Anxiety

Apprehension and associated cognitive, bodily and behavioral responses to anticipated threat. Anxiety can be adaptive; its presence alone does not imply an anxiety disorder.

Fear concerning contact with perceived contaminants or a sense of contamination. Perceived contamination, disgust, danger and compulsive responses are related but distinct measurements.

Repetitive thought about possible adverse outcomes. It can increase the availability of threat explanations, but occurrence alongside another problem does not by itself establish a causal contribution.

Concern about having or acquiring illness. Its intensity, interpretation, persistence and effects on functioning vary; health anxiety can coexist with physical illness, and concern alone does not establish a disorder.

Persistent and disabling concern about illness, often involving threatening interpretations, checking, reassurance seeking or avoidance. Its psychological assessment is distinct from deciding whether a physical illness exists; a clinical formulation must allow both to be relevant.

Concern that anxiety-related sensations will have harmful consequences. It is conceptually distinct from the current intensity of anxiety and from objective interoceptive accuracy.^[ref]

Anxiety concerning social encounters or evaluation by others. Symptom-selected social anxiety samples should not be described as diagnosed social anxiety disorder unless that diagnosis was assessed.