Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder. Children and teens with GAD worry excessively and uncontrollably about daily life events.

Key Points:

  • Although younger children can show signs of excessive worry, children usually develop GAD at about 12 years old.
  • Girls are more likely to have GAD than boys. In fact, 2 out of every 3 children with GAD are girls.
  • Almost half of children with an anxiety disorder will continue to suffer from an anxiety problem when they are adults.
  • Many children with GAD also have other anxiety problems. The most common problems are social anxiety, depression, separation anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).