Most of the time, you probably think of anxiety as being related to something specific like a particular fear or event. But anxiety can be generalized too. In other words, there may not be a panic attack at the thought of leaving the house. But there might be anxiety that persists through everything no matter what you do. That’s what the doctors call generalized anxiety disorder.

Diagnosing generalized anxiety can be difficult to diagnose. You can’t point to some act or thought in particular and say it makes you anxious. You probably can’t claim panic attacks or phobias either. That’s because there’s no one thing making you worry. You worry about the finances and your kids and your health, but you worry about them all the same and at the same time. The result is you worry a lot and it drags you down mentally and physically. You want to identify generalized anxiety disorder as early as possible because it can lead to depression.