Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Introduction

It is very healthy for one to have a feeling of anxiety from time to depending on the occasion. Besides, also occur whenever one has at some level of stress in life (Grillon et al., 2016). However, in scenarios where one undergoes excessive, ongoing anxiety and worry, which is often tricky to controls and do interfere with the usual activities, such may be a sign of generalized anxiety disorder GAD.GAD is one of the most common for or anxiety which has been established to be affecting more than 3% of the American adult population. With over 7 million cases reported among the American adult’s population, aged 18 years and above, the average age of onset of the disorder is 31 years (Simon et al., 2015). While it can happen at any point of an individual’s life, the most common aspects of the disorder from the various studies conducted do indicates that its onset is between childhood and the middle age for most individuals who suffers this condition. However, women and two times likely to suffer from the disorder than men.  GAD can be developed by one either as a child on in some cases in adulthood. Generalized anxiety disorder ah symptoms that are often confused for panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders and other types of anxieties (Heimberg et al., 2015). However, this is usually very distinguished under a closer diagnosis.  The research is key to the readers and the society at large as it informs on eh best treatment method for the condition helping in reducing the errors associated with the anxiety treatment. A diagnosis does reveal the that different which exist between the disorder and others forms of anxiety disorder is that it is coupled with excess worry for an occurrence which des no warrant that level of anxiety (Simon et al., 2015). The research question is; what are the most effective ways to treat anxiety disorders?  The research will examine some of the effective ways of addressing the GAD.  The road map of the study will deal with an analysis of what the condition is and proceed into the causes, systems, and the primary focus will be on the way of treating the disorder.

Research question

1. What are the most effective ways to treat anxiety disorders?
2. What are some of the major causes of the disorder?

Generalized anxiety Is a Disorder which affects people at every age and stage in life. However, the prevalence rate does vary depending on specific factors. It has been established that the average age for the disorder is 31 years of age. This means that the prevalence of arête is considerably higher in the middles life stage. However, the disease does affect both children and adults at almost the same rate depending on the actual cause. Studies have however indicated that the prevalence rate is considerably higher in women than in men (Heimberg et al., 2015). The likelihood of women suffering the disorder is twice that of men. As such, most individuals with the condition globally are women (Grillon et al., 2016).

The actual cause of the dire has not fully been established. However, it is believed that the condition is caused by an individual experiencing tragic scenarios, which is life-threatening. Other studies have also indicated that addictive substances and alcohol cause the disease. As one continues to use some of the addictive substances such as hard drugs the likelihood of him or her suffering, the GAD is higher. Several studies are still underway to establish this truth (Swendsen et al., 2015).  The treatment of the disorder has been associated with cognitive-behavioural therapies. Such therapies include the use of the individual’s practices based on the actual incidence, which might have resulted in the patient’s condition over time to reverse their disease. Creation of pleasant memories of the life-threatening incident which occurred in the anxiety is the first step of these therapies (Heimberg et al., 2015).

An individual suffering from the GAD worries uncontrollably about common and simple occurrences and situations. The disorder is at the time referred to as the chronic anxiety neurosis CAN. It is different from the typical feeling of anxiousness since it is prolonged and is usually caused or prompted by a situation of occurrence which should not warrant such level of worry on an individual. It is common to feel anxious over life occurrences such as an element of finance, job and family (Heimberg et al., 2015). However, for an individual suffering from this condition, they may worry uncontrollably about their finances serval time in days for months (Simon et al., 2015). This often happens to such individuals when there is no actual cause for alarm or whenever there is no need for such worries. However, such individual in most case are fully answer that they do not have any reason for having such a level of anxiety. Despite this knowledge, their worries persist, and they do continue working over such issues (Antony et al., 2016).  Sometimes patients of GAD just worry without having any reason. Such an individual does worry without knowing what the concern is about. Often they do report that they are having a bad feeling that something unusual is likely to happen. However, in real cases, there is nothing in particular that worries the. A different knowledge of study does indicate that the other common causes of the disorder are a family history of the disorder, long time stress level and use of an excessive substance such caffeine (Swendsen et al., 2015).

