Table 5 Screening questions for specific anxiety and related disorders

Panic disorder – MACSCREEN [29, 30]

• Do you have sudden episodes/spells/attacks of intense fear or discomfort that are unexpected or out of the blue?

If you answered "YES" then continue

• Have you had more than one of these attacks?

• Does the worst part of these attacks usually peak within several minutes?

• Have you ever had one of these attacks and spent the next month or more living in fear of having another attack or worrying about the consequences of the attack?

SAD (Based on Mini-SPIN [28])

• Does fear of embarrassment cause you to avoid doing things or speaking to people?

• Do you avoid activities in which you are the center of attention?

• Is being embarrassed or looking stupid among your worst fears?

GAD [31]

• During the past 4 weeks, have you been bothered by feeling worried, tense, or anxious most of the time?

• Are you frequently tense, irritable, and having trouble sleeping?

OCD – MACSCREEN [29, 30]

Obsessions:

• Are you bothered by repeated and unwanted thoughts of any of the following types:

○ Thoughts of hurting someone else

○ Sexual thoughts

○ Excessive concern about contamination/germs/disease

○ Preoccupation with doubts (“what if” questions) or an inability to make decisions

○ Mental rituals (e.g., counting, praying, repeating)

○ Other unwanted intrusive thoughts

• If you answered "YES" to any of the above… Do you have trouble resisting these thoughts, images, or impulses when they come into your mind?

Compulsions:

• Do you feel driven to perform certain actions or habits over and over again, or in a certain way, or until it feels just right? Such as:

○ Washing, cleaning

○ Checking (e.g., doors, locks, appliances)

○ Ordering/arranging

○ Repeating (e.g., counting, touching, praying)

○ Hoarding/collecting/saving

• If you answered "YES" to any of the above… Do you have trouble resisting the urge to do these things?

PTSD – MACSCREEN [29, 30]

• Have you experienced or seen a life-threatening or traumatic event such as a rape, accident, someone badly hurt or killed, assault, natural or man-made disaster, war, or torture?

If you answered "YES" then continue

• Do you re-experience the event in disturbing (upsetting) ways such as dreams, intrusive memories, flashbacks, or physical reactions to situations that remind you of the event?