Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety disorder is when daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear and dread.  People with anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can't stop worrying about family, health, money, work, school or everyday circumstances. 

Often the worry is unrealistic or out of proportion for the circumstances.  The anxiety dominates a person's thinking and interferes with daily functioning, social activities and relationships.  One specific and very common type of anxiety disorder is called generalized anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects the way a person thinks and the stress can lead to physical symptoms as well.  Symptoms of GAD include: 

-          Excessive ongoing worry and tension

-          An unrealistic view of problems

-          Restless feeling or edginess

-          Irritability

-          Muscle tension

-          Headache

-          Tiredness

-          Nausea

-          Sweating

-          Difficulty concentrating

-          Being easily startled

-          Problems sleeping

-          Trembling

-          The need to go to the bathroom more often. 

In addition, people with GAD have other anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, drug and/or alcohol abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias and depression.

The Cause of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 

The exact cause of GAD is not fully known, but a number of factors appear to contribute to its development. The tendency to have anxiety disorder is passed on from one generation to another, and increases the likelihood of developing anxiety disorder. 

Generalized anxiety disorder has been associated with abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.  Neurotransmitters are special chemical messengers that help to move information from one nerve cell to another nerve cell. 

If the neurotransmitters are out of balance, messages cannot get through the brain properly, altering how the brain reacts in certain situations and possibly causing anxiety.  Stressful events, trauma, abuse, death, divorce, and illness may become worse during periods of stress. Withdrawal or use of drugs, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can also make anxiety worse.

About 4 million people suffer from GAD during the course of a year.  This condition is found more commonly in women than in men. 

There are no laboratory tests to diagnose anxiety disorder but the physician may use various tests to look for physical problems as the cause of the symptoms.  The physician bases the diagnoses on the duration and intensity of the anxiety disorder, including any problems with functioning caused by the symptoms. The physician then determines if the symptoms and degree of dysfunction indicates a specific anxiety disorder.  General anxiety disorder is diagnosed if symptoms are present more days than not in a 6 month period.

Although people that have general anxiety disorder cannot be cured, most people gain relief or control of the symptoms with treatment.  Unfortunately, anxiety disorders cannot be prevented but there are things you can do to lessen and control the symptoms, such as stopping or reducing the amount of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol you consume.  Making a consistent effort to do daily physical exercise, deep breathing exercises, and meditation may help.  Eating a balanced diet, sleeping regular hours and seek counseling and support after a traumatic or disturbing experience is also important.  

GAD can make everyday life more difficult until you learn to manage it.  You may need to use both home care as well as medication to control it.  The sooner you can overcome this disorder the sooner life can go on.  The worst thing you can do is stay at home and allow it to control your life.  Ask your doctor for other home treatments that may work for you that you can try.