Symptoms

An individual suffering from generalized anxiety disorder just cannot shake concern about anything in particular but everything (Heimberg et al., 2015). Server episodes of the condition often come and goes. However, during the mild events of the disease, one is likely to be able to hold down a job and not have the condition interfere with how they undertake their daily activities.  Most of the time individuals suffering from the disease do have social problems, such as they are unable to relate well with people as a result of the worries which interferes with their rational abilities to reason and to keep the proper relationship with others (Dugas et al., 2019).  This excessive, unrealistic kind of worry that they do experience do frighten the others and can interfere with how people relate with terms (Grillon et al., 2016). However, the symptoms of the disorder do vary from an individual to another. This depends on the actual causes, activities of life and the prevailing situation. However, there is a particular symptom of GAD. Some of them include;

• Problem in concentrating
• Difficulty in sleeping or being calm
• Irritability
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Muscle tension
• Repeated stomachs and diarrhoea
• Sweaty palms

• Shaking
• Rapid heartbeats
• Neurological symptoms such as instances of numbness of part of the body from time to time.

Treatment methods

The common and the most reliable treatment of the GAD is cognitive behavioural therapy. This method of treatment often involves meting regular talks and discussion with mental experts (Grillon et al., 2016). The goal of the treatment is it changes how the patent thinks as wells the behaviours. This approach has been used in the past in creating permanent alterations in most patients of GAD. It has, therefore, be termed as the first line of treatment for the condition. Other different studies have also discovered that cognitive behavioural therapy is essential for pregnant women and have provided long terms of anxiety relief among many people (Antony et al., 2016).

Conclusion

Generalized anxiety disorder is often coupled with excessive and persistent worry about a number of the issue which does not warrant any form of fear as expressed by the patient of the condition. People suffering from this condition may, in most cases, anticipate disasters. They may be overly concerned about the issue such as finances, health, work, and other items which they feel affects them. For such individuals in most case, just the worry of getting through a day might cause them a lot of concern which are unnecessary. For people suffering from an anxiety disorder, in some cases, just the mere thought of getting through a day produces anxiety. Such an individual does not know how to stop the circle of worry which they are often involved in. They do feel such an issue that worries them are even beyond their control. Even though they do realize that their level of anxiety is more interest than the actual situation warrants.  However, the cognitive behavioural therapy has been established to be the most reliable treatment for the disorder as it helps in improving an individual patients behaviours concerning a particular event which they feel might be harmful to them or which worries them.

References

Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Goetter, E., Robinaugh, D. J., Ojserkis, R. A., Fresco, D. M., & Simon, N. M. (2015). Change in decentering mediates improvement in anxiety in mindfulness-based stress reduction for generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39(2), 228-235.

Robichaud, M., Koerner, N., & Dugas, M. J. (2019). Cognitive-behavioural treatment for a generalized anxiety disorder: From science to practice. Routledge.

Ruscio, A. M., Gentes, E. L., Jones, J. D., Hallion, L. S., Coleman, E. S., & Swendsen, J. (2015). Rumination predicts heightened responding to stressful life events in major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder — Journal of abnormal psychology, 124(1), 17.

Stein, M. B., & Sareen, J. (2015). Generalized anxiety disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(21), 2059-2068.

Mennin, D. S., Fresco, D. M., Ritter, M., & Heimberg, R. G. (2015). An open trial of emotion regulation therapy for generalized anxiety disorder and co-occurring depression. Depression and anxiety, 32(8), 614-623.

Vytal, K. E., Arkin, N. E., Overstreet, C., Lieberman, L., & Grillon, C. (2016). Induced-anxiety differentially disrupts working memory in generalized anxiety disorder. BMC psychiatry, 16(1), 62.

Westra, H. A., Constantino, M. J., & Antony, M. M. (2016). Integrating motivational interviewing with cognitive-behavioural therapy for a severe generalized anxiety disorder: An allegiance-controlled randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84(9), 768.