It is natural to worry about things, particularly when the events are important, such as passing an exam, undergoing a diagnostic test for a serious illness, making sure that a family member is safe, being prepared for a job interview or arrival of a new baby. Worrying about important events, both good and bad, is a natural adaptive response, and can help motivate us to perform better and prepare for disaster situations.
Excessive worrying becomes a problem when it leads to severe anxiety symptoms or interferes with daily activities, work productivity or relationships.
People with GAD experience more than the normal range of worries about many real life situations.
They worry about day-to-day tasks, their health, their family's safety, work, finance, and relationships.
They worry more than they want to and cannot control these recurrent thoughts.
At times of stress. the worries may be accompanied by panic-like attacks.
People with GAD typically report feeling restless, jittery, and on edge. They feel like they are on high alert all the time.
They have problems with sleeping at night and feel tired during the day.
They often feel burnt-out or emotionally drained, and have difficulty focusing on work.
They may getting irritable with friends, family or co-workers.
There are very effective treatments for GAD, including cognitive behavioral therapy and medication.
GAD can be a very distressing and disabling disorder. It is a chronic psychiatric condition that affects about 5.7% of the U.S. population.
GAD interferes with the ability to handle stress and solve problems. For example, small chores that used to be easy can become overwhelming at times of stress.
There are very effective treatments for GAD, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication. CBT is a well-studied, empirically supported, and a validated form of psychotherapy for GAD. You should discuss with your doctor which type of treatment is appropriate for you.
Kessler RC, P Berglund, O Demler, R Jin, KR Merikangas, EE Walters. (2005) Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions for DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 62: 593-602.
Stein DJ and E Hollander, editors. 2002. Textbook of Anxiety Disorders. Washington, D.C.: The American Psychiatric Publishing.