Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

What Is Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is one of the ‘anxiety disorders’.  A person with GAD is in a state of constant anxiety over many aspects of their life - relationships, work, health, family and/or finances.  Just about anything that a person can think about - they worry about.  The concerns are ongoing, extreme and unrealistic. The person feels worried and anxious most of the time.

What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal response in a scary, dangerous or unknown situation.  Anxiety involves the physical and psychological reaction that is necessary to prepare a body for either running away or fighting if necessary - known as the ‘fight or flight response. This was certainly how we were able to equip ourselves to deal with danger in our distant past. The autonomic nervous system prepares the body to cope with danger by releasing adrenaline which in turn increases blood pressure and puts the body and senses into a state of intense awareness, increased sensitivity and hyper alertness.  When the body triggers off this response the person essentially feels "nervous". You would have felt this when you had an exam coming up or had to give a talk or found yourself having to cross a very busy road.  The nervous system puts your body in an alert state so that you can be at your best to deal with what it interprets as a dangerous or life threatening situation. 

These days, however, events that trigger the flight or fight response are not usually life threatening or dangerous. Our stresses are more likely to involve meeting a deadline at work, being stuck in traffic or finding our bills are piling up. The flight or fight response doesn't help us with these modern day stresses.  Anxiety becomes a problem when it is so constant, so pervasive that it interferes with our lives.  If a person is always feeling nervous, then they are constantly getting the internal message that something is "wrong". They have difficulty relaxing enough to get on with day-to-day responsibilities and commitments. If anxiety is constant it has a detrimental effect on a persons physical health. It is physically stressful for a body to feel anxious all the time.  The flight or fight response decreases the effectiveness of the immune system - thus a person is more vulnerable to becoming sick.

What Are The Symptoms Of GAD?
Symptoms associated with generalised anxiety disorder include:

• mind becomes alert
• heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, sweating increases
• muscles tense
• mouth gets dry, increased thirst
• breathing rate increases
• immune response decreases
• feelings of fear and apprehension, as if you are going ‘crazy’ or about to die
• feeling sick or nauseous
• trembling and shaking, restlessness
• butterflies in the stomach
• startling easily, irritability
• frequent urination
• sleeping difficulties
• feeling out of control

In the long term, if anxiety goes untreated, the following symptoms can become a problem:

• fatigue, depression, insomnia
• jumping at sudden noises
• feeling ‘burnt out’ at work or at home
• muscle aches and pains, such as migraines, from persistent tension
• trouble concentrating
• losing interest in activities usually enjoyed - socialising etc.
• digestion and stomach problems
• feeling overwhelmed
• feeling demoralised
• ongoing difficulties with relationships

If you notice these symptoms or the general symptoms associated with anxiety then it is important to speak to someone about it and to seek help.

What Causes GAD?
An absolute cause for GAD is not known.  Researchers have studies the following possibilities:
a) An imbalance of certain brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) could be at the source of GAD.  Certain chemicals control the fight or fight response in times of a real emergency.  A change in the balance of these chemicals could lead to someone always being in a state of readiness for an emergency even when none exists.  Some researchers think people can inherit a predisposition to chemical imbalances. 
b) Certain personality traits, such as being sensitive and emotional can make people more vulnerable to anxiety. Being a sensitive person often leads the caring, empathic person to over concern and worry about lots of things beyond their control and/or responsibility.
c) Anxiety may onset particularly during periods of high level stress; in some cases the body may not be able to stop the physiological response after the stress has gone.  Having to deal with a lot of stress all at once, or in seemingly endless succession, can stretch the mind and body's ability to cope and make a person vulnerable to developing GAD.

What Treatment Is Available?
Various talking therapies can be helpful in lessening anxiety problems, one example is Cognitive Therapy - this aims to change thinking patterns - negative thought patterns that trigger anxiety are substituted for positive ones.  Psychodynamic Therapy seeks to find the underlying cause of the anxiety so the person can learn to deal with problems more effectively.  Another way to deal with anxiety is to prevent or interrupt the fight or flight response. This can be done by learning body/muscle relaxation techniques and learning to control breathing.  Medication is also available if the anxiety is severe. However therapy is shown to be more effective than medication in the long term.

Therapeutic Axis provides Counselling in Sydney and Psychotherapy in Sydney for the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). 

CONTACT US

How Can I Help Myself?

• avoid stimulants and depressants such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and illicit drugs as these can trigger the fight or flight reaction or make it worse
• try to ‘contain’ worrying by permitting yourself to worry for only a short time each day.  At other times, use distraction or relaxation techniques to reduce worrying
• join a self-help or support group
• schedule regular pleasant outings and events

Family and Friends

• learn about the disorder
• recognise and praise small accomplishments
• modify your expectations of the person during stressful times
• measure progress on the basis of individual improvement, avoid comparing the anxious person to other people
• maintain your own support network of relatives and friends to help you cope with stres

Further Reading
Anxiety Cure: An Eight-Step Program for Getting Well, by Robert L DuPont, Elizabeth DuPont Spencer and Caroline M  DuPont, John Wiley& Sons, 2003
ISBN: 0471464872
Anxiety Cure for Kids: A Guide for Parents, by Robert L DuPont, Elizabeth DuPont Spencer and Caroline M  DuPont, John Wiley& Sons, 2003 , ISBN: 0471263613
Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic: A Step-by-Step Guide for Regaining Control of Your Life, by Reneau Z Peurifoy, Warner Books, 2005, ISBN: 0446692778