General Anxiety disorder (or GAD) is an unrealistic or irrational worry about everything and anything to do with daily life. As you can imagine, if this disorder gets out of control it can make a persons life pretty much impossible. So a person that suffers from GAD will worry about everyday things like whether they have shut the fridge door or more profound issues like the state of their health or the chances of getting the sack at work. When these thoughts begin to pray on a persons’ mind to an unhealthy degree then they struggle to get everyday things done and this can lead to more problems.
Although the full details of why people suffer from GAD are not completely known, it is thought that 3 factors may contribute to the condition.
Extreme environmental conditions can cause GAD. So chronic stress can bring on a general feeling of depression that can dominate a persons thoughts. Chronic stress may be caused by a combination of factors. Common stressors are extreme working environments. Other factors may involve problems with relationships such as experiencing a divorce or the lose of a relative. Traumatic events can also lead to generalized anxiety.
Someone may be genetically pre-disposed to GAD too. If your blood relatives have had the problem there is an increased chance that you wil be pre-disposed to the condition.
Altered brain chemistry is another factor that may cause GAD. Too many or too few brain neurotransmitters can lead to depression or joy. In effect they influence the way a person feels regardless of the rational or real reasons for such emotions. Knowing why this imbalance occurs is still an area of research.
Treating generalized anxiety disorder is a two pronged affair. Drugs will deal with the immediate symptoms and therapy will try to address the deeper reasons for why a person feels GAD.
Drugs mask or tranquilize the negative emotions of depression or anxiety, whic is why they are commonly known as a tranquilizer or anti-depressant. It works on dulling the senses or rather affecting the neurotransmitters so that they do not transmit depression or anxiety. Common brand names for these types of drugs are prozac and zoloft.
The obvious advantage of taking drugs is that they can produce instance relief from the symptoms. The bad part is that they only provide temporary relief and do not get to the root of the problem. For some people, taking pills becomes a way of life if they do not utilize other more lasting treatment options. In the end, it can lead to a complete reliance on a drug such as zoloft, which is not desirable and can lead to other problems.
The other treatment option is through therapy. Cognitve behavior therapy is a way to talk the patient through their anxiety problems, trying to help them rationalize the negative emotions and understand their problems more profoundly. The main point is to help them recognize possible reasons that will trigger generalized anxiety and then understand why it is unwarranted to feel this anxiety. With this method of treatment a patient can develop to the extent that they can rationalize anxiety away.
Therapy is obviously far more esoteric than taking a drug. To put it another way, you have to put a bit of effort in to be successful. Work and time from a counselor that will give the therapy session and work and time from the person receiving the therapy. If the patient is not willing to work or even take the therapy seriously they will have no success.
For more information on general anxiety disorder and panic attacks, visit stop panic attack help. The site covers many aspects of anxiety attacks including generalized anxiety and details of panic attacks treatment