Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is much more than simple stress or everyday worry. People suffering from generalized anxiety disorder experience a chronic and persistent sense of irrational fear and unease, often with no apparent cause. This excessive worrying—worries about death, money, anything imaginable—eventually disrupts the ability to function normally on a day-to-day basis, and eventually these irrational fears may lead to total isolation. Individuals coping with generalized anxiety disorder symptoms have a difficult time identifying the source of their distress.
They realize that their fear is disproportionate to the given situation, yet they are unable to shake the uncomfortable feelings. There are usually physical symptoms present as well. Headaches or light-headedness, shortness of breath, sweating and hot flashes are all associated with this type of anxiety, and over time these symptoms can lead to a number of dangerous health conditions, including heart disease and digestive disorders.
The specific cause of generalized anxiety disorder is unknown, but there are some factors which are often precursors to the condition. Stress, major life changes, loss of a loved one and family history all seem to play a role in the onset of anxiety symptoms. Each case, however, is unique, creating a significant challenge in treating the condition.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Generalized anxiety disorder is defined as excessive worry and irrational fear, lasting more than 6 months, which is persistent and not directly tied to any specific cause such as trauma or substance abuse. People suffering from this condition will usually experience at least 4 of the following symptoms:
- Generalized and irrational fear, such as the fear of dying or losing control
- Restlessness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Racing heart or palpitations
- Muscle tension and fatigue
- Numbness or tingling, usually in the extremities
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Frequent urination
- Irritability
The impairment from generalized anxiety disorder can range from mild, where the symptoms seem like a constant annoyance, to severe, causing a major disruption in the ability to live normally and face everyday tasks and responsibilities. Unlike panic disorder, which is characterized by brief and intense bouts of fear, generalized anxiety disorder is constant, usually offering very little peace to those who suffer its effects.
Generalized anxiety disorder comes on gradually, and usually surfaces in early adolescence (a time of great change). Women are twice as likely to suffer from the disorder as men, as are those that have a family history of problem anxiety or depression.
If you suffer from the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, you know how debilitating the effects can be. You probably feel like nobody can possibly understand what you are going through, especially since it’s so difficult to explain the way anxiety makes you feel. But anxiety does not have to ruin your life. There are several treatment strategies which are designed to help you both cope with anxiety symptoms and address the cause of the disorder. Taking the first step can be difficult, even downright frightening, but the sooner you address your fears the better chance you have at eliminating the anxiety altogether. For the follow up article to this article on general anxiety disorder symptoms see generalized anxiety disorder treatment.
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