Discriminating between generalized anxiety disorder and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified in a Hispanic population: is it only a matter of worry?

One hundred and two Hispanic persons who presented for treatment at a specialized anxiety disorders clinic were evaluated at intake using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Revised (ADIS-R; DiNardo and Barlow [1988] Albany: Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, State University of New York at Albany). Results indicated that 14% of these patients suffered from anxiety and/or affective disorders that were not adequately captured by our current diagnostic system. Given that the majority of these cases were characterized by predominantly anxious features, further investigation was undertaken to determine the degree of overlap between these patients (anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified; NOS) and those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The two groups differed only with regard to the number of excessive worries they reported and not in terms of somatic symptomatology, psychosocial stressors, or demographic variables. These data suggest that excessive worry may be a discriminating factor between the GAD and NOS groups, providing support for the notion of GAD as a disorder of chromic worry. Future research is needed to tease apart the relative influences of culture and socioeconomic status on our findings.