Generalized anxiety disorder

Photo by: sebastianfritzon

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by an uncontrollable and unrealistic worry about everyday situations such as school, work, relationships or health. This worrying has to occur on the majority of days for at least six months for a diagnosis of GAD.

This worry is uncontrollable and can be accompanied by at least three additional symptoms which include; feeling restless, getting tired easily, difficulty concentrating, feeling cranky, tense muscles and disturbed sleep.

GAD may affect parts of your life and you might find you’re not able to enjoy the things you normally would. It is possible that you might also feel more likely to misuse alcohol and drugs as a way to escape or numb overwhelming feelings.

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

GAD can affect both your physical health and your mental health (behavior and feelings). Symptoms can depend on a number of factors. They may pass quickly or may stay for a long period of time. If you, or a friend has some or many of these symptoms it may be worth talking to your doctor or a mental health professional about ways to treat GAD.

Some common ways that GAD might affect your mental health (behavior and feelings) include:

Mood symptoms

• Feeling worried or scared;
• Being cranky or being in a constant bad mood;
• Feeling uneasy and on edge.

Thinking symptoms

• Worried or a constant feeling that something bad is about to happen;
• Always wanting to be good, being very well-behaved, e.g. never getting into trouble at school or with friends (though not necessarily at home);
• Being pessimistic and easily able to identify what may go wrong in any given situation.

Behavior symptoms

• Often asking many unnecessary questions and requiring constant reassurance;
• Being a loner, or hanging out with a small group of people (who are often younger or older);
• Being a perfectionist, taking a long time to complete homework because you try to get it absolutely correct;
• Being argumentative (but not usually aggressive), especially if trying to avoid a feared situation;
• Not answering questions and rarely volunteering comments or information at school or college;
• Getting upset when a mistake is made or if there is a change of routine e.g. sports day, substitute teacher, unexpected visitors or trip to an unfamiliar place

Physical symptoms

• Dry mouth and/or difficulty swallowing;
• Nightmares;
• Difficulty getting to and staying asleep;
• Difficulty concentrating;
• Muscle tension and headaches;
• Rapid heart rate and breathing;
• Sweating;
• Trembling;
• Diarrhea;
• Flare-up of another health problem or illness (e.g. dermatitis, asthma);
• Sexual problems, such as not having any sexual feelings or being interested in sex.

What causes GAD?

The causes of GAD are not fully known, however it is thought that GAD can be part your genetic and chemical make-up, as well as part of your personality. There are many things that might possibly trigger GAD such as your environment, stressful situations like school exams and/or problems within the family or a trauma.

Some the causes of GAD might be:

• Genetics, or a history of anxiety within your family;
• Biochemical - an imbalance of the chemicals in the brain that regulate feelings and physical reactions can alter your thoughts, emotions or behavior, and result in anxiety;
• A stressful event, or chain of events such as a family break-up, abuse, ongoing bullying at school, sexual abuse, a death, a relationship break up, family conflict;
• Personality style - certain personality types are more at risk of anxiety than others.

Getting help to manage GAD

There are a number of different treatments for GAD. A doctor, counselor, psychologist or other mental health professional can talk to you about your symptoms, and discuss alternative ways of treating and coping with them. Check out the Get Help section of the site to find more about what these people do and how they can help.

Try to remember that managing GAD may take time and there may be good days and not so good ones. But - dealing with GAD is possible.

Psychological treatment

Psychological treatment provides either an alternative to medication or works alongside medication and is usually provided by a mental health professional, such as a counselor, psychiatrist or psychologist.

You may be able to find these health professionals through your local doctor, your local community health center, or through your school or college. Some local doctors and other allied health staff also do counseling. Check out the Get Help section for more info on what they do and on getting the best help.

There are a number of psychological treatments or therapies used for anxiety, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which looks at your thoughts and behaviors and looks at ways of changing any negative thought patterns.

Self-help groups are also available, and these can help make you feel better by knowing and talking to others who are in the same situation.

Physical treatment

Medication may be helpful in managing an anxiety disorder. There are several different types of medication, which are prescribed by doctors or psychiatrists. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and anti-depressants increase the amount of serotonin in the brain and can only be used on a short-term basis.

