generalized Anxiety disorder

 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (or GAD) is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry.  People with this disorder tend to always expect disaster and can’t stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school.  The worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation.  Daily life becomes a constant state of fear and dread.  Eventually, the anxiety so dominates the person’s thinking that it interferes with daily functioning, including work, school, social activities, and relationships.

About 6.5 million adult Americans suffer from GAD.  It most often begins in childhood or adolescence, but can begin in adulthood, and is more common in women than in men.

Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors

Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD can include: excessive, ongoing worry and tension, an unrealistic view of problems, restlessness or a feeling of being “edgy,” irritability, muscle tension, headaches, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, and being easily startled

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.

The exact cause of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is not fully known, but a number of factors—including genetics, brain chemistry, and environmental stresses—appear to contribute to its development.  Some research suggests that family history plays a part in increasing the likelihood that a person will develop GAD.  In addition, GAD has been associated with abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain.   This can alter the way the brain reacts in certain situations, leading to anxiety.  Finally, trauma and stressful events may lead to GAD.

Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose anxiety disorders, I use various tests to look for physical illness as the cause of the symptoms.  I also look for emotional or psychological causes that can be treated through autonomic therapy, psychotherapy, and medication.

As we saw from the case of Sandra in Chapter One, physical ailments cannot be healed unless the entire person is healed, and that includes the person’s emotional and psychological state.