ABSTRACT
The onset of GAD tends to be both insidious and early.19 The Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) study found the median age of inception to be the early 20s.16 In addition it was found to be common in children and adolescents, in whom the mean age of onset was 10 years.43 In a follow-up study of 164 patients with GAD, it was found that the mean age of onset was 21 years.44 However, the NCS17 found the onset to be common after the age of 25. Consistent with this, is the finding that the average age of presentation for treatment was approximately 39 years.
