Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Research Paper Example

?General anxiety disorder (GAD) Introduction to GAD General anxiety disorder (GAD) is a type of anxiety disorder which is characterized by nervousness, tension and chronic anxiety. It was first identified as an independent disorder in 1980 and was characterized by “persistent anxiety and an unspeci?ed number of ancillary symptoms, such as apprehensive expectation and motor tension, which had to be present for at least 1 month” (Heiden et al., 2010, p. 58). Generally, people have reasons to feel worried. The reason for anxiety can be anything from unemployment to obesity and experience of racism. What differentiates between the normal state of anxiety and GAD is the fact that people suffering from GAD hardly know the actual cause of their anxiety. Rather than being associated to a particular reason, GAD lends an individual a general feeling of unease and discomfort. Since the cause of anxiety is unknown, there is no definite limit to GAD. In some cases, an individual suffers from GAD throughout the life. Although GAD is not as intense as a panic attack, yet it is longer lasting than the panic attack. The slow and steady suffering makes the lifestyle of the patient deviate from the normal and the individual finds it very difficult to relax. Symptoms of GAD To start with, people suffering from GAD feel worried for the same factors that people normally do. Such factors include but are not limited to health problems, lack of money, unemployment, sexual harassment and tensions in the family. However, as a patient of GAD, the individual takes these tensions to a new level. “Obsessive-compulsive disorder is well known for its intrusive, uncontrollable fears of contamination and losing control” (Harvard Health Letter, 2007, p. 6). Something as simple as small as a careless comment from a coworker is enough to put the patient in distress. The patient is overwhelmed with negativity and pessimism. If a friend does not pick up his phone because the phone is silent, the patient would probably consider this a sign of end of relationship between the two. Sometimes, the mere thought in the morning that there is a whole day ahead to spend produces anxiety. The individual tends to be proactive in the assessment of risks involved in a process. The patient makes assumptions about factors that can provoke him in some way, and prepares for them beforehand even if there is minimal likelihood of encounter with those factors. The negative factors keep running through the patient’s brain, the series is often endless. There are normally no physical symptoms associated with GAD. However, the patient might be overcome with stress to an extent that he/she might get caught in some accident. Nevertheless, since anxiety and fear normally results in reduced hunger, the patients of GAD may lose weight. “They can't relax, they startle easily- they have difficulty concentrating” (Sherrill, 2010). Diagnosis of GAD Doctors commonly commence the evaluation of this condition by interrogating the patient about his/her medical history. A preliminary physical examination is also performed. Although GAD cannot be assessed by any laboratory test, yet doctors often recommend the patient certain tests in order to find out if there is a physical illness that is causing distress in the patient. Two factors that particularly are of interest to the doctor are the intensity of symptoms and the duration for which they stay with the patient. The doctor tends to find out the dysfunction caused by the symptoms. This is done in an attempt to identify a specific anxiety disorder considering the symptoms and the level of dysfunction caused by them. The anxiety disorder is recognized as GAD if the symptoms are experienced by the patient for more days than not in the duration of at least six months. There has been effort to identify a genetic basis for GAD, but there are certain restrictions to it. “Over the past two decades, molecular genetic approaches, including linkage and association analyses, have been applied to search for the relevant genes, but the genetic and phenotypic complexity of anxiety phenotypes has made progress difficult” (Smoller, Block and Young, 2009, p. 965). Treatment of GAD It is recommendable for the patient to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist if he/she has no physical illness accompanied with the depression. Psychologists are particularly trained for the diagnosis and treatment of different kinds of mental illness including GAD. GAD is usually treated with stress-relieving medicines together with cognitive behavioral therapy. There is a range of medicines that reduce the level of anxiety experienced by an individual. These medicines work for people whose depression declines their performance and efficiency in the routinely activities. Medicines that are mostly prescribed to give the patient a short-term relief from depression belong to benzodiazepines which is a class of drugs. Owing to their tendency to make an individual feel relaxed and calm, these medicines are also known as tranquilizers. These medicines reduce such physical symptoms associated with GAD as discomfort, lack of sleep and muscular tension. Benzodiazepines commonly prescribed by doctors to the patients of GAD include but are not limited to Valium, Xanax, Effexor, Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro. These antidepressants often start showing their results in a few weeks and are also useful for the long-term treatment of GAD. The medications are followed by a cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapies are directed at recognition of thoughts and attitudes that arouse anxious feelings in the patient and their eradication. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective solution for distorted thinking as it allows a more realistic insight into the cause of worries. In addition to the medication and treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy, the patient is also recommended to undertake such relaxation exercises as deep breathing and visualization. When a person is suspected to have acquired the GAD, psychologist’s consultation must be seeked without any wait. The sooner an individual with GAD undergoes the treatment, the more are the chances of recovery. The longer the wait till treatment, the harder it gets to successfully treat the patient. References: Harvard Health Letter. (2007, Jan.). Do you worry too much? pp. 6-7. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/. Heiden, C., Methorst, G., Muris, P. and Molen, H. T. (2010). Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Clinical Presentation, Diagnostic Features, and Guidelines for Clinical Practice. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 67(1): 58-73. Sherrill, J. (2010, Apr. 27). Joel Sherill on Anxiety Disorders in Children. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/media/audio/joel-sherill-on-anxiety-disorders-in-children.shtml. Smoller, J. W., Block, S. R. and Young, M. M. (2009). Genetics of anxiety disorders: the complex road from DSM to DNA. Depression and Anxiety. 26: 965-975. Read More