People With Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Case Study

“Anxiety is the signal of danger which mobilizes the human organism’s resources at all levels of functioning in the interests of conservation, defense, and self- preservation.” (Anxiety 1) If a person suffers from anxiety there is a major loss of control and then an attempt to regain that control because of a fear that they have. Anxiety disorders are one of the most frequently occurring mental disorders in the United States. However, anxiety disorders are not only found in the United States. They are found throughout the world. They just happen to be most predominating in the United States. In this paper, I will be discussing the generalized anxiety disorder and how if effects society today.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about everyday things that is disproportionate to the actual source of worry. This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals suffering GAD typically anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, death, family problems, friend problems, relationship problems or work difficulties.[1] They often exhibit a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue, fidgeting, headaches, nausea, numbness in hands and feet, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, bouts of difficulty breathing, trembling, twitching, irritability,

Those with GAD experience lavish amounts of worry, usually anticipating the worst even when there is no reason to. Unlike phobias, the anxiety isn't connected directly to something, it just a worry that is always present. These worries that these individuals experience are what normal people experience, such as reaching to work safely, but taken to the extreme. The difference between normal worrying and GAD is that, is that the worrying involved in GAD is excessive and often unnecessary. For example, after watching a news report about a school shooting, the average person might feel a temporary sense of worry for their kids. If you have GAD, however, the individual might be up all night after it and continue worrying for days about a worst case scenario that could happen, maybe even keeping your kids from going to school. To deal with GAD, individuals are given suggestions such as to practice deep breathing, meditation. In terms of treatment, presciprdtions are often given to them. One of the drugs prescribed to patients is buspirone. This is an anti-anxiety drug and takes the edge off but does not completely eliminate the anxious feeling. Benzodiazepine is also a drug prescribed which calms the body (“Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the most diagnosed mental disorders today, and can often be closely linked to concurrent symptoms or disorders including physiological, behavioral, other anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse. (Merino, Senra & Ferreiro, 2016) (Cacioppo & Fregberg, 2013, p. 688). GAD most notably produces symptoms of excessive worry and anxiety related to non-specific risks, which often leads to functional decline both socially and professionally (Roberge et al., 2015). GAD reveals instances of links to biological origins such as heredity and biochemistry, as well as, ties to an individual’s cognitive development and socioeconomic environment (Cacioppo & Fregberg, 2013).

Even though there are no specific statistics showing geographically how many people in each country are affected, it is estimated that “5% - 6% of teens ages 13-18 are affected by this troubling disorder, not including the teens that receive no treatment,” (“Generalized”). Youth that receive no treatment could be considered are under privileged. Meaning that they do not have the resources or are very limited to resources that could help them get the proper treatment for their disorder. Many of those adolescents are children that come from low income families, single family homes, or foster care to name a few. Foster care children however, “Find themselves in a system that is ill-equipped to provide the services they need, and that can further impede their progress towards emotional well-being,” States Lisette Austin, author of “UNLOCKING: Mental Health Services for Youth in Care.” “According to the World Health Organization, nearly 20% of children and adolescents worldwide suffer from some type of emotional or behavioral problem. . .” (“Austin”) (“Mental”). “U.S. Surgeon General reports that roughly 1 in 10 American children experience a mental illness severe enough to cause significant impairment,” (“Austin”) (“Mental”). In her article she also states from another source, Steve Hornberger, Director of Behavioral Health for CWLA, “That anywhere ranging from 40% to 85% of kids in foster care have mental health disorders, depending on what reports you read,” (“Austin”)

Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disorder consisting of excessive worrying, tension and nervousness. This condition can occur over and over again and if left untreated can lead to suicidal and violent thoughts in the patient. Even though there are certain triggers to the condition, the person eventually becomes so used to worrying and taking stress that they can't control the feeling. These dreadful feelings and excessive thinking eventually overtakes them and leads them into more and more depression. Consequently, the stress and anxiety interferes with the patient's ability to lead a normal life. The major symptoms of this order are motor tension, violence, autonomic hyperactivity, apprehension, and vigilance. GAD has been defined as a state of worry and anxiety that lasts for at least six months and is accompanied by any of the associative symptoms. Associative symptoms included irritability, insomnia, and fatigability.

During the Enlightenment, philosophers were starting to drift away from religion, and many new truths were beginning to be discovered. When these new ideas, or truths, started to make more sense then the certainty of religion, a state of anxiety began to grow within the human mind. As this state of anxiety grew, many anxiety disorders began to sprout and show themselves within humans. These disorders, such as certain phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) began to take over many people’s lives. For many years, doctors have tried using harmful drugs to change the chemicals within the brain, to help relieve anxiety. As truth continues to be discovered, and anxiety continues to rise, therapeutic interventions will be proven to be more efficient in treating anxiety than its counterpart, the dangerous drugs that humans become dependent on.

