Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Anxiety Treatment
How Is GAD Treated?
If no physical illness is found, you may be referred to a psychiatrist or
psychologist, mental health professionals who are specially trained to
diagnose and treat mental illnesses like GAD. Treatment for GAD most often
includes a combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
- Medication: Drugs are available to treat GAD and may be especially helpful for people whose
anxiety is interfering with daily functioning. The medications most often used
to treat GAD in the short-term are from a class of drugs called
benzodiazepines. These medications are sometimes referred to as
"tranquilizers," because they leave you feeling calm and relaxed. They
work by decreasing the physical symptoms of GAD, such as muscle tension and
restlessness. Common benzodiazepines include
Xanax, Librium,
Valium and
Ativan.
Antidepressants, such as
Paxil,
Effexor, Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft, are also being used to treat GAD.
These antidepressants may take a few weeks to start working but they're more
appropriate for long-term treatment of GAD.
Read more about treatment of generalized anxiety disorder »
Introduction to Anxiety
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
symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and
can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school. In people
with GAD, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the
situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, 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.
What Are the Symptoms of GAD?
GAD affects the way a person thinks, but the anxiety can lead to physical
symptoms, as well. Symptoms of GAD can include:
- Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
- An unrealistic view of problems
- Restlessness or a feeling of being "edgy"
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea
- The need to go to the bathroom frequently
- Tiredness
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Trembling
- 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.
What Causes GAD?
The exact cause of GAD is not fully known, but a number of factors --
including genetics, brain chemistry and environmental stresses -- appear to
contribute to its development.
-
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. This can alter the way the brain reacts in certain situations,
leading to anxiety.
-
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.
How Common Is GAD?
About 4 million adult Americans suffer from GAD during the course of a year.
It most often begins in childhood or adolescence, but can begin in adulthood.
It is more common in women than in men.
Next: How is anxiety diagnosed? »
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What is a depressive disorder?
Depressive disorders have been with mankind since the beginning of recorded history. In the Bible, King David, as well as Job, suffered from this affliction. Hippocrates referred to depression as melancholia, which literally means black bile. Black bile, along with blood, phlegm, and yellow bile were the four humors (fluids) that described the basic medical physiology theory of that time. Depression, also referred to as clinical depression, has been portrayed in literature and the arts for hundreds of years, but what do we mean today when we refer to a depressive disorder? In the 19th century, depression was seen as an inherited weakness of temperament. In the first half of the 20th century, Freud linked the development of depression to guilt and conflict. John Cheever, the author and a modern sufferer of depressive disorder, wrote of conflict and experiences with his parents as influencing his development of depression.
In the 19...
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