NICE CKS.

Assess for functional impairment and distress caused by the symptoms, including how anxiety affects social, educational, or occupational activities. Anxiety disorders typically cause significant difficulty in these areas or require substantial effort to maintain functioning NICE CKS.

Evaluate risk factors such as female sex, family history, childhood adversity, and history of trauma, as these increase the likelihood of an anxiety disorder. Also assess for suicidal ideation and other comorbid psychiatric conditions, especially depression, which commonly co-occur with anxiety NICE CKS.

Recognize that anxiety symptoms can sometimes manifest predominantly as physical complaints or somatic symptoms. Some individuals may be unaware that their distress is due to an anxiety disorder and may initially report only bodily symptoms NICE CKS,NICE CKS.

Overall, a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder should be based on clinical judgement supported by validated screening tools like GAD-7/GAD-2, comprehensive assessment of symptoms and context, and exclusion of other causes. When in doubt, consultation with a healthcare professional, such as a general practitioner or mental health specialist, is recommended for a thorough assessment and confirmation of diagnosis NICE CKS,PubMed.