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Generalized Anxiety Disorder

man and woman laughingGeneralized Anxiety Disorder or GAD may start in childhood or later in life. In many cases, it occurs along with other mood disorders such as depression. In most cases, it improves with medications or talk therapy (psychotherapy). Making lifestyle changes, learning coping skills, and using relaxation techniques also can help.

Symptoms of GAD

Symptoms of GAD can be both mental, emotional, and physical

  • Persistent worrying or obsession with either or both small or large concerns that’s out of proportion to the real impact of the event
  • Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
  • Inability to relax, restlessness, and feeling keyed up or on edge
  • Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind “goes blank”
  • Worrying about excessively worrying
  • Distress about making decisions for fear of making the wrong decision
  • Analyzing every option in a situation all the way out to its possible negative conclusion
  • Difficulty handling uncertainty or indecisiveness

Physical signs and symptoms are:

  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension or muscle aches
  • Trembling, feeling twitchy
  • Being easily startled
  • Trouble sleeping, usually getting to sleep
  • Sweating
  • Nausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome
  • Headaches

Depression

Depression is due to a lack of enough neurotransmitters or ‘happy hormones’ in the brain. Sometimes symptoms that look like depression aren’t really depression. You can have symptoms of depression that go away over time. To be true depression, it must be present for at least 6 months.

Signs & Symptoms

The medical profession recognizes several different types of depressive disorders. The two most common types are major depressive disorder (MDD) or persistent depressive disorder (PDD)

Depression is very treatable with medication, talk therapy, or a combination of the two.

  • Low Mood, sad, feels empty
  • Decreased Interest or Pleasure
  • Changes in Appetite
  • Sleep Disturbances
  • Psychomotor Agitation or restlessness or psychomotor retardation (lethargy or slow moving)
  • Fatigue
  • Feelings of Worthlessness or Guilt
  • Difficulty Concentrating
  • Recurrent Thoughts of Death