Which mental health disorder is typically associated with excessive worry?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive and persistent worry about a variety of topics, including personal health, work, social interactions, and everyday routine life events. Individuals with GAD often find it difficult to control their worry, which can lead to physical symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances.

In contrast, mood disorders typically involve disturbances in emotional state rather than excessive worry. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is primarily related to the experience of trauma and the resulting anxiety, flashbacks, or avoidance behaviors following a traumatic event rather than ongoing excessive worry. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts) intended to reduce the anxiety associated with those obsessions, but it does not specifically denote excessive worry in the way GAD does. Therefore, the defining characteristic of GAD, with its focus on persistent and uncontrollable worry, makes it the correct answer.