People with GAD worry about everyday things even when there’s no apparent cause for concern. In some cases, just thinking about getting through the day can trigger anxiety. This excessive worry can cause certain physical symptoms and can interfere with daily life. RELATED: 5 Quick Stress-Reducing Yoga Poses
Excessive worry about everyday thingsRestlessness and inability to relaxDifficulty concentratingSleep issues, such as trouble falling asleep or staying asleepIrritabilityFeeling that everything will turn out badly
These issues may be accompanied by a number of physical symptoms, such as:
Muscle tension and muscle achesFatigue
The kinds of worries differed as well: older patients worried about their health and their family, while younger patients worried about their future and the health of others.
Genetics Anxiety disorders are known to run in families.Brain Structure and Activity Researchers believe that differences in the areas that regulate stress and anxiety may contribute to the disorder, according to the NIMH.Traumatic Events Experiencing trauma, such as childhood abuse, may trigger the condition.Chronic Health Conditions Having a chronic medical condition may increase the risk of GAD, notes Mayo Clinic.
If you feel that you’re suffering from generalized anxiety disorder during this time, it’s important to talk with your doctor about symptoms and whether you need treatment. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of taking medication, if that becomes necessary. Your doctor may conduct a physical examination and order blood tests to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms. A diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder is based on both your psychological and physical symptoms.
Restlessness or edginessBecoming easily fatiguedDifficulty concentrating, or feeling as if your mind has gone blankIrritabilityMuscle tensionSleep issues
Your symptoms must also be severe enough to impair your ability to go about your daily life, and must not be due to substance abuse or other disorders or health issues. Therapists often use an approach called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, to treat generalized anxiety disorder. Your doctor might start you first on an antidepressant to help with your symptoms, and tell you that it may take four to six weeks to start feeling the effects, says Ken Duckworth, MD, the chief medical officer for NAMI and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Your doctor may also work with you to figure out whether to up your dosage or add a second medication; often, one medication can enhance the effects of the other or mitigate its side effects.
Antidepressants such as Zoloft (sertraline), Prozac (fluoxentine), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Lexapro (escitalopram), or Paxil (paroxetine)Buspirone, an anti-anxiety drugBenzodiazepines such as Ativan (lorazepam), Valium (diazepam), or Xanax (alprazolam)
Antidepressants are a first-line treatment for GAD. RELATED: Which Medications Are Best for Anxiety Disorders RELATED: How Meditation Can Improve Your Mental Health
Additional reporting by Carlene Bauer.
