Suffering from generalized anxiety disorder?

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What is generalized anxiety disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder (some people use the term GAD) is a term for constant, intense worry and stress over a variety of everyday events and situations.

Believe it or not, it's a very, very common experience…

…it’s a part of everyday life for all of us.

Especially when life throws something unexpected our way.

Some anxiety is normal

At mild levels, anxiety is considered “normal.” It’s a positive motivator you can use to cope with and adapt to the stressful things in your life.

For example, think back to your days in school when you had a big exam coming up. You were probably nervous about the exam as you prepared for it…this is the type of anxiety that we all feel and it’s normal. I’ll bet after your exam, your nervousness and anxiety disappeared, didn’t it?

One thing this type of anxiety did for you was to focus your attention on preparing for your test.

I remember back when I was in school that if I was a little nervous about taking exams, I usually made a good grade…

...when I was a little overconfident about my exam, I typically didn't do so well. Those were the times I needed a little anxiety to help focus my attention. I believe a little anxiety helped me focus and study better.

On the other hand, a student who worries about grades and exams all the time when there’s absolutely no reason may very well be suffering from generalized anxiety disorder.

When someone has experienced the following general anxiety disorder symptoms for six months or longer, the doctor or mental health professional usually diagnoses it as GAD:

• poor concentration

• muscle tension

• fatigue

• irritability

• restlessness

• poor sleep

Psychologically, someone with this condition may develop a sense of dread for no noticeable reason. It’s a feeling that some unknown, horrible thing is about to occur. And there is nothing going on around them that would cause them to feel this way.

A person with GAD can worry about anything.

They worry about:

• their loved ones

• the future

• school

• their health

• their safety

• the safety of loved ones

• the worst thing that could happen to them

• the worst thing that could happen to a loved one

You may know someone – or perhaps it’s you – who always expects the worst to happen, even when there’s no reason to think this way. In this case, the person may very well have generalized anxiety disorder.

An excellent employee may worry every now and then about her work product or performance, but if he or she thinks like this most of the time, this employee may have GAD.

We’ve all been in the situation of looking for a job and anxiously waiting on the results of our job interview. Anyone who’s had that experience knows the anxiety that comes with it…

…the anxiety should go away if you’re offered the job. It should go away even if you get a letter that says they hired someone more qualified. This kind of anxiety is normal. But if you continue to dwell on not getting the job…you guessed it…you may be suffering from generalized anxiety disorder.

Obviously you’d be anxious if you were waiting for results from an important medical exam. Waiting on medical test results was always anxiety-producing for me but it was amazing how much better – and calmer! - I felt in a matter of minutes when the doctor told me I was fine. Constant, everyday worry about your health is a symptom of GAD.

Now, a mild level of anxiety is one thing…but when it becomes moderate to severe…these levels of anxiety can cause you to suffer far too much! And it's important to try and pinpoint the causes of general anxiety disorder in your life.

Treatment

When you feel like your anxiety interferes with your ability to function…when your worry does not match reality…you should see a medical professional. There are a variety of general anxiety disorder medications and help is also available through psychological counseling such as cognitive behavioral therapy .

The faster you can see the doctor, the better...earlier treatment increases your chances for a much quicker chance of recovery.

Visiting the doctor to talk about your anxiety isn’t something to worry about or feel embarrassed about…after all, that’s just more anxiety!

There are lots of people going to doctors about anxiety issues…physicians and other health care providers say anxiety is one of the most common causes of patient appointments.

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of several anxiety disorders that include agoraphobia , and other specific phobias , obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic disorder , post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , and social anxiety disorder .

General anxiety disorder treatment focuses on minimizing the frequency and severity of anxious symptoms. If you're wondering if the drug Wellbutrin might be helpful, check out this link about general anxiety disorder and Wellbutrin .

Psychological therapies appear to be beneficial in milder forms of GAD and people who've had these therapies have been shown to sustain improvements up to six months later.

The important thing is to get checked out by your doctor. The doctor can rule out any underlying physical causes and you can start treatment for your anxiety as early as possible.

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