| Generalized anxiety disorder is a long term generalized | | | | and potentially leave devastating effects in their wake. |
| feeling of anxiousness that lasts for more than six | | | | GAD on the other hand, is a slow burner, it develops |
| months but doesn´t have panic attacks, phobias or | | | | over time. It usually begins in childhood, adolescent or |
| obsessions attached to it. | | | | early adulthood and snowballs over the course of your |
| People, who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder | | | | adult life. Symptoms can come and go and be better |
| or GAD, often find themselves burdened with a large | | | | or worse during different periods of your life. |
| number of worries and they spend a lot of their time | | | | Generalized anxiety disorder is more difficult to |
| worrying without being able to control it very well. | | | | diagnose than a panic attack, which is a short, intense |
| A specific characteristic of this disorder is that the | | | | reaction. Even with panic attacks, diagnosis is usually |
| intensity and frequency of the worry is out of | | | | made through a process of exclusion, where other |
| proportion to the likelihood of the feared events | | | | physical causes are eliminated before a doctor feels |
| happening. You will generally experience at least four | | | | comfortable stating that the extreme effects were |
| of the following symptoms: | | | | indeed a panic attack. |
| ?Excessive worry for more than 6 months | | | | With GAD the feeling is often more of a malaise, a |
| ?Inability to control excessive concerns | | | | continuous feeling of anxiousness, worry or dread. |
| ?Knowledge that your worry is excessive | | | | Sufferers, initially often seek treatment for the |
| ?Restlessness - feeling keyed up, hyper | | | | symptoms, unaware that the underlying problem is this |
| ?Easily fatigued | | | | disorder. Sufferers will go to their doctor´s seeking |
| ?Difficulty concentrating | | | | headache remedies, medicines for aches and pains or |
| ?Irritability | | | | their sleeping difficulties. |
| ?Get startled or surprised easily | | | | Like some of the other anxiety disorders, doctors will |
| ?Muscle tension | | | | often seek to assist patients suffering from GAD with |
| ?Difficulties with sleep | | | | medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety |
| ?Headaches | | | | medicines and beta blockers. These treatments can |
| ?Muscle tension | | | | have some effect but most research has found that |
| ?Difficulty swallowing or breathing | | | | medicines used in conjunction with non-medical |
| ?Hot flashes or sweating | | | | treatments or only non-medical treatments for less |
| ?Nausea, lightheadedness | | | | severe cases is the most effective treatment. |
| ?Going to the bathroom frequently | | | | Like other anxiety conditions, GAD will significantly |
| The cornerstone of this disorder is extreme worry | | | | interfere with your life, your interaction with others and |
| without justification. We all worry about things from | | | | you job and family life. It can develop at any point in life |
| time to time, paying the bills, family problems are health. | | | | but the focus of the worry tends to differ with age. |
| Worrying is part of life and its fine to worry about | | | | Teenagers who develop this condition often have their |
| things that are troublesome and a cause for concern. | | | | worry focused around athletic or academic |
| People with generalized anxiety disorder suffer from | | | | performance. As you age, the stresses will be a |
| the glass is perpetually empty and dirty syndrome and | | | | multitude of things from family to work. |
| are really unable to ever see the positive or glass is | | | | For acute sufferers of any anxiety disorder, |
| half full perspective in any given situation. The worry | | | | prescription drugs are an important aspect of |
| about things going badly so dominates their day, that | | | | treatment. However, for many cases and even the |
| they are really rendered incapable of performing tasks | | | | cases where drugs are used, it is important to take |
| at work or even at home. | | | | into account diet changes, lifestyle changes and |
| Panic attacks happen suddenly and out of the blue | | | | thought retraining to help improve your life. |