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Generalized Anxiety Disorders: A Case Study

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In modern times, both medical and social intervention are utilized in order to provide an effective treatment for those suffering from a mental illness. For M.’s case, she is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder. As generalized anxiety disorder is defined, she is “continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.” In regards to medical treatment, she can be prescribed an antianxiety drug such as Serax, Ativan, Xanax or Valium. They will be able to provide a calming effect which will help with M’s anxiety. Specifically, they stimulate GABA neurotransmitters which inhibit the central nervous system. However, the drugs do have side effects such as withdrawal symptoms when the drug is no longer taken. But in general, the drugs mentioned are effective in treating the serious anxiety disorders. Social approaches such as family therapy and self-help groups can also be helpful in connecting with others about the issue and developing an understanding and support system to better handle the mental illness such as the anxiety of M. …show more content…

First, psychoanalytic therapy argues that the disorder arises from a conflict between the id-ego-superego. The issues are unconscious and have to be resolved by uncovering these inner, deep conflicts. Ways to reach these unconscious thoughts include free association which allows the patient to speak freely about memories and feelings and possibly allow for Freudian slips. The patient can also describe dreams to the therapist and the therapist can derive some meaning of the unconscious from that. The key is to find how the unconscious feels without first going through the conscious mind and altering the

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