A.What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
B.Living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
II. Symptoms of GAD
III. Who gets GAD?
B.U.S. Statistics on GAD
C.When does GAD start?
IV. Treatments for GAD
A.The future of GAD
B.Living life with less anxiety
Anxiety happens to everyone, at some point in time. In fact, a little anxiety can actually be good for you. It can help you respond appropriately to danger, and it can motivate you to excel at work and home. (www.mayoclinic.com) However, when anxiety becomes so strong that it affects your daily life, it is no longer beneficial. It suddenly becomes a huge burden to you; it is all consuming, overbearing and sometimes very frightening. This is more than likely a case of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). People with GAD usually do not need a "trigger" or cause for their anxiety. It seems that it is almost always present, sometimes lying just underneath the surface; at other times, it dominates your every thought, action, and reaction. The sad truth of GAD is that most people diagnosed with it know that their anxiety, usually over non-existent or trivial problems, is unwarranted. However, they cannot control their thoughts or reactions to them.
GAD is defined as an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable, and often irrational worry about everyday things, which is disproportionate to the actual source of worry. This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals suffering GAD typically catastrophize, anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, family problems, or work difficulties. They often exhibit a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. These symptoms must be consistent and on-going, persisting at least 6...