General Anxiety Disorder
Andrea Murphy
HCA 240
May 6, 2012
Fozia Ferozali

General Anxiety Disorder
I have decided to write my paper on General Anxiety Disorder because I myself have it, so I am more familiar with it. GAD (general anxiety disorder) is when an individual suffers from a psychological state where they have persisting thoughts of anticipation and fears that are overwhelming their mind and intern it affects the body as well. It is a disorder that is characterized by excessive, exaggerated worry about everyday life with really no reason to worry. There are many types of anxiety disorders which are panic, general anxiety disorder, phobias, and obsessive compulsive (OCD). Every one experiences anxiety at certain times in their lives, it is a normal part of the human emotion. Even though everyone experiences anxiety at one point or another in their lives, the individuals who suffer with an anxiety disorder suffer because the disorder interferes with their daily life. In this paper I will be discussing the history of the illness, the signs and symptoms, how it is diagnosed, the treatments, and how the diagnosis and treatments compare to the diagnosis and treatments of the past.
Anxiety disorders is a term that was developed approximately around the end of the 19th century since that was when the psychiatric practice began to become more popular and increased. Even though there is no one cause to GAD, researches in the psychiatric field tend to believe genetics, brain chemistry, and environmental stresses can all contribute to it. Research has also shown that it can also be associated with abnormal levels of the brains neurotransmitters. Any trauma like abuse, death, divorce and changes in a person’s job can start GAD. To this day anxiety is a disorder that is misunderstood by the general public, even with all the advancements in the psychological field. This misunderstanding has led to many myths about it. Some myths are, anxiety disorders are not so common. The truth is that nearly 19 million Americans have anxiety disorders. Another myth is, in a real sense, anxiety disorders are not a true illness of disease. The truth is that like diabetes, anxiety is real. Anxiety is considered a severe medical condition that could have emerged from various reasons and factors, like upsetting events, and or genes. Another myth, anxiety disorders are already innate in your character. The truth is that studies show that anxiety disorders can’t really be changed but can be treated with therapy, medication or the combination of both. There are many more, these are just a few myths what I have written. There are many who think they are all alone with their overwhelming feelings, but this is not true. There are millions of people who suffer on a daily basis with anxiety, and I am one of them. These anxiety disorders range from panic disorders, OCD, post traumatic and social anxiety. It was believed in the past that there was nothing that could be done, no treatment for it, but now in today’s society there are quite a few treatments for the disorder. There are many different medications now that people can take to help them with symptoms and there is also psychological therapy as well that can help people lead normal lives.
The people who suffer from GAD will show symptoms of always expecting disaster and can’t stop worrying about it, or their health, money, family, work, and or school. In my case it is family, money and school, by my schooling and my daughters. Individuals with GAD their worries are usually unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Their daily lives are in a constant state of worry, dread and fear. After a while, anxiety dominates the persons thinking and interferes with their daily lives. Symptoms of GAD are, excessive, ongoing worry and tension, an unrealistic view of problems, restlessness, edgy, irritability, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, difficulty concentrating, nausea, the need to the restroom a lot, tiredness, trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, trembling, and being easily startled. Not everyone has all the symptoms, but have at least a few of them. GAD can be diagnosed if symptoms are present. The doctor will then evaluate the patient by asking questions about their medical history and also a physical exam. The doctor will base his diagnosis on the intensity and duration of the symptoms. He will then determine if the symptoms are that of GAD. GAD was distinguished from the other anxiety disorders since 1980. More and more people in the last 30 years have been diagnosed with GAD. There is still more research needed before its real causes are to be determined and then treatment can be finer tuned. The history of GAD is difficult to follow because the symptoms can tend to be mild. Most of society can have the symptoms and not have GAD, it just really depends on the frequency of the symptoms and how long they last, which can also be hard to follow because most people don’t keep track of them.
The neurotransmitters associated with GAD are serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine, and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Serotonin works to inhibit the stress response. GABA is like serotonin, it inhibits the stress response, in patients with anxiety disorders GABA tends to be deficient. When norepinephrine is abnormal, it may play a role in anxiety. It is an excitatory neurotransmitter and a stress hormone. This hormone helps to keep us alert and prepare ourselves for threats. This neurotransmitters can he helped with medications that are prescribed by the doctors treating the patient. The doctor will prescribe the tight medication for whichever neurotransmitter needs it; sometimes it takes a few different medications to get it right.
GAD is a disorder that can’t be prevented, but there are things that people can do to help control and reduce the symptoms. It can help of they stop or at least reduce caffeine, always ask the doctor or pharmacist before taking an over the counter drug because some over the counter drugs including herbal remedies may have chemicals the can cause anxiety. Exercise and eating healthy can help as well. It can also be good to see a counselor for support if needed especially after a traumatic or disturbing experience, and of course people should practice stress management, for example meditation and yoga to name a couple. Studies have also shown that twice as many women than men are diagnosed with GAD. Data that was collected in 1994 from the National Comorbidity Survey determined that women that are homemakers and unemployed had a high chance of being diagnosed with GAD than others. There is still a lot that needs to be learned about GAD.
When it comes to medication whether it be for anxiety or not there are usually side effects. When a medication is prescribed it is important for the patient to work closely with their doctor, to see if the treatment with the medication is doing well, so that the doctor and adjust the medication or change it if needed. When it comes to side effects they all have them, the doctor just need to see which ones are not so sever, different people are affected by different medications, what works for one may not work for another. That is why the patients’ needs to be closely monitored, so they can get their medication just right. Some side effects are ecpected and usually will disappear after a while, but some medications have side effects that can be life threatening and that is what they need to watch for.
This concludes my paper on GAD. I know personally how it can affect a persons life, I manage with medication, but sometimes that doesn’t work so well, I just take it one day at a time. It definitely affects my schooling, but so far I am doing okay. It is a struggle for everyone who has it, every day. I am glad to have been able to write this paper because it has helped me better understand GAD, as of before I just thought it was just anxiety and that it was not a disease, I thought it was just me not being able to handle life.

References: www.mayoclinic.com/health/generalized-anxiety-disorder www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/generalized-anxiety-disorder www.myanxietyattacks.com www.mayoclinic.com/.../generalized-anxiety-disorder www.livestrong.com/article/94954-neurotransmitters-involved-anxiety-disorder/ www.medicinenet.com Human Diseases: A Systemic Approach, Seventh Edition, by Mark Zelman, Ph.D., Elaine Tompary, PharmD, Jill Raymond, Ph.D., Paul Holdaway, MA, and Mary Lou Mulvihill, Ph.D. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc.