Counseling Services of Barbara Reade, L.C.P.C.
Bel Air, Maryland 21014

Phone: 410-803-1510

Email: reade.lcpc@yahoo.com  

GENERALIZED Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is an emotion that can signal just the right response to a situation. It can spur you on, for example, to add the finishing touches that elevate an essay, painting, or important work document from good to excellent. But if you have an anxiety disorder, exaggerated anxiety can stop you from functioning, and disrupt your life. Like many other illnesses, anxiety disorders often have an underlying biological cause and frequently run in families.

Anxiety disorders range from feelings of uneasiness, most of the time, to immobilizing bouts of  fear or terror.This fact sheet is intended only as a starting point for gaining an understanding of anxiety disorders.

If you believe you or a loved one has an anxiety disorder, seek competent professional advice or other forms of support.

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

Most people experience anxiety—that knot in the stomach over a backlog of bills or just before a job interview—at some point in their lives. Such nervousness in anticipation of a real situation is normal. But if a person cannot shake unwarranted worries, fears, or the feelings are jarring to the point of avoiding everyday activities, he or she most likely has an anxiety disorder.

Symptoms: Extreme nervousness, chronic, exaggerated worry, tension, fear, and irritability that appear to have no cause or are more intense than the situation warrants. These psychological symptoms often are accompanied by physical signs such as restlessness, trouble falling or staying asleep, headaches, trembling, twitching, muscle tension, or sweating.

Diagnosis: When someone spends at least 6 months worried excessively about everyday problems. However, incapacitating or troublesome symptoms warranting treatment may exist for shorter periods of time.

Treatment: Anxiety is among the most common, most treatable mental disorders. Effective treatments include EMDR therapy, relaxation techniques, and biofeedback to control muscle tension. Medication, most commonly anti-anxiety drugs,  also may be required in some cases.