General anxiety disorder, also referred to as GAD, is a feeling of constant fear that rests in one's mind. It is an ongoing feeling of worry, of impending doom and upsets the daily life of the victim. People suffering from this disorder worry and fret about most of the things whether social, political, environmental, athletic, academic or artistic.
A free-floating anxiety or apprehension generally characterizes this condition. It need not be associated to a specific cause or situation, but people eventually inculcate the habit of worrying without any reason. People with this disorder live with a constant fear of failure in their minds, even if they have been successful in the past. They don't mind going great lengths to perfect everything they are involved in. Adolescents with this disorder constantly yearn for praise as they are pretty uncertain and insecure about themselves. They develop a very pessimistic outlook towards life. A person suffering from GAD often has chronic, recurrent episodes of anxiety that last for several days, weeks or even months.
This disorder is a little more common amongst females as compared to males, and is found to occur in about 2 to 3 per cent of the general population.
A number of reasons can be listed down for GAD. Some people are genetically prone to developing it. Other factors include traumatic and disturbed childhood, stressful life events like a job change, a move, death of a beloved, marital spat or separations. Heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, nausea, easy fatigue, restlessness or feeling edgy, irritability, erratic sleep patterns and disturbances, muscle tension and difficulty in concentrating are some of its vital symptoms. The best way to deal with GAD is to consult a physician, who will thoroughly diagnose a patient's condition, based on the description of the various symptoms. Certain medical conditions may also trigger off these symptoms, like substance abuse, heart disorders, thyroid disease, hypoglycemia or conditions such as depressive disorders. The patient may be advised tranquilizers, antidepressant drugs along with psychotherapy (both psycho-dynamically oriented as well as cognitive behavioral psychotherapy). A number of techniques such as relaxation exercises, breathing exercises and distraction that is, taking the anxiety out of one's mind by focussing on other things have proved quite effective in getting over GAD.
留言列表
