| About worry | | | | are filled with uncertainty. |
| We all worry from time to time. However, people with | | | | Physical symptoms |
| general anxiety disorder, worry more than would be | | | | The worry and tension trigger physical symptoms, |
| expected, about a lot of issues and they find it hard to | | | | such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, fatigue |
| stop worrying. They have generally been feeling | | | | and restlessness. Muscles become tight and irritability is |
| anxious and tense for over 6 months and may have | | | | common. |
| worried for much of their lives. They worry about | | | | A person with general anxiety disorder may also |
| many events and activities in their lives (e.g. work, | | | | experience other types of mental illness, such as |
| finances, family, relationships and health), often about | | | | another type of anxiety (e.g. panic attacks), depression, |
| concerns for the future, fear of failure or fear of | | | | or alcohol or drug abuse. |
| criticism from others. | | | | All of these symptoms cause considerable distress or |
| People with general anxiety disorder find it difficult to | | | | they make it difficult to carry out daily activities at |
| relax and stop worrying. | | | | home, work or in social interactions. |
| Typically they don't see their worry as excessive or | | | | Getting help |
| unrealistic. For example, they may worry about their | | | | The good news is that assessment and general |
| children getting sick, even though they are healthy and | | | | anxiety disorder treatment is available. Treatment |
| they have seldom been sick before. Or they may | | | | targets specific general anxiety disorder symptoms. |
| worry about completing a work report well when they | | | | For example, people are taught to relax different |
| have consistently got good feedback from their | | | | muscle groups in their body to relax and reduce |
| manager. | | | | muscle tension. They learn strategies to control and |
| Dealing with uncertainty can be rally hard for people | | | | stop their worrying and to learn to deal with |
| with general anxiety disorder. It triggers catastrophic | | | | uncertainty. These are examples of cognitive |
| thinking, like "What if I can't finish the report and I get | | | | behaviour therapy, which targets the thoughts and |
| fired!" Often a lot of time is spent trying to avoid | | | | behaviours that maintain the worry. |
| uncertainty, which is usually not helpful since our lives | | | | |