Generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder

It is normal for people to be worried from time to time. 

For example, a person may be worried or worried about a specific test, a medical examination, or a job interview. 

It is very normal to be worried about these things. 

But some people may find it difficult to control their feelings and fears, making the problem conflict with daily activities and hinder normal life, which may indicate a generalized anxiety disorder. 

It can affect people of all ages, whether children, adults, or the elderly. 

Going to a psychiatrist, following psychotherapy and medication with lifestyle changes, and coping with the disease can improve symptoms and help speed recovery. 

What is generalized anxiety disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder is excessive anxiety about things that happen daily with the person for no reason whatsoever.  A person with this disorder always expects the worst thing and cannot stop thinking about his or her work, health, study, money, or family.  This makes them unable to control anxiety or fear that affects a person’s relationships, confidence, and performance at work.  However, with rapid diagnosis and treatment, the patient may improve Hurry up significantly. 

Causes of generalized anxiety disorder. 

The main cause of generalized anxiety disorder is still unknown and may arise from a complex interaction of environmental and biological factors, which includes: 

• Genetic factors 
• Personality: Persons with a shy or sensitive personality are more likely to be affected by this disorder. 
• A medical history of alcohol or drug use. 
• It may be associated with medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism which increases hormones, which in turn makes the body more stimulated and more likely to stress, anxiety, and fear. 
• Individual life changes, negative experiences, family pressures, or painful experiences during childhood may increase mental disorders. 
• Women are more likely to than men and the age of people with this disorder is between 35 and 55 years. 

Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.

 The main symptom is continuous and excessive anxiety about everyday matters. 

This feeling and anxiety are contrary to the way you live. 

People with this disorder also have difficulty managing their concerns. 

 In addition, they often know they are too worried. 

Anxiety may be accompanied by psychological and physical symptoms: 

Psychological symptoms: 

• The constant worry and existence of obsession about specific subjects. 
• Inability to dismiss concerns or control anxiety. 
• Feeling stressed, nervous, and unable to relax. 
• difficult to focus. 
• Dealing with any option as having a negative outcome in the end. 

Physical symptoms: 

• Fatigue. 
• difficult to sleep. 
• Sweating. 
• Headache. 
• Nausea. 
• Diarrhea. 
• Discomfort. 

Symptoms of general anxiety disorder in children and adolescents. 

The degree of fear and anxiety in children and adolescents may be like and maybe excessive to adults. 

Where they are concerned about: 

• Excessive punctuality. 
• Safety of family members. 
• Earthquakes, wars, or catastrophic events. 
• Performance in school activities and sports. 

The symptoms are: 

• The obsession with idealism. 
• Lack of confidence. 
• Too much concern about convenience. 
• Seek the satisfaction of other people. 
• Spend a lot of time doing homework. 
• Redo tasks or homework 
• A child demands a lot of construction for his or her performance. 
• Avoid social situations or going to school. 

Diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.

The distinction between generalized anxiety disorder and depression can be difficult so diagnosis is somewhat difficult. 

Therefore, psychiatrists use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to diagnose a generalized anxiety disorder.

Standards include: 

Excessive anxiety for at least six months. 

Difficult to control or control anxiety. 

Anxiety is associated with three or more of the following symptoms for at least six months: 

• Insomnia and extreme fatigue. 
• Get tired easily. 
• Sleep disorders. 
• Muscle tension 
• Difficulty in focusing and performing life functions. 
• The absence of any physical cause can cause anxiety. 

There are some tests that a doctor may require such as:

• Blood test to make sure there are problems such as iron deficiency, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
• Thyroid examination in case the patient has hyperthyroidism.

Treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

If a person is diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, the doctor will usually advise her to try psychotherapy before taking medication.

A person may benefit more through the combination of medication and psychotherapy.

Treatment is:

Psychotherapy:

Psychotherapy involves psychological counseling or speaking therapy to reduce general anxiety symptoms.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is also one of the most effective psychological treatments for generalized anxiety disorders.

It focuses on teaching a person some specific skills to directly control a person’s concerns and gradually revert to activities that a person avoids due to excessive anxiety towards them.

Drugs:

If the above psychiatric treatments do not help you or do not want to try them, the doctor usually offers you medication treatment.

A doctor may prescribe a variety of drugs to treat general anxiety disorder.

The number of medications you will take will vary depending on your psychological and physical symptoms.

There are many types of medications that a doctor may use in generalized anxiety disorder treatment:

Antidepressants:

In most cases the first drug a doctor may prescribe to you will be selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).

Which increases the chemical serotonin in your brain like Paroxetine, Sertraline.

You can take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the long term, but the effect of these drugs can take as many weeks as with all antidepressants.

You may notice some side effects of this type of drug such as:

• • Feeling indigestion.

• Diarrhea or constipation.
• dizziness.
• headache.
• excessive sweating.
• Blurred vision.
• Sleep problems such as insomnia or sleepiness.
• Low sexual desire.
• Difficulty in achieving orgasm during sex.
• Erectile dysfunction.

It is possible to experience symptoms of high blood pressure due to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; It is therefore best to monitor blood pressure regularly during the treatment period.

But over time the side effects improve even though some of them may be related to your underlying condition.

The doctor may prescribe you selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor drugs:

In case taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors does not help you relieve anxiety or fear.

This type of drug increases the amount of serotonin and noradrenaline in your brain such as duloxetine.

pregabalin:

If previous medications are not effective in reducing both anxiety and fear symptoms, the doctor may offer you to take pregabalin.

This drug is more used in epilepsy cases, but studies have found that it has an effective effect in treating anxiety.

Benzodiazepines: 

This class of medication is one of the types of sedatives that can sometimes be used as a short-term treatment, especially if a person suffers from severe anxiety or fear.

It helps relieve symptoms within 30 to 90 minutes of the beginning of your medication.

Although benzodiazepines are effective in treating anxiety, they cannot be taken for a long time, as they may become a cause of addiction if taken for more than four weeks.

Complications of generalized anxiety disorder.

generalized anxiety disorder If it is not taken care of by the patient it may develop into some complications which may include:

• Drug or alcohol addiction.
• Depression, which often occurs with excessive anxiety.
•  Sleeping problems.
• Social isolation.
• Challenges with work or study.
• Continued reflection on suicide attempts.
• Low quality of life.
• Disorders and problems in the digestive tract.

How to prevent generalized anxiety disorder?

There are some tips you can take to reduce anxiety although it is not a definitive treatment for anxiety disorder.

• Follow the advice of the psychiatrist in treatment, follow-up, etc.
• Stop using caffeine and painkillers.
• Manage anxiety and stress through regular sleep and continuing exercise.
• You can try to get away from any problem that may expose you to anxiety or fear.
• You can follow relaxation systems or do something that makes you happy and reduces your general tension.

How to deal with a generalized anxiety disorder?

Some life changes can be taken to coexist with general anxiety disorder.

These changes include certain behavioral changes or the adoption of a particular lifestyle which include:

• Regular exercise.
• Get enough sleep.
• practice yoga and meditation.
• A healthy diet rich in nutrients.
• Avoid anabolic substances such as coffee and caffeine beans.
• Try to talk to a trusted friend or your wife or find family members about your concerns and anxiety.

The End