Generalized Anxiety Disorder

It’s quite normal to feel anxious when you’re faced with stress or difficulty. Anxiety is the body’s natural response to nerve-racking situations, events such as speaking in front of a large audience or going to a job interview. However, when this feeling of anxiety becomes a constant occurrence — and is characterized by extreme and uncontrollable bouts of worry over mundane events — it may be diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Understanding this condition can help a person identify the signs and symptoms of the condition, and get proper treatment. It can also help individuals better help others with anxiety.

Generalized anxiety disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that brings about feelings of intense worry or apprehension about everyday life, and interferes with a person’s ability to carry out their daily activities with ease. It is a common condition, which in any given year, affects over 6.8 million adults, in the United States alone, and can also be found in children. Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with this condition. Learn more about anxiety in women.

People who are affected by generalized anxiety disorder often find themselves unable to control the constant cycle of worry, even though they understand that the level of anxiety that they feel is not necessary in that situation. Sometimes, they may experience physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and trouble sleeping. In more serious cases, it can prevent a person from carrying out simple activities like leaving the house, and it can can affect their relationship with other people.

Research has shown that the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder can gradually build up in a person’s life, but more commonly affects younger and middle-aged adults.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, these symptoms may include:

• Intense and persistent fears or worries
• Inability to deal with uncertainty about future events
• Having a constant sense of impending doom
• Intrusive thoughts
• Excessive and meticulous planning
• Fear of making the wrong decision
• Hyperventilation and excessive sweating
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Inability to sleep or relax

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the conditions grouped in the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5 among other anxiety disorders that share the same features of excessive and uncontrollable worry such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder. The symptoms of each of these disorders are similar, so it is important to carefully identify the symptoms that affect you, with the help of an experienced and licensed mental health professional. You can also check out our anxiety test to better understand your symptoms.

As with many mental health conditions, the exact cause of generalized anxiety disorder remains largely unknown. However, the likelihood of developing this condition is increased by a combination of factors. There is evidence that suggests that having a family history of generalized anxiety disorder raises a person’s risk of developing it. This means that children of people with generalized anxiety disorder are more likely to develop the condition themselves than those whose parents do not suffer from it and that there is at least some form of genetic correlation.

Research has also shown that there is a link between anxiety disorders and neuroticism, a personality trait in which a person is more inclined towards feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and negativity. The link between these two factors has led experts to believe that people with a nervous or pessimistic personality may be more likely to develop generalized anxiety disorder.

Risk factors

Apart from these circumstances, there are other risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing generalized anxiety disorder. Traumatic life experiences and misusing addictive substances are contributing factors, as well as having a chronic illness.

A study published in the Psychiatric Clinics of North America Journal suggests that symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders are thought to result in part from disruption in the balance of activity in the emotional centers of the brain rather than in the higher cognitive centers.This means that people with differences in brain chemistry and structure may be at an increased risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder. This is evident from the fact that functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of people affected by anxiety disorders shows an imbalance of serotonin — the brain chemical that is responsible for inducing happiness and other positive emotions — as well as other brain chemicals.

Generally, these risk factors can be moderated by early detection and intervention, and a strong social support system.

There are several assessments that therapists use to make a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. You can start with a general anxiety test from Talkspace.

GAD-7

One of the most common is the GAD-7, which is used by both primary care, licensed therapists, and psychiatrists. It’s an important tool when screening for symptoms and assessing the severity of common anxiety disorders, which include: generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, and panic disorder. Research has shown the test to have a sensitivity of between 70-90% and to be specific across disorders by a measure of 80-90%.

The higher the score on a GAD-7 test, the more severe your anxiety. The test is brief and you can even take it online as a preliminary screening (just for personal use, not as a diagnosis) before seeking help from a therapist or psychiatrist, who will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and get the help you need to feel better.

DSM-5

In addition to using the GAD-7, clinical professionals often look for the following symptoms, as classified by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders:

• Excessive worry
  You may experience excessive worry and anxiety over all kinds of activities, topics, or events. Often the worry is excessive, lasts for more than 6 months, and you are worried more often than you are not.
• Difficulty controlling worry
  The worry is difficult to control and it may shift from one topic straight into another.
• Physical symptoms
  There are physical or cognitive symptoms that accompany your worry, including:
  • Restlessness or edginess
  • More fatigued than is typical; getting tired easily
  • Feeling as though your mind goes blank or you have trouble concentrating
  • Feeling irritable, and not necessarily in a way that others notice
  • An increase in soreness or muscle aches
  • Difficulty sleeping including unsatisfying sleep, trouble staying asleep, or falling asleep

If you think you are suffering from anxiety, it’s important not to delay seeking help — the earlier you receive help, the sooner you can start feeling better. And, of course, the uncertainty of wondering whether you have the condition can further exacerbate your anxiety.