General anxiety disorder or GAD is a condition where the sufferer has excessive anxiety on most days. Traditional treatment is initially the prescription of buspirone or another anti depressant. Long term general anxiety disorder sufferers are often given cognitive therapy, which until recently was regarded as the number one method of dealing with the condition.
General anxiety disorder affects about 2% of the population at some time or other, being more prevalent in women than men the onset most often being before sufferers hit the age of 30 and is characterised by anxiety that is widespread rather than targeted as in a phobia.
People with general anxiety disorder experience a lot of anxiety, feeling fearful, tense or worried most if not every day and is most often a condition which lasts for years and becomes a way of life. Other symptoms of general anxiety disorder are a feeling of vulnerability causing the sufferer to feel on edge, people often describing it as feeling wired up. This heightened state of tension, leads to excessive tiredness, with concentration lapses commonplace, however this is often coupled with difficulty sleeping and insomnia, because the condition keeps your mind racing making it difficult to relax.
Whilst some people are more anxious than others, stress of one type or another is often instrumental in general anxiety disorder and often times acts as a catalyst in triggering the condition. Most often though, its past events, that play the major part in laying the conditions foundations, abuse, loss of a loved one through separation or death, broken family life in childhood or any other stressful event or series of events being typical examples.
Modern therapies such as Thought Field Therapy are now highly regarded as treatments for this condition, with companies such as BeOnForm specialising in treating general anxiety disorder, panic attacks and agoraphobia.
Treating General Anxiety Disorder
The high level or chronic state of anxiety associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can make ordinary activities difficult or even impossible.
The main symptom of GAD is an exaggerated or unfounded state of worry and anxiety, often about such matters as health, money, family, or work.
Although people with GAD may realize that their anxiety is excessive or unwarranted, they are unable to simply "snap out of it". For them, the mere thought of getting through the day can provoke anxiety.
The persistent worrying characteristic of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is hard to control and interferes with daily life. Many GAD sufferers seem unable to relax and may startle easily.
In addition, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is often accompanied by physical symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, and gastrointestinal problems.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder develops over time.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder does not appear suddenly; it develops over time. To be diagnosed with GAD, a person must experience the following symptoms:
The presence of three or more of the following symptoms, some of which are present for over half the days in the past 6 months:
- Excessive anxiety and worry about several events or activities and trouble controlling these feelings
- Feeling restless, edgy, keyed up
- Tiring easily
- Trouble concentrating
- Irritability
- Increased muscle tension
- Trouble sleeping (initial insomnia or restless, unsatisfying sleep)
- The anxiety and worry aren't suggestive of another mood disorder
- The symptoms cause severe distress or impair a person's ability to function at work, socially, or in some other way
It's important to know that there are many different illnesses that can lead to symptoms of anxiety.
Your doctor or other healthcare professional must rule out other possible causes (including other medicines or illegal drugs) before diagnosing you with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Anxiety is not the same for everyone
Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder vary from person to person, and you don't need to have all the above symptoms in order to have GAD. That's why GAD can be difficult to diagnose.
Some patients with GAD first decide to go to see their doctor because of stress-related complaints such as headaches or problems sleeping.
Be sure to seek the assistance of a healthcare professional so he or she can determine if you have symptoms of an anxiety disorder.
Both beonform & Jonathan Sapling are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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