GAD is a highly common disorder among the elderly. Also, specific symptoms of GAD (sleeping difficulty, fatigue, concentration concerns) are already common for almost all elderly, making it hard for current assessment methods to parse out the cause of these symptoms. This will likely cause an increased interest in researching better assessment methods for GAD.  An increase in this population's numbers due to health advances and practices also makes it more likely that researchers will give more attention to researching GAD.

3. High rates of GAD symptoms (geriatric population)

Many college students experience anxiety and worry, many of which have met a clinical or subclinical threshold for GAD. This number has only increased throughout the years (e.g., # of students seeking school mental health services increased by 30% from 2009 to 2015). These symptoms impact school performance, relationships, etc., and universities may be shifting their focus to learning more about GAD due to these increasing rates. 

3. High rates of GAD symptoms (college population)

There have been lots of debates about the symptoms encompassing GAD in the DSM-V. Many arguments suggest that GAD should not be an independent diagnosis because of its overlap in symptoms with other diagnoses. Debates have also been made about the time period one must experience GAD symptoms to be diagnosed (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, etc.) and if behavioral changes should be included in symptom criteria. Increased arguments underlies the increased interest in studying GAD in recent years.

2. Debate over GAD criteria

The clinical field has increased its use of a dimensional approach when looking at psychological symptoms rather than a sole categorical method of yes or no to all criteria met (e.g., use of the DSM-V criteria). This suggests that symptoms of anxiety and worry that are used to categorize GAD are found in other emotional diagnoses, and individuals express symptoms in different variations and levels. An increased liking for dimensional approaches is a potential factor contributing to an increased interest in studying GAD specifically. 

1. Transdiagnostic nature of GAD symptoms

Increased research is taking place relating to the many assessment measures and tools that are not yet translated properly into other languages for non-English speakers.

3. High rates of GAD symptoms (non-English speaking groups)

It is theorized that emotional dysregulation is an underlying feature of GAD, stating that people with GAD experience discomfort when their emotions transition from a neutral state to positive or negative, so their consistent state transitions to a constant negative. Emotional dysregulation is a principle that is an interest in multiple domains (psychological, biological, etc.), which is a means for an increased interest in research relating to GAD in multiple domains. 

4. Emotional Dysregulation Principle

The clinical field has an increased focus on evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders. Many innovative treatments have been shown to work well for GAD (CBT, for example) and have increased the publications relating to GAD. Newer and future treatment designs (ACT, mindfulness exercise therapy, etc.) will increase the research published about the disorder.

5. Innovative Treatment

1. Transdiagnostic nature of GAD symptoms and characteristics
2. Debate over GAD criteria
3. Commonality and high rates of GAD among many groups
4. Emotional dysregulation principle
5. Innovative treatment methods

Grand Valley State University

Although Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders, research regarding its diagnosis, symptoms, and potential treatments has historically been severely lacking compared to other anxiety disorders. However, in the last decade, there has been an increased interest in research focusing on GAD.

Increased Interest in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Research

Newman, M. G., & Przeworski, A. (2018). The increase in interest in GAD: Commentary on Asmundson & Asmundson. Journal of anxiety disorders, 56, 11–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.04.006

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