Está en la página 1de 7

Living with

Sections
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)? 2 Signs and Symptoms 4 Diagnosis 5 Treatments 6 Personal Testimony 8 Getting Help 11 Resources 12

Page 1

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?


Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent, excessive, and unrealistic worry about everyday things. People with the disorder, which is also referred to as GAD, experience exaggerated worry and tension, often expecting the worst, even when there is no apparent reason for concern. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety. They dont know how to stop the worry cycle and feel it is beyond their control, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. GAD affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population, in any given year. Women are twice as likely to be affected.
Page 2

The disorder comes on gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age. Although the exact cause of GAD is unknown, there is evidence that biological factors, family background, and life experiences, particularly stressful ones, play a role. When their anxiety level is mild, people with GAD can function socially and be gainfully employed. Although they may avoid some situations because they have the disorder, some people can have difficulty carrying out the simplest daily activities when their anxiety is severe (Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)).

Page 3

Signs and Symptoms


People with GAD cant seem to get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They cant relax, startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating. Often they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes. GAD develops slowly. It often starts during the teen years or young adulthood. Symptoms may get better or worse at different times, and often are worse during times of stress. When their anxiety level is mild, people with GAD can function socially and hold down a job. Although they dont avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, people with GAD can have difficulty carrying out the simplest daily activities if their anxiety is severe (Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)).

Diagnosis

GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. People with GAD may visit a doctor many times before they find out they have this disorder. They ask their doctors to help them with headaches or trouble falling asleep, which can be symptoms of GAD but they dont always get the help they need right away. It may take doctors some time to be sure that a person has GAD instead of something else. First, talk to your doctor about your symptoms. Your doctor should do an exam to make sure that another physical problem isnt causing the symptoms. The doctor may refer you to a mental health specialist (Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)).

Page 5

Page 4

Treatments

GAD is generally treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both. Psychotherapy. A type of psychotherapy called cognitive behavior therapy is especially useful for treating GAD. It teaches a person different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to situations that help him or her feel less anxious and worried. Medication. Doctors also may prescribe medication to help treat GAD. Two types of medications are commonly used to treat GADanti-anxiety medications and antidepressants. Anti-anxiety medications are powerful and there are different types. Many types begin working right away, but they generally should not be taken for long periods. Antidepressants are used to treat depression, but they also are helpful for GAD. They may take several weeks to start working. These medications may cause side effects such as headache, nausea, or difficulty sleeping. These side effects are usually not a problem for most people, especially if the dose starts off low and is increased slowly over time. Talk to your doctor about any side effects you may have.

Its important to know that although antidepressants can be safe and effective for many people, they may be risky for some, especially children, teens, and young adults. A black boxthe most serious type of warning that a prescription drug can havehas been added to the labels of antidepressant medications. These labels warn people that antidepressants may cause some people to have suicidal thoughts or make suicide attempts. Anyone taking antidepressants should be monitored closely, especially when they first start treatment with medications. Some people do better with cognitive behavior therapy, while others do better with medication. Still others do best with a combination of the two. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment for you (Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)).

Page 7

Page 6

Learn About Antidepressants

Learn About Anti-Anxiety Medications

Personal Testimony
Rachel Brown
One night, Ill never forget. It was near the beginning of the school year, about a week after Halloween. I was a seventh grader. I was laying in my bed trying to go to sleep since I had school the next day. All of a sudden a random thought crossed my mind and I was suddenly thrown into an intense state of panic. I jumped out of bed and went straight to my parents. I was having a hard time breathing, my heart was pounding, and I was scared out of my wits. I felt like I was going to die that night. After a half hour of reassurance and help from my parents I was calm enough to go back to bed and fall asleep. That was my first panic attack, and it was only the beginning. I lived with generalized anxiety disorder for five years before I was truly diagnosed. Before that time we knew I had an anxiety disorder and panic attacks. However, thats all we knew. A few months after my first panic attack I went to a counselor for several months. However, I was young and did not do very well in keeping up with doing the methods my counselor gave me so we decided I should stop going. My anxiety subsided for a little while, but it was not done with me. Not by a long shot.

