What is GAD?
If you are prone to worry about every day events, you could be suffering from a condition called Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD as it is more commonly known. Those suffering from this type of disorder find they cannot stop themselves worrying about a range of things from health and money to friends or work. The worrying becomes almost compulsive and it begins to take over the life of the sufferer affecting their relationships and social activities. It comes to dominate their ability to function by causing fear and dread. Click here for more information on What is Anxiety?.
Symptoms of GAD
Anxiety can affect the logical thought process of a person leading to a variety of symptoms which can manifest themselves physically from any or all of the following: irritability, nausea, headaches, sweating, restlessness, tiredness, frequent urination, insominia and being easily alarmed.
Causes of anxiety are not known fully, but there are various factors that contribute to its development, and these factors are brain chemistry, genetics and environmental stress. If you have a family history of anxiety or depression you may be more likely to suffer from it and GAD has been linked to abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. These are the chemical messengers passing the information between nerve cells, and when they get out of balance, the brain does not receive messages properly. This will change the brains reaction to different situations ans thus cause anxiety.
If there has been a traumatic event such as a death of a loved one, divorce, trauma or if there is a high level of stress from a job, it may cause the onset of anxiety. Click here for more information on Anxiety Treatments.
Treatment of Anxiety
Anxiety is normally treated by psychiatrists or other mental health professionals like psychologists. These professional are trained to diagnose and treat any kind of mental illnesses. The treatments for anxiety may include cognitive-behavioral therapy and the use of drugs. If GAD has started to interfere with everyday functioning, medications can be very useful. These may include tranquillizers to relax and calm the patient.
A natural method of relaxing which can benefit anxiety disorders is laughter therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people by recognizing the factors that cause the troubled feelings, and then change the thought and behavior patterns to deal with them. The therapy helps by having a realistic approach towards worries, and limiting the distorted thinking.
GAD cannot be prevented, but there are some things that can be done to lessen or control the symptoms. This would include cutting back on the consumption of coffee, tea, cocoa and cola. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking any over the counter herbal remedies or medicines, as they may contain the chemicals that increase the anxiety symptoms. Eat a well-balanced diet, and exercise regularly. If you have suffered a traumatic experience you may need to seek the support of a counelor.
For more information visit our Anxiety and Depression Homepage.
