What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The term 'Anxiety' covers multiple forms of abnormal pathological disorders connected to fear, phobia and nervousness of mind. Anxiety may emerge with sudden manifestation or develop gradually over a period of time that may constitute several years.

The individual suffering from anxiety may fail to fulfill the needs of his/her social life and may falter during normal course of daily routine. Both the fear and anxiety are different phenomenal emotional patterns connected to specific scientific disorders. These two words can hence be used interchangeably. A phobia for instance, which is a state of mental anxiety, stands to be defined as a persistent or irrational fear.

Anxiety is a common occurrence of a body's reaction to a perceived or imagined danger. But when the worry becomes excessive and persistent, it inhibits a person's daily activities. It then leads to a disorder called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It occurs when a normal level of anxiety becomes severe and persists over more than few months.

Symptoms:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms are lined into three categories which include psychological, physical and behavioral aspects.

Psychological aspects.In this aspect of GAD, a person finds it difficult to stop his/her anxious thoughts. They constantly experience the chronic worry about events that are unlikely to occur. Often, they have trouble in sleeping and stay awake for long times. Due to these, they are always restless and finds difficult to relax. Any kind of psychological disturbance or problem can lead to GAD.

Physical aspects- lack of energy, muscular tension, stomach problems and chest pains could be the frequent problems experienced by the patient. Other minor physical problems include twitching or trembling, headaches, grinding of teeth, sweating and dizziness. This makes the patient inactive in their day to day activities.

Behavioral aspects- A patient with GAD finds it troublesome to concentrate on important things. They are incapable and cannot complete their daily tasks. This reflects in the productivity and lead to irritability. The patients are prone to procrastination and easy startle.

Treatments:
Generalized anxiety disorder can be treated by psychotherapy and medication.Psychotherapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the effective method of treating GAD patients. Medication is considered as the temporary measure to relieve symptoms at the beginning of the treatment. If the medication is suggested along with psychotherapy, it becomes a longterm tool for overcoming the disorder. Good care and a happy state of mind can avoid the Generalized Anxiety Disorder.