Generalized Anxiety Disorder
I believe I am most disposed to generalized anxiety disorder, or better known as GAD. People with GAD worry about nearly anything. I am the type of person that needs to always worry about something. If I do not have something to worry about, I tend to worry over the fact that I have nothing to worry about thinking that I am forgetting something important to do. GAD is common in Western society and about 3 percent of the U.S. population have symptoms of the disorder. Women are also diagnosed with GAD more than men. According to Freud, children exposed to high levels of realistic, neurotic, or moral anxiety and lack an adequate defense mechanism are most likely to develop generalized anxiety disorder (Comer).
While I was growing up, my parents were strong believers in the authoritarian parenting style. When I did something wrong my parents never explained to me why it was wrong or how to fix the problem, I would always just be punished. The way my parents would say my name or look at me worried me, making me think maybe I have done something wrong once again. My maladaptive assumptions have also led me to believe that I may have generalized anxiety disorder. According to Ellis, people with GAD often hold basic irrational assumptions (Comer). Which in my case is true since I always mention how things are catastrophic when they do not end up the way I want them to be.
Current and Past Symptoms
I currently have a few symptoms that are related to generalized anxiety disorder. For example, I always feel like I am tense and feel wound up. Whenever I constantly worry about stuff I tend to feel worn out as well. Concentration has become an issue for me, especially when it comes to school. I find myself...
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...o become a hypochondriac.
Works Cited
Borkovec, Thomas D., Newman, Michelle G., & Castonguay, Louis G. (2003). Cognitive- behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder with integrations from interpersonal and experiential therapies. The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 2(3), 392-399.
Goodwin, Renee D. & Gorman, Jack M. (2002). Psychopharmacologic treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and the risk of major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry. 159(11), 1935-1937.
Wells, Adrian. (2002). GAD, metacognition, and mindfulness: An information processing analysis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 9(1), 95-102.
What medications are used to treat anxiety disorder?. Retrieved November 10, 2011, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-medications/what- medications-are-used-to-treat-anxiety-disorders.shtml
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.
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.
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).
If the patient is showing any of these sign/ symptoms then they would be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (Comer, 2013, pp.115).
Anxiety is a feeling of tension associated with a sense of threat of danger when the source of the danger is not known. In comparison, fear is a feeling of tension that is associated with a known source of danger. I believe it is normal for us to have some mild anxiety present in our daily lives. Everyday that I can think of I have some kind of anxiety though out that day. Anxiety warns us and enables us to get ready for the ‘fight or flight’ response. However, heightened anxiety is emotionally painful. It disrupts a person's daily functioning.
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.
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.
It has been claimed that attentional bias causes anxiety. Attentional bias is when attention is automatically captured by certain stimuli. In terms of anxiety, this can be for example, the fear of spiders. Individuals who suffer from the phobia could, for example be reading a newspaper and related stimuli such as the word ‘web’ would capture their attention. Attentional bias has been found among many anxiety disorders including social phobia, OCD, trait anxiety, social phobia and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). I will review evidence for the presence of attentional bias among anxiety disorders and try to determine whether attentional bias causes anxiety. I will review evidence from Macleod and Mathews (2002), Koster, Crombez, Verschuere, Damme and Wiersema (2006), and Bradley and Mogg (1999).
Ellis (1957, 1962) was one of the first to use Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) which is a type of cognitive therapy that focuses on an outcome of changing irrational beliefs into more rational ones. From this stemmed the ABC Technique of Irrational Beliefs (Simplypsychology.org, 2017). This is a three-step process in which to analyse the
Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT) was established by Albert Ellis and he has found that what individuals accepted unequivocally influenced how they responded rationally. Accordingly, when their beliefs became irrational, it would make individuals feel skeptical, edgy or bad tempered and would even prompt pounding toward oneself state of mind (Psych Central.com, 2014). REBT is a pragmatic methodology to help people in taking care of and vanquishing troubles and in addition attaining objectives. REBT places a decent arrangement of its point of convergence on the present and locations state of mind, undesirable feelings and nonadaptive practices that can affect life fulfillment adversely. REBT additionally gives a show
Those with the disorder usually know that their anxiety, thoughts, and fears are irrational and unfounded. They realize that it is angst and terror that they are experiencing. They know that people around them are not really critically judging them or evaluating them constantly. They understand that everyone is not out to degrade or embarrass them. But despite this logical knowledge and sense, they still continue to feel and believe differently, thus, thoughts and symptoms of anxiety usually persist with no indication of going away.
It’s safe to say that I feel that I’m an anxious person and that I have an anxiety disorder. My first example of being anxious is when I speak in public.
Parenting and obsessive compulsive symptoms: Implications of authoritarian parenting. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 24(3), 151-164.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Every person experiences some form of anxiety in his or her lifetime. Anxiety helps us deal with tense situations like using our flight or fight reaction, study harder for an exam, or keep focus on important deadlines. Anxiety can be useful until it gets to the point of interfering with everyday life. Some people explain it as not being able to shut the anxiety off. When anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a disabling disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Each year, anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). There are five major Anxiety Disorders they include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Phobias.
Kessler, R.C. “The Epidemiology of Pure and Comorbid Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Review and Evaluation of Recent Research”. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 102.406 (2000): 7-13. Print.