How To Tell If You Have A Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Many disorders exist for anxiety. They range from post-traumatic stress disorder to extreme reactions to phobias. One of the most commonly experienced forms of the problem is what medical practitioners have coined “Generalized Anxiety Disorder”. GAD is very common and the good things is not that hard to see the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in a person and help them to deal with it.
Basically, the key symptom is excessive anxiety and worry. As noted, some level of anxiety and worry is entirely natural. Worry is the way our body warnings us of risks and possible problems, we all have experienced these warnings and many times they save our lives. Not having an ability to experience anxiety would surely be far more destructive than experiencing normal anxiety levels. Elevated anxiety disorders, Of course, can be debilitating. When ones worries become out of whack with reality and are disproportionate or excessive, a problem is present.
Diagnostic Criteria
Lets take a closer look at the DSM diagnostic criteria for a Generalized Anxiety Disorder. As noted, it first requires excessive anxiety and worry. It also requires that these worries most occur more days than not for a period of at least six months, about a number of events or activities In other words, one must be disproportionately worried on a regular basis about a variety of things in order to receive the diagnosis.
Three Of Six Symptoms
– restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge – being easily fatigued – difficulty concentrating or mind going blank – irritability – muscle tension – sleep disturbances
Uncontrollability
Thus, being worried a lot does not in and of itself constitute a disorder. There must also be some level of uncontrollability and some other manifestation of the problem. An anxiety disorder, according to the diagnostic volume, cannot be the outgrowth of concerns related to a similar disorder. For instance, having a fear of a panic attack (that is a feature of panic disorder) when one experiences panic attacks would not qualify.
The Heart Of The Matter
If the anxiety becomes distressful enough to impair social or occupational situations and prevent functioning in society, this can be of major concern. This is really the heart of the matter. When the worry and anxiety reach a level that interferes with normal functioning, an anxiety disorder is present. This breakdown applies specifically to a Generalized Anxiety Disorder diagnoses, but it is enlightening with respect to other anxiety disorders. Primary features are still the exact same with excessive worry, experiencing this frequently and uncontrollably.
John Morris
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/how-to-tell-if-you-have-a-generalized-anxiety-disorder-65236.html
5 Natural Anxiety Remedies That Relieve Your Stress
Are you searching for natural anxiety remedies? Are you tired of experiencing the pain and frustration that comes with the uncertainty of not knowing when your anxiety will get the best of you or worse, having another panic attack? You are not alone but it must seem that way when you are feeling stress or anxiety which seems uncontrollable at times. It is possible that you have one of the more common anxiety disorders called Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD for short. This anxiety disorder is mostly characterized as a constant worrying, which is uncontrollable and may not be caused by serious events. For instance, you might be worried about picking up the kids on time or trying to get everything done on your to-do list. Constant worrying can lead to a loss of concentration on tasks and have a direct effect on the your professional and personal life. Here are five natural remedies for anxiety that may temporarily help alleviate your anxiety and stress.
1) Unfortunately, prescription drugs are usually offered as a remedy for such illnesses and they can be dangerous if used over a long period of time. The demand for alternative medicine has skyrocketed because many of them offer relief from symptoms without the side-effects linked to prescription drugs but natural remedies are not meant to be long-term treatments, although they can offer relief in the short-term. It is very important that you do your homework and research to increase your knowledge of any herb or vitamins to make sure it is the right thing for you to take. It is also a good idea to consult your family physician in order to ensure that the alternative treatment is safe for you.
St. John’s Wort is one of the most popular anti-anxiety herbs on the market. After taking St. John’s Wort for as little as two weeks, you should notice a difference in your anxiety level. Valerian Root is another herb you might want to try. It is especially helpful in combating insomnia because of its sedative quality as it helps to lull the central nervous system to sleep. Vitamins can also provide an effective treatment for anxiety and B-complex can help produce neurochemicals, which in turn, assists in the synthesis of seratonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Kava Kava is considered to be one of the strongest anti-anxiety remedies in the world. Another aid to combating anxiety is Passion Flower because it helps to calm the central nervous system, leading to feelings of peace.