Tranquilizers can also be used to alleviate some of the physiological symptoms of anxiety although it can make you feel sleepy and lacking in energy. They each work in different ways and have different applications.

Like most medications there can be side effects, and some medications are better suited to adults than young people. It is best to ask your doctor about what options you have, how the medication will affect you and how to take the medication safely.

Medication can be an effective and immediate treatment for anxiety, as many of the symptoms are alleviated very quickly. It has been found to be helpful as a short term treatment for anxiety. Many of the medications have side effects so it would be good to ask your doctor for more information before taking these medications.

Self-help & alternative therapies

Along with seeking treatment to manage your anxiety disorder there are a number of things you can do that may help when you are feeling anxious. Alternative therapies can be good as a supplement to medication and/or therapy. Some of these include:

Eating well and being active. Even though you might not feel like it, exercising and eating well can help when you are feeling down. Biological factors, as well as social factors influence how you feel and how you react to, and think about, things and yourself.

Exercise helps stimulate hormones, such as endorphins, which help you feel better about yourself and your life. If you haven’t done a lot of exercise before, it might be a good idea to start doing something small a couple of times each week. For example, a 15 minute walk or 2 or 3 laps of a pool.

Get out into nature. Evidence shows that when you have some sort of contact with nature, such as pets, plants, gardens or parks, your mood improves and you feel less stressed. Even just going for a walk in the park or at the beach may help.

Write down your feelings. Writing down your feelings, or keeping a journal, can be a great way of understanding your feelings and a situation. It can also help you think about alternative solutions to problems.

Taking time out to relax. It is a good idea to try and take a bit of each day to do something you enjoy. When you are feeling down it may be hard to be social or motivate yourself to do things. It may help to make a list of all the things you enjoy doing and then plan to do something from this list each day. Check out our Relaxation fact sheet for ideas on good ways to relax and put things into perspective.

Breathing exercises. When you are anxious, your breathing can be quick and shallow, which reduces the amount of oxygen going to your organs. Learning how breathe efficiently can help reduce some of the physiological symptoms of anxiety. Have a look at the Relaxation fact sheet for more information on breathing techniques.

Talking to someone. Although it may seem hard, sharing how you feel can help you get through the hard times, see alternative ways of solving or thinking about a problem, and help to take you to a happier, better place. This might be a trusted adult, your school counselor, or another mental health professional. For more information about seeing a counselor for the first time, check out the Your first visit with a mental health professional fact sheet.

If you are having difficulty speaking about what you’re going through, you might start with sentences such as ‘Right now, I’m feeling…’, ‘I think it started when…’, ‘I’ve been feeling this for…’, ‘My sleep has been…’, ‘Lately school/work/college has been…’.

Support groups. As well as family and friends, support groups can be a place to share experiences and inspiration with others going through similar times. Contact your local community health center for details of support groups in your area. You can also find local support groups online through the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

Call a hotline. If you feel you are having difficulty talking to people you know, it may be helpful to call a hotline. The Boys National Hotline Town (800) 448-3000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (800) 448-3000      end_of_the_skype_highlighting is an anonymous, 24hr help line and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.

Set small goals. Sometimes people set goals that are almost unachievable and then feel worse when they cannot reach them. Try to set goals that are achievable for you, even if it’s on a day-by-day, or hour-by- hour, basis. And remember to reward yourself too.

Reducing stress. It may be a good idea to try and reduce the level of stress you are feeling. You may want to check out the fact sheet on Stress for some ideas on how to manage stress.

Go easy on alcohol and drugs - try not to use alcohol and drugs in the hope of feeling better. The feeling is usually temporary and the after effects often make the problem worse.

Give it time - changes in behavior don’t happen overnight and it might take some time before all GAD symptoms go away. It’s a matter of taking baby steps, and getting the right support to get through this.

More information

Check out the Anxiety Disorders Association of America website for some more information on GAD.

Last Reviewed: June 18, 2009

Responses

Thanks for your comment on ReachOut.com! We moderate all comments to ensure the site is safe and supportive. Your comment should appear within 24 hours if it is approved.