Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-25-2025

Keywords

adults, anxiety, cognitive impairment, functional impairment, older age

Disciplines

Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Anxiety can be impairing and distressing for both the individual suffering from the symptoms and those around them. Emerging research suggests that anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders in older adults are just as prevalent as with younger adults, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). The ADAA states that Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common anxiety disorder in the older adult population in the United States. It is also common for an older adult to have had a prior anxiety diagnosis, including GAD, when they were younger that has persisted into older age. Fear of aging, medical conditions, death, and harm are also common phobias and can manifest as specific phobias, adjustment disorders, and other anxiety-related disorders, as well as depression and other disorders.

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