2) Exercising should make you feel less anxious. Your muscles become less tense and you will be calm and relaxed after at least 30 minutes of your favorite type of exercise. It has been shown that exercise leads to an hour and a half to two hours of relaxation response and this has been referred to as the endorphin response. As a result, your mood will improve, enabling you to deal more effectively with stress. Exercise can also improve your self-image and you will experience a greater sense of self-worth, which will reduce your stress level. A confident person is an individual who knows how to handle stress without becoming flustered.
3) Insomnia is one of the most dangerous side-effects of stress. It can rob you of your energy, strength, and endurance. but there are some steps you can take to improve your sleep. You can make sure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep by finding the most comfortable bedding available, decorating your room with soft, subtle colors, and eliminating clutter or other signs of work in progress. Try not to do work in bed and avoid watching TV. You want to try to eliminate stimulants from your sleeping area which could prevent you from falling asleep. If you like to read in bed, make sure that you read something light that will not engage your mind as you are trying to fall asleep.
4) Cooking is another way for you to relax and enjoy your time by making a hobby out of it. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence to become an excellent cook and you will feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a good meal which can further reduce your stress level. You might want to invest in some good cooking supplies and take the time to learn the fine art of preparation to help ease your stress when the time to cook arrives. You can take a cooking class to meet new friends, learn new recipes and to learn how to properly use your new equipment.
5) One of the most rewarding activities you can choose to lower your stress is to engage in volunteer work. There is something that is comforting about donating your time to help someone else. This simple act can elevate your spirits, helping you to better cope with the stressors in your life. Your time is very valuable and you will be giving a tremendous gift back to your community. You may find your reward in the smiles on the faces of the people you have assisted.
We all have feelings of anxiety from time to time. But how can you tell if your anxiety is out of control? If you experience racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, extreme difficulty resting or concentrating, you probably need to get help. If you do not like dealing with the side-effects of prescription drugs, an herbal remedy may be in order but this is usually only a temporary solution. You can choose one or many of the activities listed above to help you find relief and these tips will help deal with things today but you owe it to yourself to find the long-term solution for your anxiety.
By: Michael R Maroun (Free Treatment for Anxiety eBook)
About the Author:
Discover a permanent solution for your anxiety and take back control by visiting my website. Are you ready to stop worrying about when your symptoms will get the best of you by using a safe, natural remedy? http://anxiety.webinforesource.com
ANXIETY: Counseling and Treatment-From Huntley, Cary and Rolling Meadows
People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health issues, money, family problems, or difficulties at work.
People with GAD cannot get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They are unable relax, startle easily and have difficulty concentrating.
Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include, but are not limited to, fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath and hot flashes.
GAD affects about 6.8 million Americans and about twice as many women as men. It comes on gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.
It is diagnosed when someone spends at least 6 months worrying excessively about a number of everyday problems. There is evidence that genes play a modest role in GAD.
Other anxiety disorders, depression, or substance abuse often accompany GAD, which rarely occurs alone. It is commonly treated with medication an/or cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are typically treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both. Treatment choices depend on the problem and the persons preference.
Before treatment, a doctor must conduct a careful diagnostic evaluation to determine whether the symptoms are caused by an anxiety disorder or a physical problem. If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, the type of disorder must be identified, as well as any coexisting conditions, such as depression or substance abuse.
Sometimes alcoholism, depression or other coexisting conditions have such a strong effect on the individual that treating the anxiety disorder must wait until the coexisting conditions are brought under control.
People with anxiety disorders who have already received treatment should tell their current doctor about that treatment.
If they received medication, they should tell their doctor what medication was used, what the dosage was at the beginning of treatment, whether it was ever increased or decreased, what side effects occurred and whether the treatment helped them significantly. If they received psychotherapy, they should describe the type of therapy, how often they attended sessions and how much the therapy helped.
Often people believe that they have failed at treatment or that the treatment did not work for them when, in fact, it was not given for an adequate length of time or was administered incorrectly. Sometimes people must try several different treatments or combinations before they find the one that works for them.
