People with generalised anxiety disorder
Although thought to be under-diagnosed (fewer than half of people with the condition seek treatment), and under-treated (fewer than a third obtain adequate treatment) [1], approximately 5% of the adult population of high-income countries like the UK live with GAD. This amounts to 2.3 m people in the UK (NICE, 2023). Further, around two-thirds of all people diagnosed with GAD are female. Often arising in people’s early thirties, a recent population cohort study found that between 2014 and 2018, GAD rates increased sharply in both males and females aged 18–24 years and 25–34 years, although again its prevalence was more pronounced in young women.
Common symptoms of GAD include feeling restless or worried, having trouble concentrating or sleeping, and experiencing dizziness or heart palpitations. Notably, GAD and depression are frequently comorbid: About 62% of people with GAD have at least one episode of major depressive disorder during their lifetime [1].
OBJECTIVES
As the UK’s leading anxiety charity, we have heard lots of anecdotal evidence of MG/DO from people with GAD. In embarking on primary research into these reports, we set ourselves three objectives for each of the two primary actors involved. First, for people with GAD, we want to determine the extent of MG/DO arising in their interactions with HCPs in different healthcare settings. Second, we wish to better understand its different forms and their consequences. Third, should this evidence support our anecdotal insight, we wish to learn what resources and tools might be useful for people with GAD to help them secure better healthcare outcomes.
Importantly, we seek to better understand MG/DO from a healthcare practitioner perspective too. Given the evidence that MG/DO arises most often in primary care, and the gatekeeper role of GPs in determining a patient’s access to treatments and specialist secondary / acute care, we chose to research the MG/DO experiences and views of GPs. Again, here we had three objectives. First, we wanted to determine the scale of the MG/DO issue as perceived by GPs. Second, we sought to understand why they believe MG/DO happens. Third, we wanted to learn what they are doing and would like to do to reduce its occurrence.