Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Helpful Treatments
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by frequent and chronic worry about daily events and activities. People with general anxiety often describe a preoccupation with “what-if” or worst case scenarios. They have difficulty controlling their worry, and may even get anxious about their “worrying“. Physiological symptoms tend to coincide with episodes of worry.
Symptoms include:
- Restlessness
- Feeling on edge
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Physical tension
- Insomnia
- Diminished ability to concentrate
Although everybody worries, individuals with GAD often worry to the extent that it can cause significant distress and interfere with daily life functions.
Effective Therapies
CBT is considered the premier psychological treatment for GAD and can significantly reduce excessive worrying and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, improvements are often maintained well beyond the end of treatment (i.e. at 6 and 12-months follow-ups).
Effective CBT treatments for GAD have a number of different components. Some examples include: psycho-education, symptom monitoring, applied relaxation, exposure, and cognitive restructuring.