Medications
Medication will not cure anxiety disorders, but it can keep them under control while the person receives psychotherapy, often from a psychologist. The principal medications used to treat anxiety disorders are antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and beta-blockers which control some of the physical symptoms.
With proper treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can lead normal, fulfilling lives.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants were developed to treat depression but are also effective for anxiety disorders. Although these medications begin to alter brain chemistry after the very first dose, their full effect requires about 4 to 6 weeks before symptoms start to fade. It is important to continue taking these medications long enough to let them work.
SSRIs
Some of the newest antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. SSRIs alter the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, which, like other neurotransmitters, helps brain cells communicate with one another.
Fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), paroxetine (Paxil) and citalopram (Celexa) are some of the SSRIs commonly prescribed for panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, and social phobia. These drugs are also used to treat panic disorder when it occurs in combination with OCD, social phobia or depression.
Venlafaxine (Effexor), a drug closely related to the SSRIs, is also used to treat GAD. These medications are started at low doses and gradually increased until they cause side effects or produce a beneficial effect.
SSRIs have fewer side effects than older antidepressants, but they sometimes produce slight nausea or jitters when people first start to take them. These symptoms fade with time, however.
Some people also experience sexual dysfunction with SSRIs, which may be helped by adjusting the dosage or switching to another medication.
Tricyclics
Tricyclics are older than SSRIs and work as well as SSRIs for anxiety disorders other than OCD. They are also started at low doses that are gradually increased.
They sometimes cause dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and weight gain, which can usually be corrected by changing the dosage or switching to another medication.
Tricyclics include imipramine (Tofranil), which is prescribed for panic disorder and GAD and clomipramine (Anafranil), which is the only tricyclic antidepressant useful for treating OCD.
MAOIs
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are the oldest class of antidepressant medications and the ones most commonly prescribed for anxiety are phenelzine (Nardil), followed by tranylcypromine (Parnate) and isocarboxazid (Marplan), which are useful in treating panic disorder and social phobia.
People who take MAOIs cannot eat a variety of foods and beverages (including cheese and red wine) that contain tyramine or take certain medications, including some types of birth control pills, pain relievers (such as Advil, Motrin and Tylenol, cold and allergy medications and herbal supplements; these substances can interact with MAOIs to cause dangerous increases in blood pressure.
MAOIs can also react with SSRIs to produce a serious condition called serotonin syndrome, which can cause confusion, hallucinations, increased sweating, muscle stiffness, seizures, changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm and other potentially life-threatening conditions.
Anti-Anxiety Drugs
High-potency benzodiazepines combat anxiety and have few side effects other than drowsiness. Because people can develop a tolerance to them and may need higher and higher doses to get the same effect, benzodiazepines are generally prescribed for short periods of time, especially for people who have abused drugs or alcohol or who become dependent on medication easily.
One exception to this rule, however, is people with panic disorder, who can take benzodiazepines for up to a year without harm. Clonazepam (Klonopin) is used for social phobia and GAD, lorazepam (Ativan) is helpful for panic disorder and alprazolam (Xanax) is useful for both panic disorder and GAD.
Some people experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking benzodiazepines abruptly instead of tapering off, and anxiety can return once the medication is stopped. These potential problems have led some physicians to shy away from using these drugs or to use them in inadequate doses.
Buspirone (Buspar), an azapirone, is a newer anti-anxiety medication used to treat GAD. Possible side effects include dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Unlike benzodiazepines, buspirone must be taken consistently for at least 2 weeks to achieve an anti-anxiety effect.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves talking with a trained mental health professional, such as a psychologist, social worker, or counselor, to discover what caused an anxiety disorder and how to deal with its symptoms.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is very useful in treating anxiety disorders. The cognitive part helps people change the thinking patterns that support their fears and the behavioral part helps people change the way they react to anxiety-provoking situations.
For example, CBT can help people with panic disorder learn that their panic attacks are not really heart attacks and help people with social phobia learn how to overcome the belief that others are always watching and judging them. When people are ready to confront their fears, they are shown how to use exposure techniques to desensitize themselves to situations that trigger their anxieties.
