Our next post for Mental Health Awareness Month, which was in May, is going to focus on generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD. On our socials, we covered these topics during May and these blog posts are part of that series, expanding on those topics and giving more information. According to WHO<\/a>, 4% of the global population experience an anxiety disorder. And NIMH<\/a> reports that 20% of adults in the US have an anxiety disorder. There are many different kinds of anxiety disorders but GAD is the most common. However, there is concern that GAD is actually underdiagnosed because of societal stigma and lack of education about anxiety disorders. Due to the fact that many symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder feel primarily physical as opposed to purely psychological, many people mistake their symptoms for signs of a physical ailment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It generally develops in adulthood, around age 30, but it is common across all age groups, including children. It\u2019s diagnosed twice as often in women and people assigned female at birth, though at this time it\u2019s unclear why. Some research suggests that societal factors could play a role in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk factors for developing generalized anxiety disorder include: experiencing child abuse or trauma, having a chronic illness, living with a lot of stress, and substance use (such as: alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and recreational drugs). It often co-occurs with other mental health disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or MDD, which we described in a previous post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many symptoms of GAD<\/a> to look out for. If any of these symptoms interfere with your daily life or relationships, it could be time to seek out a diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms must be present for at least 6 months:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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• Worry excessively about everyday things<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Have trouble controlling their worries or feelings of nervousness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Know that they worry much more than they should<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Feel restless and have trouble relaxing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Have a hard time concentrating<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Startle easily<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Tire easily or feel tired all the time<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Have headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, or unexplained pains<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Have a hard time swallowing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Tremble or twitch<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Feel irritable or “on edge”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Sweat a lot, feel lightheaded, or feel out of breath<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Have to go to the bathroom frequently<\/li>\n\n\n\n
• Children and teens are more likely to worry about school performance and the health of loved ones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

  Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

  Generalized anxiety disorder is very treatable<\/a>, even in chronic cases. However, it is important to seek out treatment as soon as possible to ensure the best outcome. There are a variety of treatments including medications, therapy, and some complementary additions someone can use to help their GAD along with other treatments. Medications, such as SSRIs, SNRIs, and buspirone are commonly prescribed to help treat GAD. Benzodiazepines were once a common treatment but are no longer generally recommended due to concerns about dependency and limited long-term effectiveness. CBT and ACT are common forms of therapy used, often in conjunction with medication, to treat GAD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  There are also complementary changes someone can make that can be added to the above treatments. For example, some lifestyle changes like limiting caffeine and nicotine, can help reduce anxiety symptoms. Mindfulness like meditation and journaling are also often recommended. Getting enough sleep, exercise, and joining support groups for those also experiencing anxiety are commonly added as recommendations to traditional treatments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  With proper treatment, many people go on to be able to return to their normal routines and regain functioning and quality of life. The earlier the treatment, the more quickly someone can return to their lives and the more effective treatments are likely to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/23940-generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/health\/publications\/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad#part_6119<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK441870<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/anxiety-disorders<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Our next post for Mental Health Awareness Month, which was in May, is going to focus on generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD. On our socials, we covered these topics during May and these blog posts are part of that series, expanding on those topics and giving more information. According to WHO, 4% of the global … <\/p>\n

  Continue reading “When Worrying Takes Over: Generalized Anxiety Disorder”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,39],"tags":[48,47,46,33],"class_list":["post-1640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anxiety","category-mental-health","tag-anxiety","tag-gad","tag-generalized-anxiety-disorder","tag-mental-health"],"yoast_head":"\n