Understanding General Anxiety Disorder And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

GAD is a serious mental illness that may affect all facets of one's life. However, there are treatments available for GAD. The

“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 characterized by excessive anxiety and worry that is not limited to one subject, situation or activity (Nevid, Rathus & Greene, 2017). People with GAD are known to worry about many things in their lives; their health, their finances, their well-being and that of their children. It is a worry that can be describe as excess and one that impairs one from functioning (Nevid, Rathus & Greene, 2017).

GAD’s potentially interwoven origin marks significant challenges for diagnosis and treatment. Patients often leave the opportunity for diagnosis of GAD to the primary caregiver (Roberge et al., 2015). Primary care professionals must be able to attribute physiological symptoms to psychological conditions in many of these cases to prevent missed or misdiagnosis, as well as correctly evaluate potential psychological disorders akin to GAD. The Roberge et al. (2015) research article indicates the need for increased efforts in preparing primary care professionals to properly screen and diagnose patients with GAD.

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States. Between 15 - 19% of the population suffers from this disorder, which impairs the quality of life and functioning (Stuart 218). What is anxiety? Abnormal Psychology describes anxiety as “an adaptive emotion that helps us plan and prepare for a possible theat.” The text book further states, “worrying about many different aspects of life becomes chronic, excessive, and unreasonable.” This is also known as generalized anxiety disorder or GAD (Butcher 201). DSM IV-TR specifies that GAD is a worry that occurs more days then not for at least 6 months, and that it must be experienced as difficult to control (Butcher 201). 25% of those that suffer from this

GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. Physical symptoms include tension, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, gastrointestinal problems, restlessness and edginess (Aikins & Craske, 2001). Excessive worry becomes a typical way of thinking and everyday problems result in a series of ''what-if'' thoughts, which eventually leads to a disastrous prediction. Because individuals with GAD are highly sensitive to threat in general, particularly when it has personal significance, they frequently observe possible threats (Barlow, 2002). In response to these anticipated dangers, fight-or-flight reactions are activated. In most anxiety disorders, it is generally clear what needs to be escaped or avoided (e.g., spiders or public speaking), but in GAD there is

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a very common anxiety disorder; symptoms include nervousness, worrying and tension. The anxiety is not linked to one thing and patients can be overwhelmed by a general feeling of dread. A patient with GAD will worry about the same things as any unaffected person, for example, their health, personal relationships or work. What sets them apart is that the degree of worry or tension is higher than normal levels. The worrying can be both persistent and debilitating. Symptoms are moderate but long lasting persisting for longer than one month. Possible treatment methods for GAD include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychopharmacological Therapy, and Acceptance Based Behaviour Therapy. It will be argued that CBT is overall a better treatment for GAD and has been found to be effective and tolerable in the treatment of GAD.

The main feature of (GAD) is characterized by “excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation) about a number of events or activities” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals, who are diagnosed with GAD, often have worrisome thoughts that are hard to control which inhibits them from concentrating on everyday tasks. To distinguish GAD from nonpathological anxiety, it is important to keep in mind several features. The worries associated with GAD are excessive and problematic for psychical functioning, more pervasive, pronounced and distressing, and are accompanied by physical symptoms (e.g., restlessness) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It is important to note that symptoms of GAD can be misunderstood for different reasons. Risk and prognostic factors can be temperamental, environmental, and genetic and physiological, additionally, cultural factors in the expression of GAD also need to be considered. Given the information above about GAD, it can be concluded that it is important to have treatment for such disorder in order to help individuals have

Generalized anxiety disorder(GAD) is much more than the normal anxiety people experience everyday. It is a chronic condition that is chracterized by excessive worry and anxiety, even though there aren't any reasonable explanations for the cause. It is diagnosed when a person spends a least 6 months worrying excessively about numerous everyday problems.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disorder in which an individual may feel persistent, excessive, and worry about everyday things that may not even happen. Individuals with this disorder may feel worry, excessive anxiety, and have thoughts of the worst even when there is no need for concern. A person experiencing GAD may expect a disaster. They may worry about their finances, money, health, family, work, or any issue that may come to mind. This disorder may be present when a person worrying increases on more days than one for at least six months. GAD can interfere with work, school, family, and even social activities. GAD can be diagnosed in adults when they experience at least three of the symptoms. These symptoms include restlessness or feeling on the edge, fatigue, difficulty focusing or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension, pain in back or headaches, and sleep disturbance (ADAA, n.d.).

Joe Steven, is reported a continuous and extensive worry about his family responsibilities. The major worry about him is how to meet up with his wife and children needs and his mother’s present health condition. He also worried about his children school fees, and if they will make it in future or not. Mark started worry about how to secure his job position, he completely found himself felt with anxiety. Despite that he has a good job that pays him well. He reported that the worry and the anxiety has been troubling him for the past 12 months. Since then, he started felling tiredness, weakness of the muscles tension, difficult in sleeping, difficult in concentrating and focus on his work. The main worry and anxiety is getting worst whenever he received a mail from his children school. He always thinks that the mail he got is about his children school fees. Even though, the mail is another activities or his children school performance. Due to his sleeping problem, his wife suggested him to take some work leave so that they will go for vacation at Bermuda. She thinks that

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a adult is characterized by excessive anxiety and tension about everyday event that occurs more days than not and lasting at least 6 months. The purpose of this case study is to bring awareness in patients mental health and improved recognition that their anxieties are excessive and unreasonable that might feel out of their control. Generalized anxiety disorder usually presented in a somatic complaints that makes it more frequently of muscle tension. Moreover, the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical defines GAD as “the intensity, duration, or frequency of the anxiety and worry is far out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the feared event.” (APA, 2000)

According to the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (2013), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is classified as having excessive anxiety and worry occurring more often than not for at least 6 months, that is difficult to control and that impairs daily functioning. At least three symptoms must be present and include restlessness, easily fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance.