Learning About General Anxiety Disorder
Of all the known anxiety disorders, general anxiety disorder (GAD) is one that affects a lot of people. People with GAD feel like they are always worrying and fearful about all the little issues we all face every day. It may sound silly but if you suffer from GAD, it is very real and the fear and worry can take over your life. In order to understand general anxiety disorder, you need to know what symptoms people experience and what treatments are successful at treating GAD.
Common symptoms of a general anxiety disorder include feeling weak and faint, dizziness, feeling tired, and an increase in your heart rate. Other symptoms can be sweating more than usual, developing a twitch and trouble sleeping. Everyone experiences GAD differently and has different symptoms so there is no one symptom that you can say is always experienced.
Just because you have some of the symptoms described above every now and then does not mean you have a general anxiety disorder. Doctors will monitor your symptoms for a period of at least six months before giving you the diagnosis of GAD. After you have been diagnosed with GAD, you should talk to your doctor about treatment options.
Most people with this anxiety disorder take some sort of prescription drug like a sedative. Other treatments can include therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy. Things you can do at home to treat your anxiety include relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation.
General anxiety disorder is a big problem in the United States. Some experts believe that over five million people have mild to severe GAD but the actual number of people with this disorder is not known and may be a lot higher. Some people with GAD do not get the correct diagnosis from their doctors so there are probably millions and millions of people suffering with general anxiety disorder who don’t know it so they can’t get the generalized anxiety disorder treatment they need. People of all ages can have general anxiety disorder.
No one really knows why some people get GAD and others don’t but it probably has to do with family history and genetics, as well as lifestyle. General anxiety disorder is treatable and you have many different methods of treatment to choose from.
People with general anxiety disorder have to deal with physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms and problems. Without treatment, their entire life and their relationships with others are severely affected.
No Comments