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Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the
common anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the term covering several
different forms of abnormal, pathological anxiety, fear, phobia and nervous
condition, which may come on all of a sudden or gradually, over a period of
several years and may impair or prevent the pursuing of normal daily
routines.
The essential characteristic of Generalized
Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is excessive uncontrollable worry about everyday
things. This constant worry affects daily functioning and can cause physical
symptoms. GAD is usually difficult to diagnose for it lacks some of the
dramatic symptoms, like unprovoked panic attacks, that are seen with other
anxiety disorders.
To be able to diagnose Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms must be present more days than not for
at least 6 months.
The diagnostic criteria for Generalized
Anxiety Disorder symptoms are:
● Excessive anxiety and worry
(apprehension), occurring more days than not for a period of at least
6 months, about numerous events or activities.
● The person with GAD finds it hard to
control the worry.
● The anxiety and worry are associated with
three or more of the following six symptoms, with at least some symptoms are
present for more than 6 months in most days than not (at least one is
required for children):
o
restlessness or
feeling tense or on the edge
o
easily fatigued
o
difficulty
concentrating or mind going blank
o
irritability
o
muscle tension and
muscle aches
o
difficulty falling
or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep
o
difficulty
swallowing
o
trembling, sweating
o
nausea,
light-headedness
o
feeling out of
breath
● The focus of anxiety and worry is not
limited to, or the anxiety or worry is not about having a panic attack,
being embarrassed in the public, being contaminated, gaining weight, having
multiple physical complaints, or having a serious illness, and the anxiety,
and worry do not occur exclusively during post traumatic disorder.
● The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms
cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational,
or other important areas of everyday activities.
● The disturbance is not due to the direct
physiological effect of substance, such as alcohol and drug abuse, or
medical condition, and does not occur exclusively during a mood disorder, a
psychotic disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder.
When the anxiety level of people with GAD
is mild, they can still function socially and keep a job. Even if they don’t
avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, they may have
difficulty doing the simplest daily activities if there anxiety is severe.
The disorder comes on gradually and can begin at any age, but the risk is
highest between childhood and middle age.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is commonly
treated with medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy. There are a
number of medications that may be used to treat this; be sure to work
closely with your psychiatrist if this option is being considered.
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