Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Cognitive behaviour therapy for GAD may integrate a range of different interventions aimed at teaching the individual more adaptive strategies for coping with anxiety.
Therapy may include relaxation skills training (such as diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation) to teach people how to manage their anxiety, thought challenging techniques to teach people to identify and challenge their anxiety provoking thoughts, identifying and modifying the positive and negative beliefs that maintain worry, teaching clients to tolerate uncertainty and behavioural interventions aimed at teaching people to change the behaviours that maintain the anxiety cycle (such as avoidance, checking and reassurance seeking behaviours).
Anti-depressant medications (such as Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro etc) and Benzodiazepine medications (such as Valium and Xanax) have also been shown to be effective in the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
If you have experienced the following you may be suffering from Generalised Anxiety Disorder:
- You have experienced excessive anxiety and worry for most days, for at least 6 months
- You worry about a variety of events and situations (such as work, school performance, health, finances, relationships etc)
- You find it difficult to control your worry
- Your worry is associated with at least three of the following; feeling restless/keyed up/on edge, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating/mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension or difficulty sleeping.
It is normal to feel anxious from time to time. Many people feel anxious in situations where there is high stress or in situations where their performance is being evaluated (i.e. speaking in public, sitting an exam or interviewing for a new job). However, for some people the anxiety they experience is excessive, uncontrollable and often out of proportion to the actual worry.
This is the case for people with Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Generalised Anxiety Disorder or GAD is an anxiety disorder which is characterised by excessive worry and anxiety (apprehensive expectation), lasting most days for a period of at least six months. People with GAD usually report worrying about a number of different events, (such as routine life responsibilities, job performance, finances, health of family members, or day to day matters, for example chores, car repairs or being late for appointments) and find it difficult to control the worry to such an extent that it may impact on their ability to function in certain situations, (i.e. in social situations, at work or in their personal relationships).
A wide range of physical symptoms is often associated with this type of anxiety including, muscle tension, shaking, restlessness, being easily fatigued, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea, hot flushes or chills, frequent urination, difficulty swallowing, feeling on edge, difficulty concentrating, insomnia and irritability.