
I have a good friend who’s lived with extreme anxiety for as long as she can remember. Her parents called her a “nervous” child. She carried labels like ‘goody-good’, ‘worry wart’, ‘pessimist’, and ‘doubting Thomas’ for most of her life. It wasn’t until she had children of her own that the overwhelming worry forced her to talk to her doctor about her symptoms.
“I worry about everything, anything, almost constantly now. I’m sure something horrible is going to happen to my husband or the kids. Even when I know that no problems lurk on the horizon, I get upset by the possibility of problems. I can’t fall asleep at night. I can’t focus my mind during the day. Worst of all, I’m irritable and angry all the time.”
After a few clarifying questions her doctor told her, “This sounds like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and it’s treatable. You don’t have to worry.”
What a relief!
WHAT IS GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, seems to run in families, but doctors don’t know for sure why some people have it and others don’t. Like chronic depression, GAD is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that can be corrected with medication.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF GAD?
- excessive worry about everyday things for a period longer than six months, even when there is little or no reason to worry
- inability to control worry and distress
- know that you worry more than you should
- cannot relax
- difficulty concentrating
- easily startled
- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- feeling tired for no reason
- headaches, muscle aches, tension
- difficulty swallowing
- trembling or twitching
- irritability
- profuse sweating
- nausea
- light headedness
- feeling out of breath
- frequent need for urination
- hot flashes
HOW IS GAD TREATED?
While there is no cure for GAD, doctors are successful in treating it; and most physicians prescribe medications including:
- antidepressants
- anti-anxiety medicines
- beta blockers
They also recommend that patients with GAD consider talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy with a licensed counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist to change patterns of behavior and thought, and to learn how to feel less anxious and fearful once medication is doing it’s part.