People with OCD who fear dirt and germs are encouraged to get their hands dirty and wait increasing amounts of time before washing them. The therapist helps the person cope with the anxiety that waiting produces; after the exercise has been repeated a number of times, the anxiety diminishes.
People with social phobia may be encouraged to spend time in feared social situations without giving in to the temptation to flee and to make small social blunders and observe how people respond to them. Since the response is usually far less harsh than the person fears, these anxieties are lessened.
People with PTSD may be supported through recalling their traumatic event in a safe situation, which helps reduce the fear it produces. CBT therapists also teach deep breathing and other types of exercises to relieve anxiety and encourage relaxation.
Exposure-based behavioral therapy has been used for many years to treat specific phobias. The person gradually encounters the object or situation that is feared, perhaps at first only through pictures or tapes, then later face-to-face.
Group therapy is particularly effective for social phobia. Often homework is assigned for participants to complete between sessions.
There is some evidence that the benefits of CBT last longer than those of medication for people with panic disorder, and the same may be true for OCD, PTSD, and social phobia. If a disorder recurs at a later date, the same therapy can be used to treat it successfully a second time.
Medication can be combined with psychotherapy for specific anxiety disorders, and this is the best treatment approach for many people.
Taking Medications
Before taking medication for an anxiety disorder:
1. Ask your doctor to tell you about the effects and side effects of the drug.
2. Tell your doctor about any alternative therapies or over-the-counter medications you are using.
3. Ask your doctor when and how the medication should be stopped. Some drugs cannot be stopped abruptly but must be tapered off slowly under a doctors supervision.
4. Work with your doctor to determine which medication is right for you and what dosage is best.
5. Be aware that some medications are effective only if they are taken regularly and that symptoms may recur if the medication is stopped.
How to Get Help for Anxiety Disorders
If you think you have an anxiety disorder, the first person you should see is a psychologist, psychiatrist or your family doctor. It must be determined whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to an anxiety disorder, another medical condition or both.
If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, the next step is usually contracting with a mental health professional to provide treatment. The practitioners who are most helpful with anxiety disorders are psychologists and therapists who have training in cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or behavioral therapy and who are open to using medication if it is needed.
You should feel comfortable talking with the mental health professional you choose. If you do not, you should seek help elsewhere.
Once you find a mental health professional with whom you are comfortable, the two of you should work as a team and make a plan to treat your anxiety disorder.
Remember that once you start on medication, it is important not to stop taking it abruptly.
Certain drugs must be tapered off under the supervision of a doctor or bad reactions can occur. Make sure you talk to the doctor who prescribed your medication before you stop taking it.
If you are having trouble with side effects, it is possible that they can be eliminated by adjusting how much medication you take and when you take it.
Most insurance plans, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), will cover treatment for anxiety disorders. Check with your insurance company and find out.
If you do not have insurance, the Health and Human Services division of your county government may offer mental health care at a public mental health center that charges people according to how much they are able to pay. If you are on public assistance, you may be able to get care through your state Medicaid plan.
Ways to Make Treatment More Effective
Many people with anxiety disorders benefit from joining a self-help or support group and sharing their problems and achievements with others. Internet chat rooms can also be useful in this regard, but any advice received over the Internet should be used with caution, as Internet acquaintances have usually never seen each other and false identities are common.
Talking with a trusted friend or member of the clergy can also provide support, but it is not a substitute for care from a psychologist or other mental health professional. Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with anxiety disorders calm themselves and may enhance the effects of their therapy.
There is preliminary evidence that aerobic exercise may have a calming effect. Since caffeine, certain illicit drugs and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate anxiety disorders, they should be avoided.
Check with your physician or pharmacist before taking any additional medications. Also, the family is very important in ones recovery. Ideally, the family should be supportive and should not trivialize the disorder or demand improvement without treatment.
By: Mike Shery (Anxiety Treatment eBook – FREE)
About the Author:
Dr Shery is in Cary, IL, near Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Marengo and Lake-in-the-Hills. He’s an expert psychologist. Call 1 847 516 0899 and make an appt orlearn more about counseling at: http://www.carypsychology.com
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