What Is It?
According to an article on WebMD (Chakraburtty, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, 2007) generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry about everyday life events. People with symptoms of GAD tend to always expect disaster and cannot stop worrying about health, money, family, personal relationships, work and/or school. Worry in people with GAD is often unrealistic and out of proportion for the given situations, daily life becomes a constant state of fear and dread. Eventually, the anxiety dominates the person's thinking, and it interferes with daily functioning, including: work, school, social activities and relationships (Chakraburtty, 2007).
People diagnosed with GAD cannot seem to rid themselves of their concerns, even though they may realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They cannot relax, tend to startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating on tasks. Often they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep for long periods of time, resulting in issues with insomnia. Physical symptoms that often accompany anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes. When their anxiety level is mild, people with GAD can function socially and easily hold down a job (Health, 2008). Although they do not avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, those with GAD can have difficulty carrying out daily activities when their anxiety is severe (Debra Emmite, 2008). In addition, people with GAD often have other anxiety disorders (such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias), suffer from depression, and/or abuse drugs or alcohol (Chakraburtty, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, 2007).
What Causes It?
The exact cause of GAD is not entirely understood, but a number of factors appear to contribute to its development as listed below.
Genetics: Some research suggests that family history plays a part in increasing the likelihood that a person will develop GAD. This means that the tendency to develop GAD may be passed on in families. Brain chemistry: GAD has been associated with abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are special chemical messengers that help move information from nerve cell to nerve cell. If the neurotransmitters are out of balance, messages cannot get through the brain properly. Neurotransmitters that seem to involve anxiety include: norepinephrine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), and serotonin (Debra Emmite, 2008). Norepinephrine is concentrated in the locus ceruleus (nerve cluster that lies near the brain's fourth ventricle). Increased activity in the locus ceruleus is associated with anxiety, and decreased activity in the locus ceruleus diminishes anxiety. Increased levels of GABA and serotonin seem to reduce anxiety. All of these neurotransmitters interactduring heightened anxiety (Debra Emmite, 2008)
Environmental factors: Trauma and stressful events, such as abuse, the death of a loved one, divorce, changing jobs or schools, may lead to GAD. GAD also may become worse during periods of stress. The use of and withdrawal from addictive substances, including alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, can also worsen anxiety.
The psychodynamic theory of psychology sees anxiety as an alerting mechanism that arises when our subconscious clashes with the barriers of our conscious mind. This conflict is magnified in people with GAD. Behavioral theory holds that anxiety results from not knowing how to behave in a given situation. The possibility of suffering negative consequences due to inappropriate behavior may result in hesitation and inaction.
Who’s At Risk?
About 4 million adult Americans suffer from GAD during any given year. It most often begins in childhood or adolescence, but can start anytime in adulthood. GAD affects about twice as many women as men. The disorder comes on gradually and can begin anywhere within a person’s life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.
Coping With GAD
Living with generalized anxiety disorder can be a difficult task. Along with dealing with the symptoms of anxiety, a person diagnosed with GAD could also be suffering from depression or any number of other emotional and/or psychological disorders and stresses. Ultimately, anxiety can affect a person’s interaction with friends, family and co-workers, productivity at work, and their overall quality of life. Still, there are healthy ways to cope with GAD, even if it becomes a chronic condition that may have a small presence in the rest of a person’s life.
Some ways to cope with generalized anxiety disorder include:
Join an anxiety support group: Here, you can find compassion, understanding and shared experiences.
Take action: Work with your mental health provider to figure out what's making you anxious and address it. For example, if finances are your concern, work toward drawing up a budget.
Let it go: Don't dwell on past concerns. Change what you can and let the rest take its course. Repeat as needed.
Break the cycle: When you feel anxious, take a brisk walk or delve into a hobby to refocus your mind away from your worries.
Take care of yourself: Get enough rest, eat a balanced diet, exercise and take time to relax. Avoid caffeine and nicotine, which can worsen anxiety. Don't turn to alcohol or un-prescribed drugs for relief.
Stick to a treatment plan: Take medications as directed. Keep therapy appointments. Consistency can help keep your treatment plan on track.
Socialize: Don't let worries make you isolated from loved ones or enjoyable activities. Touching base with others offers a healthy diversion.
Family is important to the recovery of a person with an anxiety disorder. Ideally, the family should be supportive while not perpetuating the person's symptoms. If the family trivializes the disorder or demand improvement without treatment, the affected person will suffer.
Overall, a person living with GAD can overcome the persistent symptoms of anxiety by learning to cope with them through therapeutic help and, in some cases, medications. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, positive talk, Yoga, Tai Chi and other forms of relaxation therapy can help. General anxiety disorder will at times impede the lives of those who suffer from it, but with a positive support system and a strong drive to overcome the obstacles that it can present, those living with anxiety can and do live happy and fulfilling lives.
Bibliography
Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events. GAD affects the way a person thinks, but the anxiety can lead to physical symptoms, as well.
Emmite, Debra, Swierzewski, Stanley J., III. (2008). General Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Overview, causes and risk factors Retrieved January 19, 2009. www.mentalhealthchannel.net/gad/index.shtml.
Everyone experiences anxiety as a normal reaction to threatening, dangerous, uncertain, or important situations. Psychiatric medicine classifies anxiety as normal or pathological.
Marshack, K. J. (2007). Depression and Stress: Coping with Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved January 19, 2009. www.kmarshack.com/therapy/d_a_s/anxiety_disorders.html .
Many people experience anxiety occasionally, but when your level of anxiety begins to interfere with your daily activities, it could indicate that you are suffering from an anxiety disorder.
O'Brien, S. L. (2007, July 5). Can Generalized Anxiety Disorder Be Overcome? Retrieved January 19, 2009. www.associatedcontent.com/article/292739/can_generalized_anxiety_disorder_be.html?page=2&cat=72 , 3.
"Like others who suffer from this condition, I went untreated for years, knowing that something was wrong, but feeling alone. I thought I was just wired wrong and had a difficult time talking about it. The problem is that, left untreated, anxiety can take over your life."
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2007, September 11). Generalized anxiety disorder: Coping and Support. Retrieved January 19, 2009. www.mayoclinic.com/health/generalized-anxiety-disorder/DS00502/DSECTION=coping-and-support .
Living with GAD can be a difficult task, but there are healthy ways of coping with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and its symptoms.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months.
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