Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder are chronic worriers. Their anxiety is “generalized” in the sense that they can worry about “anything and everything”, including work/school, relationships, health, finances, and the future. They are usually accused of "worrying too much" and they tend to have baseline anxiety (which is to say that they are always at least a little anxious). When it gets intense enough, the anxiety can cause poor sleep, poor energy, poor concentration, irritability, and muscle tension. Mild to moderate levels of anxiety can cause weight gain (due to stress eating), whereas intense anxiety can cause weight loss (due to a loss of appetite).
Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder have difficulty shutting off their brains when they are worrying. They are often accused of “overthinking things”, which can be a positive at low levels (in the sense that they are always prepared), but can be a negative when it impairs their sleep, energy, or concentrations and/or impact their ability to enjoy their lives.
The “unknown” is always the most stressful, so generalized anxiety tends to intensify or worsen at times of transition. A move, a graduation, a promotion, a new job, a marriage, the birth of a child, the end or beginning of a relationship, and a newly diagnosed illness are all transitions that tend to be prominent triggers of anxiety. Other prominent unknowns that can intensify anxiety would be lawsuits, divorces, and remodeling a home (all of which take much longer than initially expected and leave you in a state of prolonged uncertainty).
How do I find out if I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
The best way to find out whether or not you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder is by meeting one-on-one with a mental health professional (i.e. a therapist or a psychiatrist). Short of that, you can still get a good idea about the diagnosis from the DSM-V and various online scales.
The DSM-V (short for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, version 5) contains the criteria that psychiatrists such as myself use to make a diagnosis. The criteria attempt to be objective and clear-cut, but, in practice, we have to use a lot of judgment to decide whether or not a patient meets each of the criteria. The DSM-V criteria are copyright protected, but if you google “DSM-V Generalized Anxiety Disorder” you will find similar criteria on-line and also on-line scales (such as the GAD7) to assist you.
Even if you do not have full-fledged Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the techniques found on this website will be likely to help with whatever level of Social Anxiety you do have.
What are the treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Generally speaking, psychotherapy and medications are the most effective treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Doing both together is usually the most effective, but either one can work alone.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (i.e. the therapy described on this website) is the most effective and the most well-researched form of psychotherapy for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (and, for that matter, all of the anxiety disorders). It is a collection of techniques which, in practice, usually take 5-7 sessions to learn. Treatment itself is usually continued for several weeks or months in order to guide you in using the techniques and help monitor your progress.
There are many other forms of psychotherapy which can also be effective for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. If a particular therapist’s approach and personality appeal to you, then they are likely to be helpful regardless of the type of therapy that they practice.
Medications are also highly effective for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (the more so when they are combined with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). The best way to learn about medication options, and whether or not they are right for you, is to have a one-on-one evaluation with a qualified medical professional (such as your primary medical doctor and/or a psychiatrist).