Symptoms And Causes Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Posted by Admin | Posted in Anxiety Panic | Posted on 04-01-2010
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General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is distinguished by heightened worry and anxiousness about day-today life. People with GAD have chunks of worries in their life which has no logical explanation. They keep thinking and worrying about money, family, work, health and so on. As stated earlier there is no rational reason behind worrying and this blows the situation out of proportion many a times. Anxiety makes life dreadful. Worry and fear dominate the personality of people suffering from GAD and it tremendously hampers the daily routine and functioning of a person. It has a detrimental effect on relationships as well.
Basic Symptoms of GAD are as follows
- Unnecessary, continuing worry and tension
- An impractical vision of problems
- Impatience
- Irksome behavior
- Nasty Headaches
- Increased Sweating
- Short attention span
- Nausea
- Visiting the bathroom frequently
- A sense of fatigue
- Lack of sleep
- Shivering and shuddering
- Easily astounded
People suffering from GAD also suffer from various phobias, bouts of depression and drug/alcohol abuse.
Causes of GAD
The precise and the actual cause of GAD is not yet known or discovered. There are number of reasons like heredity, brain chemistry and ecological stress stimulates the development of GAD in people.
Heredity : Some studies conclude that family record plays a great role in magnifying the chances of people developing GAD. Heredity plays a large role in the development of GAD.
Brain chemistry : The development and enlargement of the disease has been directly linked to the neurotransmitters that are present in the brain. An anomalous level of neurotransmitters and the neurotransmitters are found to be out of alignment causes high levels of anxiety.
Ecological factors : Environment plays a dominating role in the development of GAD as well. Shock and stress hamper the health of people. Death, divorce and job hops may lead to the development of GAD in people. Regular intake of alcohol or any form of caffeine or nicotine adds on as it enlarges the causes of worry and anxiety.
Popularity of GAD
You may be shocked to learn that approximately 4 million Adult Americans go through GAD every year. The disease may start shaping during the teenage years and it is more common in women.
Diagnosis of GAD
If you are suffering from any of the major symptoms that cause GAD the doctor will examine and assess you further and try to know your family history details. A physical examination and the individual’s medical track record will be scrutinized. None of the tests done in the laboratory depict this disease the doctor may try and search for any kinds of physical illness as symptoms.
The disease is diagnosed on the severity of the symptoms. The duration and the intensity will gauge the diagnosis as well. The doctor would examine and find out if the symptom disrupts day-to-day functioning and the degree of the symptom that results in anxiety. The symptoms should be experience for over six months that obstruct the functioning of daily life.