Over the following years my anxiety took me on an emotional roller coaster. The anxiety would come and plauge me for a few months and then subside for a few months. This cycle would repeat over and over. Also tossed in the mix, at sometimes very inopportune times, were large-scale panic attacks. These kinds of attacks usually left me incapacitated. I remember one was at a youth group event. I was with friends and out of nowhere it sturck. I started panicking and I quickly lost most of my sense of reason. I am pretty sure I attracted a lot of attention. I was very oblivious to mast of what was going on around me beacuse my state of fear was so great. I even asked someone to slap me to see if it would bring me back to reality. It was not until a little while after I was taken home that the attack ended. Smaller attacks would also come up that were debilitating, but not as much as the larger ones. Towards the end of my junior year in high school I started to do much better. I was not as anxious. I began to think that the anxiety might be going away finally. I could not have been more wrong. Towards the end of the summer the anxiety crashed down on me suddenly and heavily. We scheduled a meeting with a new counselor, but the soonest appointment was a month later. As the days passed the anxiety got worse and I began to get depressed. My sprial down into despair was frightenly quick and it led to an event I do not think Ill ever forget. The day before my birthday I was on my way to youth group and as I sat in the car I suddenly had a suicidal thought which sent me into a panic. When I got there I tried to calm down, but the feelings just got worse. I ended up talking to the leaders there over the course of the time I was there.

Page 9

Page 8

I confessed that I had thought about suicide, that I was depressed, and that I felt like things were sprialing out of control. I worried that I would not even last the week that stood between me and my appointment. They encouraged me and told me to call if something happened or if I needed them. The next morning I confessed to my mom as well. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I started going to counseling sessions every week for the next two months. I tried to carry out the methods that my counselor gave me, but I eventually could not continue to do so. Not because I refused to, but because I was losing hope. Over those two months the anxiety snagged me in an iron grip and dragged me down into a pit of utter terror. My life was anxiety 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It debilitated me and interfered with my daily life and how I functioned. I felt like I was going insane and that I was becoming more and more detached from reality. I kept putting off deciding about doing an alternate treament. I always thought that maybe the next week would be better. It never was. Finally in early November my counselor could see that I was getting worse and suggested I try medication. I decided to try it since all my other options were basically exhausted. It worked. Now, two years later, I am living a better life, free from the chains of anixiety that had held me captive. I do still have panic attacks, but they are far and few between. Finally, after five years, the feeling I have longed for is mine at last: normalacy.

Getting Help

If you think you have an anxiety disorder, the first person you should see is your family doctor. A physician can determine whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to an anxiety disorder, another medical condition, or both. If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, the next step is usually seeing a mental health professional. The practitioners who are most helpful with anxiety disorders are those who have training in cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or behavioral therapy, and who are open to using medication if it is needed. You should feel comfortable talking with the mental health professional you choose. If you do not, you should seek help elsewhere. Once you find a mental health professional with whom you are comfortable, the two of you should work as a team and make a plan to treat your anxiety disorder together.

Page 11

Page 10

Remember that once you start on medication, it is important not to stop taking it abruptly. Certain drugs must be tapered off under the supervision of a doctor or bad reactions can occur. Make sure you talk to the doctor who prescribed your medication before you stop taking it. If you are having trouble with side effects, its possible that they can be eliminated by adjusting how much medication you take and when you take it. Most insurance plans, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), will cover treatment for anxiety disorders. Check with your insurance company and find out. If you dont have insurance, the Health and Human Services division of your county government may offer mental health care at a public mental health center that charges people according to how much they are able to pay. If you are on public assistance, you may be able to get care through your state Medicaid plan (Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)).

Resources
Page 12

Information gathered from: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Web. 8 Nov 2013. <http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad>. United States. National Institute of Mental Health. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Web. <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/ generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad/index.shtml>. Special thanks to Rachel Brown for sharing her pesonal testimony.

También podría gustarte