How Is Generalized Anxiety a Problem?
How Is Generalized Anxiety a Problem?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is frequently seen in both community and clinical environments. GAD is one of the most common behavioral health problems seen in primary care settings. The problem is associated with increased use of health services. In a study of adult primary care patients in four countries, the rates of GAD were 4.1 to 6.0 percent among men, and 3.7 to 7.1 percent among women.
APPREHENSIVENESS IN A MAJOR SYMTEM OF GAD
Do Other Emotional Problems Co-Occur?
Yes. Major depression or other anxiety disorders frequently occur with GAD. In a nationally representative sample of US adults, 66 percent of people with GAD had at least one cooccurring disorder or emotional problem. Other disorders found to co-occur in people with GAD (over the previous 30 days and lifetime) included:
· Panic disorder – 22.6 and 23.5 percent
· Social phobia – 23.2 and 34.4 percent
· Specific phobia – 24.5 and 35.1 percent
Unfortunately, those with major depression and GAD had greater difficulty with improvement over time. With this population, medication may be a helpful adjunct to Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) noted below.
What Parts of the Brain Are Involved?
Twin studies have been inconsistent in showing genetic factors. In terms of brain involvement positron emission tomography (PET) scans have shown increase activity in the occipital, right temporal, inferior gyrus, cerebellum and right front gyrus. A decrease in glucose metabolism is seen in the basal ganglia. As we might expect, those with GAD have an overall increased anticipatory emotional responsiveness. As might be expected, people with GAD misinterpret ambiguous information as threatening.
What are Common GAD Symptoms?
Excessive worry is a major reason that the disorder originates and persists. People with GAD do the following symptoms. Do any of these seem familiar to you?
· Don’t like uncertainty
· Worry about being able to control things and assume dangerousness
· Engage in worry to solve problems
· Frequently look for danger in their environment
· Worry to avoid increased anxiety
Worrying About Minor Problems?
People with GAD worry about the same kinds of issue most people do. However, worrying about minor problems is a major manifestation of GAD, those with GAD present with the following additional common symptoms:
· Increased muscle tension
· Difficulty relaxing
· Daytime fatigue
· Headaches
· Unexplained pain
Especially without focused treatment, GAD can become a chronic condition often fluctuation in intensity over time. Research has identified the following factors that can result in GAD:
· Economic hardship
· Female gender
· Chronic
Is Anxiety Treatment Helpful?
Treatment of GAD can be very successful. The first line of treatment should not be medication. Rather, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) based on evidence that shows that persons with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) engage in overestimations and catastrophizing of negative events is the first choice for treatment.
Since those with GAD show limited confidence in problem solving; require additional evidence before making decisions and have a low tolerance of uncertainty CBT can be very helpful. People can be taught a iterative problem-solving style and can learn to avoid worry about worry. Numerous behavioral and cognitive strategies may be productive and help overcome the self-perpetuating cycle of worry.
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YOGA CAN HELP CALM GAD
Baumeister H, Harter M. Prevalence of mental disorders based on general population surveys. Social Psychiatry and Epidemiology. 2007;42:537–546.
Berg AL, Sandell R, Sandahl C. Affect-focused body psychotherapy in patients with generalized anxiety disorder: evaluation of an integrative method. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. 2009;19:67–85.
Decker ML, Turk CL, Hess B, et al. Emotion regulation among individuals classified with and without generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2008;22:485–494.
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