This, according to the new mental health manual, is when generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) sets in.

 

"What happens with GAD is that people flit from one specific worry to another," said Robin Rosenberg, co-author of the psychology textbook "Abnormal Psychology" (Worth Publishers, 2009). "So, they may worry about finances and then go on to worry about the health of someone else in their family, then on to another person."

 

These worries aren't necessarily grounded in reality; for instance, the family members may not have health problems at all, Rosenberg said.