General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a condition which is often known to be categorized anxious feeling that emanates from stressful feeling. This condition occurs either in children or the adult of any age. It is not easy to live with this condition since it causes along time challenge especially while dealing with people in different situations. The relationship between general anxiety disorder and mood disorder is found to be strong with similar features. The condition is best improved through medication that targets to improve the psychotherapy and change in the lifestyle of an individual. Often, some therapist focus on teaching patients how to cope and relax in different situations.
The diagnosis of general anxiety disorder occurs when an individual is incapable of stopping to worry about the various conditions that occur in their surroundings. Worries that proceed for more than six months get categorized as a general anxiety disorder. Six months helps to differentiate this condition from general stressors in life which often lasts for very short periods. The most distinguishing feature of people with General Anxiety Disorder is the fact that they cannot control their worry. Most Cases of GAD is observed among the children, and parental care is blamed for the development of such conditions. In the United States, about 6.8 million adults are diagnosed with this condition each year. This translates to about 3 % of the population (Stein & Sareen, 2015).
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Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of GAD include constant worry over various issues that occur on a daily basis (Lader, 2015). The impact of the constant worry is the inability to do any constructive activity especially due to the fear caused by the worries. On the other hand, these people are often characterized by features of thinking so much about plans making them look overrated and difficult to achieve. The thought they give to most situations is often about the worst outcome that may arise from these situations. Moreover, they often look at situations as if these situations possess potential risks to their lives thus the genesis of their fear to handle or do certain tasks in the society. The idea of events being life-threatening makes these people be always negative about life (Stein & Sareen, 2015).
The individual with these conditions also experiences difficulty while trying to concentrate on handling a task or dealing with certain situations. They often report episodes when their minds go blank as they try to concentrate or achieve certain tasks. These lead to a feeling of restlessness that makes them unable to relax even in the normal situations. They are unable to let go their worries thus the persistent of stressors in their lives which is often used in the decision making during their diagnosis (Beck, Emery & Greenberg, 2005).
The patients of this condition also experience certain physical signs and symptoms that are useful for their diagnosis. These include difficulty sleeping which often arises from the inability of the patients to stop worrying. Moreover, they experience general body malaise or fatigue that last for longer periods. Profuse sweating and irritability also characterize this condition. Some of the patients may present with trembling feelings and muscle tensions and aches. Other have the feeling nausea, irritable bowels, and diarrhea. The feeling of being startled is also experienced due to nervousness (Stein & Sareen, 2015).
Impacts of the Symptoms
Stein and Sareen (2015) claim that the symptoms caused by this condition often have serious impacts on the lives of children and adults, the children are most affected especially in their study and social skills. The feeling of being anxious among these children makes them seek a perfectionist like character among their peers. Moreover, they often waste time doing their classwork, and this often makes them seem like they are slow learners. The students always seek approval for the activities they do since they do not have confidence in themselves or their ability to outdo other people of their age. Their social life would be affected as they try to avoid social situations which include going to school or relating to other people. These children often feel like they do not fit in the context of the society in which they live.
Causes of GAD
The general anxiety disorder is caused by the difference that often occurs in the chemistry of the brains of different people. Sometimes it can be due to genetic features or different in the perception of the life-threatening conditions. It is also caused by the difference in the personality that is due to the development process. This means that the parents plan an important role in the development of this condition. The ladies are often at a higher risk of this condition (Stein & Sareen, 2015).
Prevention and Treatment
According to Lader (2015), the condition can be prevented through early intervention through the help of a mental health specialist. Moreover, patients can be helped to prioritize issues thus being able to manage time properly. In other situation, keeping away from unhealthy substance use helps to prevent this situation among the general population. Sometime a personal journal would be useful since it helps in keeping track of personal life experiences and improving on them.
The medication for GAD include techniques that help in relaxation such as yoga, meditation, exercise and other alternatives such as using therapies that seek to help people stop substance abuse. Some of the treatment plans involve treatment that seeks cognitive behaviors and supportive interpersonal behaviors. These therapies can be used together or in isolation depending on the case of the patient (Lader, 2015).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note that patients with this condition do not know how to handle situations of uncertainty and these elevates their worry in nearly all the situations. Uncertain conditions are not healthy for their health and should be avoided at all costs. One of the most important symptoms that arise from this condition is indecisiveness due to the fear of making wrong choices. These means that they are unlikely to progress or making any important decisions that may change their lives, these people often really in other people's life experiences to make decisions. This is often costly since each person's decisions have different effects on their lives and on the lives of others based on the prevailing conditions that surround such individuals.
References
Beck, A. T., Emery, G., & Greenberg, R. L. (2005). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective . Basic Books.
Lader, M. (2015). Generalized anxiety disorder. In Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology (pp. 699-702). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Stein, M. B., & Sareen, J. (2015). Generalized anxiety disorder. New England Journal of Medicine , 373 (21), 2059-2068.
