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Generalized Anxiety Disorder 101
Generalized
anxiety disorder: An introduction
 Generalized
anxiety disorder is usually manifested with such symptoms as
apprehensive worry and physical symptoms such as restlessness,
fatigue, problems with concentration, insomnia, muscle tension and
irritability. Generalized anxiety disorder may be distinguished from
other anxiety disorders in various ways including its chronicity and
comprehensive quality. Many individuals have had symptoms of
generalized anxiety for a significant period of time, and usually have
worries about a variety of events, rather than worries confined to
specific stimuli or issues like most other anxiety disorders. With
panic disorder for example, the worry is usually focused on concerns
about panic attacks, and with social phobias, the worries usually
relate to concern about being embarrassed publicly. When an individual
has obsessive-compulsive disorder, worries are usually focused on
contamination or the fear of consequences if rituals are not performed
in a certain way. In hypochondriasis, worries are focused on
potential illness rather then having the relatively constant level of
uncomfortable anxiety experienced by individuals with generalized
anxiety disorder.
Generalized
anxiety disorder: Prevalence and life course
Recent studies on
the rates of occurrence of generalized anxiety disorder indicate that
the lifetime prevalence varies between 5.8% and 9%, with a greater
risk to women. The female to male ratio is approximately 2.5:1, with
a somewhat greater rate of occurrence among young adults and blacks.
Many individuals state that generalized anxiety disorder comes on
quite gradually and that they have been anxious since childhood. Some
studies have found that the average duration of this problem prior to
receiving treatment is approximately 25 years. Because of its
high-level of chronicity and tendency to be self-reinforcing, along
with not being as responsive as some other anxiety disorders to
treatment, some
clinicians and researchers believe that generalized anxiety disorder may be
a lifelong illness similar to hypertension and diabetes.
Genetic and biological factors:
While some studies
have found that generalized anxiety disorder may have a moderate level
of heritability (about 30%), other studies have suggested that the
genetic transmission is probably not quite that high. Some clinicians
and researchers have found that generalized anxiety disorder is
associated with other traits such as nervousness, depression, low
frustration tolerance and inhibition.
Generalized anxiety disorder: Coexisting conditions and diagnosis
Most individuals
with generalized anxiety disorder present with a variety of other
diagnosis, including social and specific phobia, major depression,
irritable bowel syndrome, and personality disorders. Ninety percent
of individuals who develop generalized anxiety disorder in their
lifetimes also have another psychiatric condition, with 42% qualifying
for diagnosis of major depression or dysthymia.
In summary, the
nature of generalized anxiety disorder is that individuals worry about
a number of things rather than in very specific circumstances. They
seem to have a relatively constant high level of anxiety at almost any
given time. Generalized anxiety disorder can be well differentiated
from phobias in which patients fear specific, well-defined stimulus
circumstances.
Some information
from Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety
Disorders by Robert L. Leahy and Stephen J. Holland
Web page and
additional information by Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist Ph.D.
Candidate
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