Pathological worry in major depression: a preliminary report

Forty-nine Ss with the DSM-III-R generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and 32 Ss with the DSM-III-R major depressive episode (MDE) were administered the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) in order to assess the frequency and severity of worrying. The PSWQ scores were almost equally elevated in Ss with GAD and MDE, indicating that high PSWQ scores may not be specific for the diagnosis of GAD. This finding also suggests that except for the uncontrollability of worry, which was not measured by the PSWQ, there may be no difference in the process of pathological worrying between Ss with GAD and MDE. The domains of worry may or may not be similar in Ss with GAD and MDE, but the experiences associated with them are likely to be different, due to different cognitive schemata in anxiety and depression. Finally, the phenomenological presentation of pathological worry may also differ in these two conditions, which calls for further research in this area.