What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Feeling anxious or worried from time to time is an integral part of human nature, especially in face of stressful conditions. However, if persistent and excessive worry is experienced regarding various things without any particular reason, it hints towards having generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
According to ADAA if a person struggles with controlling worry and anxiety for more than 6 months and has three or more symptoms, they are experiencing a generalized anxiety disorder.
Individuals experiencing GAD tend to over concern themselves with basic day-to-day tasks. They tend to expect the worse outcome and often find themselves in a position of hopelessness without any significant reason.
Signs and symptoms
Here are some signs and symptoms that can help to identify GAD:
1. Constant worrying
A persistent feeling of being unsafe or being “on the edge” is one of the most characteristic signs of GAD.
2. Fatigue and muscle tension
Physical symptoms like high muscle tension are seen that can cause muscles to fatigue rapidly while exerting.
3. Nervousness and Restlessness
Individuals having GAD can look quite nervous all the time. They find it hard to concentrate and appear as being “jumpy”
4. Palpitations and Chest pain
In long standing GAD, people can have symptoms like palpitations and even chest pain (in severe cases)
5. Sleep disturbances
A person with GAD may have irregular sleep patterns and may wake up multiple times at night due to nightmares.
Possible causes of GAD
1. Psychological and behavioral causes
Thinking of a person is the center point of these causes. To further elaborate let’s go into detail about these causes:
1. All-or-nothing mindset: Putting too much pressure on oneself to do something perfectly. Anything below perfect is deemed as a failure.
2. Low self-esteem: Blaming and undermining one’s own self constantly.
3. Always thinking about the worst-case scenario: Individuals who always think about worst-case scenarios also often end up having GAD.
4. Use of substance: Excessive and regular consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco (smoking) has been linked with GAD.
2. Medical causes
Several medical disorders like IBD, Asthma, Hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, etc. can cause GAD and the best thing to do is to get checked by a physician if there is a chance of medical cause of GAD.
Is there any cure for generalized anxiety disorder?
Do not compare GAD with conditions like cold or fever that go away after 1 week of medication. Just like other psychiatric disorders, there’s more “containment than cure” possible for GAD.
Some possible strategies you can use include: limiting the use of stimulants, learning relaxation techniques, developing healthy coping mechanisms, etc.
To conclude, the best thing one can do to manage GAD is to take the help of a professional. They may prescribe medication or do counseling in a way that suits a person with GAD the most. Both of which may be vital for treating GAD.
References
Bandelow, B. et al. (2013) ‘Generalisierte Angststörung: Diagnostik und Therapie’, Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 110(17), pp. 300–310. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2013.0300.
Gabbard, G. O. (2014) Gabbard’s Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders, Gabbard’s Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. American Psychiatric Publishing. doi: 10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms, Signs, Causes & Treatment (no date). Available at: https://www.medicinenet.com/generalized_anxiety_disorder_symptoms_and_signs/symptoms.htm (Accessed: 11 June 2021).
(No Title) (no date). Available at: https://www.psychiatrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/13706_generalized-anxiety-disorder-nature-course.pdf (Accessed: 11 June 2021).
Generalized anxiety disorder. – PsycNET (no date). Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-11035-003 (Accessed: 11 June 2021).