Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about several different things. It’s possible to develop a generalized anxiety disorder as a child or an adult.
Anxiety can be a normal or appropriate emotion when dealing with day-to-day stresses or problems. However, when these emotions are persistent, excessive and irrational, they may affect the individual’s activities of daily living and also affect the person’s ability to cope with the demands of life or relationships. When this happens, the anxiety becomes an abnormal condition or disorder.
Signs and Symptoms
- Apprehension
- Confusion
- Feeling on edge
- Sense of helplessness
- Repeated negative thoughts
- Feeling restless
- Difficulty concentrating
- Muscle tension & weakness
- Palpitations
- Difficulty in breathing
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Trembling, feeling twitchy
- Sweating
Anxiety is a common symptom of many mental health conditions, like depression and various phobias. GAD is different from these conditions in several ways.
GAD is different from normal feelings of anxiousness. It’s common to feel anxious about the things happening in your life — such as your finances — every once in a while. A person who has GAD may worry uncontrollably about their finances several times per day for months on end. This can happen even when there isn’t a reason to worry. The person is often reporting feelings that something bad may happen or may report that they just can’t calm themselves. This excessive, unrealistic worry can be frightening and can interfere with relationships and daily activities.
Causes of GAD: Although the exact cause of GAD is unknown, there is evidence that the following reasons could be considered as risk factors
- Family history of anxiety
- Recent or prolonged exposure to stressful situations, including personal or family illnesses
- Excessive use of caffeine or tobacco, which can make existing anxiety worse
- childhood abuse
There are several different types of anxiety disorders. Anxiety affects people in different ways. Some people may experience anxiety related only to certain situations, while others experience it more constantly.
Types of GAD: There are many different types of anxiety disorders, and they can range in symptoms and severity.
- General anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Phobias
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Separation anxiety
In the same way, there are many different treatment options available for people experiencing anxiety.
A number of types of treatment can help with GAD such as Medications, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Supportive and interpersonal therapy.
Treating GAD: The several approaches that have proven to be effective in addressing GAD include
- Cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT)
- Exposure Therapy
- Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness-based approaches
Learn more about anxiety and break free from from myths.
Medical Disclaimer: StrokesandHopes aims to improve people’s quality of life struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioural health conditions, treatment options, and their related outcomes. The material published is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by certified Psychotherapist. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Durga is a compassionate Counsellor with a diverse experience in Physical Therapy, Counselling and Business management. She believes in the client-centred integrative framework and has proven experience working with the client from a wide variety of demographic and cultural backgrounds. Approaches duties with diligence to support holistic healing as indicated through a strong history of related volunteer work, combined with targeted education.