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Generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder
Different types of generalized anxiety disorder
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder, also known as (GAD) is one of the several types of anxiety disorders. GAD according to our textbook (Lahey) is an uneasy sense of general tension and apprehension for no apparent reason that makes the individual highly uncomfortable because of its prolonged presence. GAD is much more than the normal anxiety people experience day to day. Without provoking, it is chronic and exaggerated worry and tension. This disorder can involve anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family or work. Sometimes, though, just the thought of getting through the day brings anxiety. What are the major kinds of anxiety disorders? There are several major types of anxiety disorders, each with its own characteristics. • Panic disorder- sudden intense and unprovoked feelings of terror and dread. People who suffer from this disorder generally develop strong fears about when and where their next panic attack will occur, and often restrict their activities as a result. • Related disorder- involves phobias, or intense fears about certain objects or situations. Specific phobias may, involve things such as encountering certain animals or flying in airplanes, while social phobias involve fear of social settings or public places. • Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD) - is characterized by persistent, uncontrollable and unwanted feelings or thoughts (obsessions) and routines or rituals (compulsions) in which individuals engage to try to prevent or rid themselves of these thoughts. In example of common compulsions include washing hands or cleaning repeatedly for fear of germs. Anxiety disorder is psychological disorders that involve excessive levels of negative emotions, such as... ... middle of paper ... ...some level of normal or moderate anxiety because life brings about unpredictable events and situations. In a school setting students may experience anxiety from bullying, being judged or criticized by others, not initiating social interactions with others, feelings of worthiness, low academic achievement etc.. providing skills and techniques to help them cope with these stressors can reduce how anxiety can dictate how they live their life. In closing I was injured in a pedestrian accident in December 2013, I was struck by a truck and my leg was run over. I suffered a fractured and broken fibula and tibula had to get a rod and four screws implanted in my leg. For a long time I was very fearful of myself or my child walking in a parking lot or to see the type of truck that struck me in traffic made me nervous. I believe in a since I experienced GAD or related disorder.
2. By looking through the case study, the most prominent problem Sara struggles with, is her persistent worry about different parts of her life including her job status, health and her relationship with her husband. For the past six months, she has been anxious and worried excessively, leading her to have difficulty sleeping. As she admitted, “ I cannot shut my brain off anymore, I am worrying all the time”, therefore her condition met the primary criteria of generalized anxiety disorder which is the excessive worry for at least 6 months more days than not, about diverse events and activities. Being restless, irritable, having sleep difficulty and being easily fatigued are four factors of GAD that are apparent in this case. “I have always had lots of energy but now at times I struggle to get out of bed and drag myself thorough the work day”; it indicates the fatigue she recently experienced. Fidgets with her jewellery when speaking and a nervous laugh she has, shows her persistent anxiety. Moreover, she was recently diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome which has a high comorbidity with anxiety disorders. In conclusion, since she is persistently worried about different aspects of her life and she has the criteria for GAD, generalized anxiety disorder is the most likable disorder she has.
unrelenting anxiety about events that are unlikely to occur. Symptoms that point to GAD are
"Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)." Anxiety and Depression Association of America (APAA).N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
The onset of Generalized anxiety disorder begins in childhood or adolescents, and It can have a lifetime prevalence of 3-5% with a higher risk in women. One major effect of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive worry or anxiety lasting up to 6 months at a time, although individuals that have Generalized Anxiety Disorder don’t identify their worrying as excessive all of the time, but they will recount subjective distress because of a constant worry, or may have difficulty with control over the worrying, or even experience social impairment. Anxiety can be associated up to 6 symptoms which include inability to sleep, fatigued, lack of concentration, easily agitated, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Most of which can affect everyday lifestyle and greatly effect physical health, not only can they cause personal distress but may also cause distress in those around.
The six most common forms of anxiety are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is characterized by excessive worries about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations. People with GAD often have trouble identifying that specific fear and controlling it. That said fear is often unreasonable and not in proportion with what is expected in a normal situations. They normally expect failure and disaster is coming, and they normally can not lead normal lives. Phobias are an irrational fear of a certain object or situation. Most people will acknowledge their fear and know that it is unreasonable, but they can not control their anxiety. Another disorder is Social Anxiety Disorder. It is a social phobia, and their main fear is being judged harshly by others and the fear of do...
Bearing in mind that an anxiety response is a result of various factors, there are different types of anxiety disorders. The most common type of anxiety disorders as described as specific phobias, social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) (2016), specific phobias affect about 19 million adults in the U.S, while SAD affects 15 million, PD affects 6 million, GAD affects about 6.8 million, OCD affects about 2.2 million and PTSD affects 7.7 million adults respectively. Considering that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S, yet only about one-third of those suffering receive treatment (ADAA, 2016).
Overall, generalized anxiety disorder is classified by excessive and uncontrollable worry over a large variety of daily problems. Besides anxiety, people with GAD also experience fatigue, irritability, restlessness, and muscle tension. GAD is quite common, and about three percent of all American adults are diagnosed with it every year. Several potential causes of generalized anxiety disorder are environment, genetics, brain chemistry, and personality. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication are used to treat GAD. However, the medicine comes with many side effects. Lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet and supplements can also aid in helping the patient. If untreated, generalized anxiety disorder can be a long-term illness, although the outlook is generally positive for those who have treatment.
Severe anxiety, which can be described as an episode of terror, is referred to as a panic attack. Panic attacks can be extremely frightening. People who experience panic attacks over a prolonged time period may become victims of agoraphobia, which is a psychiatric disorder that is closely associated with the panic disorder. Patients with Agoraphobia avoid certain places or situations such as airplanes, crowded theaters, a grocery store or anyplace from which escape might be difficult. It is said that Agoraphobia can be so severe that it has made certain individuals housebound.
Phobias are considered a part of anxiety disorders, a phobia is an intense and irrational fear of a certain thing or situation. Some examples of phobias include fear of heights, insects, and even talking in front of a large crowd. The intensity of phobias differ from patient to patient but the severity of phobia...
Fear and Anxiety are essential functions that occur in the brain that allow people to respond to stimuli appropriately. These feelings as normal as they are can cause problems and in 3.1 percent of adult Americans approximately 6.8 million people it does cause problems (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). A problem can arise when people have too much fear and anxiety; a problem is evident when it interferes with their life and their ability to do things. This is known as general anxiety disorder (GAD). When someone is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder they normally experience excessive exaggerated anxiety and worry about normal life events that give no clear reason for worry (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). This disorder can be debilitating and rule over people’s lives if it is severe and a better understanding of the disorder can be gained by looking at historical views, current views, causes and symptoms, case studies, differential diagnosis considerations, and treatment.
Anxiety disorder is a type of abnormal behavior characterized by unrealistic, irrational fear. These types of disorders are diagnosed two as often in women as in men. Although these disorders can be very chronic and serious, they are easily treatable. Generalized anxiety disorder is when people experience fear and worry that is not focused on one specific aspect; nevertheless, they suffer greatly with headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, and insomnia. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, better known as OCD, involves persistent, unwanted, obsessions and irresistible urges to perform compulsions in order to relieve anxiety. Unlike other anxiety disorders, OCD consists more of anxiety and worry rather than fear itself. Many people who experience OCD are aware that there is no motive behind their actions, however their anxiety is heightened when they try to ignore the compulsions. People with such anxiety disorders often experience sensitivity to other people’s views as well as worry over their surroundings.
The symptoms that one face during GAD include: worry all the time, irritation, feeling of insecurity, depression, dizziness, tension, restless, sleeping disorder, headaches, mental disorder, nausea, and muscle aches. It happens continually for more than 6 months. The symptoms of worry vary during General Anxiety Disorder, worry about family, finance, and always thinking about negative outcomes of any action. Although worrying about family is normal, but in GAD case, the patient think whole day about the way of living of his family, their future, their finance and calculate negative outcomes.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to a threatening situation and results from an increase in the amount of adrenaline from the sympathetic nervous system. This increased adrenaline speeds the heart and respiration rate, raises blood pressure, and diverts blood flow to the muscles. These physical reactions are appropriate for escaping from danger but when they cause anxiety in many situations throughout the day, they may be detrimental to a normal lifestyle. An anxiety disorder is a disorder where feelings of fear, apprehension, or anxiety are disruptive or cause distortions in behavior, (Coon, 526); they are psychiatric illnesses that are not useful for normal functioning. At times, an underlying illness or disease can cause persistent anxiety. Treatment of the illness or disease will stop the anxiety. Anxiety illnesses affect more than 23 million Americans with about 10 million Americans suffering from the most common, general anxiety disorder . (Harvard, 1). Common anxiety disorders are panic attacks (panic disorder), phobias, and general anxiety disorder (GAD). Panic attacks Panic attacks can begin with a feeling of intense terror followed by physical symptoms of anxiety. A panic attack is characterized by unpredictable attacks of severe anxiety with symptoms not related to any particular situation. (Hale, 1886). The person experiencing the attack may not be aware of the cause. Symptoms include four or more of the following: pounding heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness, chest pain, shaking, sweating, choking, nausea, depersonalization, numbness, fear of dying, flushes, fear of going crazy. Heredity, metabolic factors, hyperventilation, and psychological factors may contribute to anxiety causing panic attacks.
Social anxiety disorder can also be defined as social phobia. It is the fear of social situations that involve interaction with other people. It can also be described as the fear of negatively being judged causing one to feel ashamed and being socially rejected. Social Anxiety was first mentioned as the term social phobia and was discovered in the 1900’s. Although the exact amount of people who are diagnosed with this disorder still remains undetermined, it has been said that about 9,ooo- 15,0000 people will show symptoms of the disorder during some point of their lifetime.
This is when an individual suffers from extreme, irrational and uncontrolled worries. Certain situations cause feelings of apprehension and negative expectations, it is common for individuals with GAD to envision disaster or expect the worst case scenario, they also tend to worry continuously about everyday issues linked to family, work, finances etc. Headaches, irritability, nausea, breathing difficulties, insomnia, muscle tension/pain and fatigue are a few of the many symptoms caused by GAD.