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Trastorno de ansiedad generalizada

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Evidence last reviewed: 2 Apr 2026
Topic last updated: 18 Feb 2026

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presencia de factores de riesgo
  • preocupación excesiva durante al menos 6 meses
  • la ansiedad no se limita a otro trastorno de salud mental
  • ansiedad que no se debe a medicamentos o sustancias
  • tensión muscular
  • alteración del sueño
  • fatiga
  • inquietud
  • irritabilidad
  • mala concentración
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • cefalea
  • sudoración
  • mareos
  • síntomas gastrointestinales
  • dolores musculares
  • aumento de la frecuencia cardíaca
  • disnea
  • temblor
  • respuesta de susto exagerada
  • dolor torácico
Full details

Risk factors

  • antecedentes familiares de ansiedad
  • estrés emocional o físico
  • Antecedentes de traumatismo físico, sexual o emocional
  • otro trastorno de ansiedad
  • afección crónica de la salud física
  • sexo femenino
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • diagnóstico clínico
Full details

Tests to consider

  • pruebas de función tiroidea
  • cribado de tóxicos en orina
  • Análisis de orina de 24 horas para catecolaminas, metanefrinas, normetanefrinas y creatinina
  • pruebas funcionales respiratorias
  • electrocardiograma (ECG)
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ONGOING

síntomas de ansiedad que cumplen los criterios del DSM-5-TR

síntomas de ansiedad que no cumplen los criterios del DSM-5-TR

Contributors

Authors

Philip John Cowen, MD, FRCPsych, FMedSci

Professor of Psychopharmacology

Department of Psychiatry

University of Oxford

Oxford

UK

Disclosures

PJC declares that he has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Professor Philip John Cowen would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Christopher Gale, Dr Richard P. Swinson, Dr Elizabeth Hoge, and Dr Phebe Tucker, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

CG is an author of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guideline on social phobia, panic disorder, and generalised anxiety disorder. Otago University has commercial and research relationships with multiple pharmaceutical companies. He is an author of a number of references cited in this topic. RPS has personally received royalties for articles published in UpToDate (Wolters Kluwer) and the Compendium of Therapeutic Choices, 2nd edition (Canadian Pharmacists Association). EH is an author of a number of references cited in this topic. PT has conducted research for GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Astra-Zeneca, Cephalon, Inc., and Ortho-McNeil. She has also consulted for Forest Pharmaceuticals and received honoraria from Pfizer, Inc. and Forest Pharmaceuticals.

Peer reviewers

Lori Davis, MD

Research Director

University of Alabama

School of Medicine Tuscaloosa Campus

College of Community Health Sciences

Tuscaloosa

AL

Disclosures

LD declares that she has no competing interests.

Arianna Di Florio, MD, PhD

Senior Clinical Lecturer

Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences

Cardiff University

United Kingdom

Disclosures

ADF declares that she has no competing interests.

Elaine Lockhart, MD, BCH, BAO

Consultant in Paediatric Liaison Psychiatry

Royal Hospital for Children

Glasgow

United Kingdom

Disclosures

EL declares that she has no competing interests.

Peer reviewer acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.

Disclosures

Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2022.

Baldwin DS, Anderson IM, Nutt DJ, et al. Evidence-based pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder: a revision of the 2005 guidelines from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. J Psychopharmacol. 2014 May;28(5):403-39. Abstract

Walter HJ, Bukstein OG, Abright AR, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020 Oct;59(10):1107-24.Full text  Abstract

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management. Jun 2020 [internet publication].Full text

Slee A, Nazareth I, Bondaronek P, et al. Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet. 2019 Feb 23;393(10173):768-77. Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.

  • Differentials

    • Trastorno de pánico
    • Trastorno de ansiedad social
    • Trastorno obsesivo compulsivo
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    • Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management
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  • Patient information

    Ansiedad: ¿cuáles son las opciones de tratamiento?

    Ansiedad: ¿qué es?

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  • Calculators

    Escala de Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada GAD-7

    More Calculators
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