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Generalized Anxiety Disorder General Information
Feeling slightly stressed, anxious, or worried every
so often is normal for everyone but when it starts to consume your life, it
becomes a major issue. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a condition where
a person will worry excessively about various aspects of their everyday life
and the worrying is distorted or exaggerated compared to the actual
circumstances.
The clinical diagnosis of GAD requires that worrying and anxiety persists for 6 months or more. The anxiety must stem from at least 2 life circumstances and also must be debilitating to the extent that it affects the everyday life.
It is important to note that people with GAD may worry about the same aspects that others typically worry about. It is the large extent, length of time, and effect on their lives that classifies it as a disability. Simple comments that may seem trivial to others can become a debilitating source of worry for someone with GAD. The source of worrying may shift from one thing to another over time as well. GAD may be hard to identify for both individuals themselves and family members since the onset is gradual.
GAD is the most common anxiety disorder and has a lifetime prevalence of 5% in the Canadian population (as reported by the Statistics Canada, 2012). Women are more likely to have GAD than men and it typically begins during childhood and adolescences. However, late onset is not uncommon.
From
http://www.anxietycanada.ca/english/GAD.php,
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-619-m/2012004/sections/sectionb-eng.htm#a4
and http://www.helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm
Risk
Factors
Though the exact cause of GAD is unknown, there are certain
risk factors that increase the chances of developing it:
Environmental
·
Constant stressful life situations and
serious illness
·
Parental interaction during infancy and
early childhood where parents neglect the child’s desire to establish intimacy
or the parent is inconsistent on showing affection
Behavioural
·
Personality types that are naturally
more insecure or anxious
Genetic
·
Inherited traits that cause the
chemicals in the brain to be disrupted
*It is important to always keep in mind that genetic
predisposition does not always result in developing GAD. There must always be
some interaction with the environment that allows GAD to develop. For example,
if someone is inherently more likely to develop GAD but they live in an
environment where they are exposed to very little stress, they may not develop
GAD.
Warning
signs and symptoms that a child may have Generalized Anxiety Disorder
·
Focusing a lot of time on “what ifs” and
constantly worrying
·
It has been a long time since they can
remember feeling relaxed
·
Feeling controlled by anxiety
·
Difficulty concentrating
·
Feeling overwhelmed
·
Physically feeling tense, fatigued,
sweating, or stomach discomfort
·
Sleeplessness caused by constantly
thinking about one or more life aspects
·
May have fits of anger because they feel
a lack of control
From
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm
and http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-619-m/2012004/sections/sectionb-eng.htm#a4
Distinguishing
normal worries from Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Separating what is normal worrying versus GAD is
sometimes a difficult task. Though the DSM-IV (a manual for diagnosing mental
disorders) does have a specific criteria as stated in the clinical diagnosis
paragraph, it may be hard to identify if you are starting to develop GAD, have
another anxiety disorder, or there is some other temporary cause of worries (this
ambiguity may ironically make you more worried). Here is a simple chart from helpguide.org
that is an excellent resource for early identification:
“Normal”
Worry:
|
Generalized
Anxiety Disorder:
|
Your
worrying doesn’t get in the way of your daily activities and
responsibilities.
|
Your
worrying significantly disrupts your job, activities, or social life.
|
You’re
able to control your worrying.
|
Your
worrying is uncontrollable.
|
Your
worries, while unpleasant, don’t cause significant distress.
|
Your
worries are extremely upsetting and stressful.
|
Your
worries are limited to a specific, small number of realistic concerns.
|
You
worry about all sorts of things, and tend to expect the worst.
|
Your
bouts of worrying last for only a short time period.
|
You’ve
been worrying almost every day for at least six months.
|
From
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm
http://www.anxietycanada.ca/english/GAD.php
and
Generalized
Anxiety Disorder in the Classroom
Experiencing a few stressful periods are common for
children/adolescence such as during finals or balancing schoolwork and a new extracurricular
activity. However, prevalent stress that begins to affect a child’s daily life
is a problem and needs to be addressed. GAD can cause a child to perform poorly
in school because they begin to avoid tasks they perceive as too difficult.
They may not develop good social relationships with peers because they are too
occupied with worrying what others may think about them (and other general worries
as well). This can cause other students to actually perceive them as
disinterested in friendship especially if they seem constantly nervous when
others try to interact with them.
The best way for teachers to help is prevention. For adolescences such as
grade 7 and above, teachers can begin introducing what anxiety is. This
introduction can address the fact that a huge amount of anxiety is not normal
and students should talk to a counsellor, family member, or the teacher if
experiencing excessive anxiety. Having special guests talk about their
experiences in a presentation may also be an alternative. For students of all
ages, it is beneficial to introduce strategies to cope with anxiety and stress.
Keep in mind the age of the children: tips such as using a stress ball may be
useful for middle school students but would not apply to elementary kids. “Take
a deep breath when feeling overwhelmed” would be more appropriate for these
younger children.
Dealing
with GAD
The first step to dealing with GAD is to talk to a family physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist. GAD
is a condition that requires professional help. If someone is unsure if they
have GAD, primary care physicians can help refer them to the appropriate resources.
Students that experience any type of anxiety may visit their
counselor or
university services such as the Peer Support Centre at the
University of Alberta.
The most common treatment for GAD
is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). A therapist using CBT combines methods to
help a person identify and correct distorted thoughts such as excessive
worrying and also focuses on changing the behavior of a patient. Changing how
someone with GAD behaves in certain situations help them learn to cope with
anxiety inducing aspects of their lives.
Medicine may be prescribed to reduce
the symptoms associated with GAD. An antidepressant is one such example. CBT
and medicine are typically not used together but may be combined when a
physician sees it as suitable.
Lastly, there are ways to reduce
anxiety yourself! These methods should not replace the instructions of a physician
or therapist but are helpful whether someone has an anxiety disorder or not:
Muscle relaxation involves intentionally focusing on relaxing the muscles. Most
commonly, the focus starts with relaxing the muscles from the feet all the way
to the head. This relaxation of the body allows the mind to relax with it.
Deep breathing and focusing on the breath helps because when someone is
anxious, they begin to hyperventilate. The short breaths cause the person to
feel uncomfortable
Talking with family
members and friends helps get the worries
out and that is often enough to relieve some stress. Family and friends may
also provide advice and support.
From http://www.anxietycanada.ca/english/treatment.php
and http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_therapy.htm
Resources
Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada
Statistics Canada
Helpguide.org
©Helpguide.org. All rights reserved. Helpguide.org is an ad-free non-profit resource for supporting better mental health and lifestyle choices for adults and children.
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