Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterised by extreme worry about many things including money, work, family life, social interactions and health concerns.

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Often there is no obvious cause for the anxiety and the individual may be aware that the severity of their worries and thoughts is not in line with their actual external factors.

Many people with GAD experience an escalation in their thought patterns. What starts with a normal worry, for instance that you may not be offered a job interview, can intensify into a pattern of worries that can seem catastrophic. In this example, someone may worry that not being offered an interview would result in not being able to move out of home, becoming a financial burden on your parents which may cause them to sell their home to fund you and eventually thoughts that you may cause them to lose their house.

Whilst from the outside these thought patterns can seem difficult to understand and some may even think they are silly, for those people with generalised anxiety disorders the fears are very real, overwhelming and terrifying.

GAD Symptoms

• Difficulty in relaxing, feeling the need to be constantly on the go
• Difficulty in concentrating, ‘zoning’ out of conversations, unable to attend to one task at a time
• Fatigue
• Headaches, stomach ache, muscle tension
• Breathlessness
• Nausea and sweating
• Disturbances to sleep, too little, too much, not being able to get to sleep or waking in the night

GAD symptoms may come and go; at times things can seem to be getting back on track but suddenly, and often with no discernible reason, bouts of huge worry and anxiety can be triggered.

Diagnosing Generalised Anxiety Disorder

It can be difficult to know whether an individual is suffering with GAD, another type of anxiety disorder or another condition such as depression because the symptoms can be similar. The intensity of worry, the increased frequency of periods of anxiety and the individual’s inability to control their worry are all indicators that they may be suffering with generalised anxiety disorder.

If you suspect you or a loved one might be struggling with generalised anxiety disorder we would always recommend seeking a professional diagnosis. Anxiety disorders are commonly associated with other mental health conditions such as depression or OCD and can sometimes be caused by medical conditions. Obtaining a diagnosis from a qualified clinician with experience of treating anxiety disorders is really important to getting the correct GAD treatment package for you.

You can talk, free of charge, to one of our friendly clinical advisors who will be able to recommend whether an assessment would be suitable for you. We offer appointments with psychiatrists and psychologists at nationwide locations, often within a few days.