Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

An anxiety disorder causes people to worry constantly and to be unable to control their worrying. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a condition in which the person does not worry about a particular event or situation; he just has a general sense of worry at all times. People who have generalized anxiety disorder know that the level of anxiety they have is not normal and they know that there is really no reason for their worrying. However, that does not mean they have any control over the worrying and can stop it. The worrying can be so bad that it affects all aspects of their lives.

Some individuals who have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) know what the problems they worry about are. These problems are usually something like health problems, money problems, and relationship issues with their family.

Understanding the Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

There are often physical symptoms that a person who has generalized anxiety disorder experiences. These can include muscle tremors, feeling nervous, feeling irritable, an upset stomach, tense muscles, trouble sleeping, and feeling tired all the time. There are often additional symptoms including mysterious physical pains and a numb feeling in the arms and legs, as well as a lack of concentration and a choking feeling.

The DSM-IV (Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders) is what doctors use to give patients a diagnosis when they have mental and emotional problems. Generalized anxiety disorder must meet the following criteria:

•    Anxiety and worrying most days for a minimum of 6 months.
•    Feeling like you have no control of your worrying.
•    Having a minimum of 3 physical symptoms described above due to the worrying and the symptoms must be frequent and occur for a minimum of 6 months.
•    Worrying but not really knowing what it is that is causing your worry.
•    The amount of worrying you do is enough to affect your every day life in all aspects.
•    There is no substance abuse or other medical reason for your worrying.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): The Facts

As many as four million adults are affected with generalized anxiety disorder each year. There are other estimates that say the number is as high as eight million people. Generalized anxiety disorder usually starts to show up in the time between childhood and middle age but can occur anytime. Often, a patient with an anxiety disorder also suffers from depression, alcoholism or problems with drugs.

No one really knows why some people develop generalized anxiety disorders but they do believe that there are factors that increase your risk like your personality type, your genetic make up and your environment.

How to Treat Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

The treatments used for generalized anxiety disorder depend on how severe the patient’s illness is and other things. The most common treatments for generalized anxiety disorders are medicine, therapy, or these two together.

The medications used include antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, which help make symptoms less severe and less frequent. The medications used are generally either benzodiazepines, beta lockers, trcyclic antidepressants, SSRIs (seratonin reuptake inhibitors), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

There are various therapies that are used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) like psychotherapy, exposure therapy, and relaxation therapy. Cogntitive behavioral therapy is usually the most effective and most recommended type of therapy for patients with generalized anxiety disorder because it gives the best results and patients generally don’t relapse.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

CBT is a type of therapy that includes both a cognitive aspect (which helps people change the way a person thinks) and a behavioral aspect that changes how people behave. The benefit of CBT is it does not have to go on for years and years. It has set goals that encourage change.

This type of therapy involves more action than talk and helps people realize that the thoughts they have that are negative are causing them to behave and feel negatively. When patients who have generalized anxiety disorder learn how to change the way they think so it is more positive, they can act and feel better. CBT helps patients know what to do when they experience a situation that is stressful.

Both medication and CBT are good at treating generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) but patients who undergo CBT are more satisfied with the results and are less likely to have future problems with anxiety.

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