He cited the example of anxiety, of which only two types were recognised 20 years ago.
Similarly, using prescribing as part of the definition of certain conditions (such as anxiety) has the potential both to underestimate (for example, in the case of anxiety that is managed non-pharmacologically) and overestimate (for example, when anxiolytics are used for other conditions) the true prevalence of those conditions.
Examples of popular anxiety scales are the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) [ 4], the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) [ 5], the anxiety scales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) [ 6] and the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) [ 7, 8], and the recently developed Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) [ 9, 10].
Moreover, many phobias are actually examples of social anxiety, which are seemingly impossible to replicate in a therapeutic context.
Examples of state anxiety items include: "I am tense", "I am worried", "I feel calm", and "I feel secure".
Examples of trait anxiety items include: "I worry too much over something that really doesn't matter", "I am content", and "I am a steady person".
Such fluctuation of symptoms- for example periods of anxiety or panic, followed by somatoform symptoms or depressive features- conflicted with the concept of distinct diagnostic entities.
Examples include measures of anxiety, pain and cough.
But there are those for whom social papers are simply an expression of economic muscle, or a poignant example of social anxiety.
Read the whole essay for an example of tortured anxiety about something that, as far as I can tell, hurts no one.