About three percent of men and women in the U.S. suffer from Generalized anxiety disorder (APAA). It is one of the most common forms of anxiety and seems to be the most left untreated because people don’t know that it can be treated. GAD, although it affects many, is a disorder that can be detrimental to the quality of life of an individual. With the regard to the quality of life, the level of severity that a person experiences is a great factor in determining more information. The accumulated information is a defining feature in figuring the dissimilarity of the normal fight or flight response and the diagnoses of GAD. The disorder itself is that of excessive worry (AnxietyBC) about everyday things like, financial situations, school, family, or health (APAA). Having three or more symptoms such as nausea, shaking, sweating, hot flashes, headaches, and many others, is what contributes to the diagnosis (Patel).

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an ailment that affects relatively 5% of the general population (Neurobiology and Genetics, 2011). GAD is a mental illness that can be difficult to understand or to describe. It is also very hard to diagnose because most people who are experiencing it believe that it is normal to worry about issues at that level. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder have extreme fear and concern about even the littlest issues in their lives. They believe that something will always go wrong (NIH). There are times when these fears can keep these people from completing every day activities. There are also many symptoms that come along with this disorder. For instance, people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder have problems sleeping, headaches, fatigue, trembling, lightheadedness, and many other problems (NIH). GAD can make a big impact on a person’s life so it is important for them to get all the information they can about it in order to improve their quality

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can be identified as the condition that demonstrates "persistent, high levels of anxiety and excessive worry" about one's daily life. These anxious feelings tend to reveal physical symptoms that can interfere with the patient's optimal functioning since they are constantly feeling restless or tense. According to the DSM-5, in order to properly diagnosis a patient with GAD, the patient must demonstrate the symptoms "majority of days for at least six months" and experience "significant distress or impairment in life activities." GAD is developed during one's childhood and adolescent year, gradually becoming more apparent as they mature. In the United States, GAD affects approximately 1.2 percent to 2.9 percent

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a mental disorder marked by extreme anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation) over a period of at least 6 months. It is accompanied by at least three of these six somatic or psychological symptoms: feeling on edge, fatigue, problems with concentration, feeling irritable, physical tension, and problems with sleep.

In the peer reviewed article, “Perceived functions of worry among generalized anxiety disorder subjects: Distractions from more emotionally distressing topics?” the authors discussed how some people with anxiety have found their anxiety to be maladaptive in some ways, and beneficial in other ways. To summarize the six areas that were commonly found in persons with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) we motivation to complete tasks, problem solving, preparation for the worst case-scenario, planning to avoid negative events, distraction form emotional thoughts, and superstitions that fear and worry will prevent future negative events from taking place.

This literature review and research proposal was motivated following a practice placement with a Community Mental Health Team while working with a client with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD is a long-term condition that causes someone to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event. GAD is a common mental health condition affecting 1 in every 25 people in the United Kingdom, its prevalence is slightly more among women than men and individuals between the ages of 35 and 55 (NHSChoices, 2014). People with GAD feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed (NHSChoices, 2014). Feeling anxious is a normal response to stressful experiences, however when anxiety is prolonged, inappropriate, and/or overwhelming to the point that it impacts on functioning, it becomes a pathological disorder (Davis, 2011). The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (APA, 2000). Studies have shown that GAD is more impairing than other anxiety disorders (Hoffmann et al., 2009); and people afflicted with GAD have reported significantly less satisfaction with their quality of life in particular in the domains of self-esteem, goals and values, money, work, play, learning, creativity, friends and family (Henning et al., 2007). Thus GAD has a disabling impact on an individual’s occupation performance

Most people have an internal issue they would like to change about themselves. Whether it be a specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder or agoraphobia many will hide those things that frustrate them. Confidentially speaking, I am a victim of generalized anxiety disorder. Until recently, I have hidden depression, fear and a nervous sickness from all my family and friends. “As of 2013, one in nine people worldwide has had an anxiety disorder in the past year.” (Craske & Stein, p. 3048) Fear is the result of sensing an imminent threat, whereas anxiety anticipates a perceived future threat. Both fear and anxiety are common reactions in everyday life. However, when anxiety persist and interferes with

Not worrying like your average Joe that is concerned about being late to work, worried to the point of irrationality. The worrisome nature is, excessive and uncontrollable, quite often of everyday small things, most people may simply disregard as a problem to begin with. Sufferers from GAD will often anticipate calamities and become disproportionately concerned with matters such as health, money, family, relationships and work. Though the extremity of GAD can vary from individual to individual, the excessive amount of worrying can often interfere, and potentially impair, simple day to day activities. The overwhelming fear, of potential failure or anticipated disaster, will frequently hold back individuals in completing desired tasks or in achieving their specific needs. When diagnosing General Anxiety Disorder doctors look for: