What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder is a condition that does not have a specific reason or a specific situation one can pinpoint as the cause. It’s like the person who has this condition is randomly and increasingly anxious about something or someone.

Of course being concerned or fearful is not an abnormal feeling. Everyone goes through these in different degrees. However, it usually has a reason or cause for the anxiety, and it does not happen on a regular or daily basis for an extended period of time.

When a person experiences an anxiety attack due to generalized anxiety disorder, he starts to have rapid heart beats, starts to breath heavily, and can become very irritable and difficult to talk to.

Just reading these symptoms can actually confuse anyone because we all have done this at one point or another. This will also explain why people with generalized anxiety disorder can go through life undetected and untreated. They just get labeled as temperamental, moody, or difficult.

Studies show that more women tend to suffer from this condition than men. Chronic anxiety attacks that have no known cause can last for more than just a few minutes. In some extreme cases, an attack can continue for weeks or months. This is when the strain and pressure on the people around can really take its toll.

For many years, generalized anxiety disorder was considered mental cases with people suffering from this condition as being brought to mental hospitals for treatment. Many times, they were abandoned here by their families, and treatment was very harsh and did not really address the problem.

Studies on generalized anxiety disorder have since made major inroads, and there is now a better and more comprehensive understanding of the condition.

How can you tell if a person has generalized anxiety disorder? Aside from the signs mentioned above, there is a major emphasis on negativity – that things will always go wrong, and they are doomed to some form of crisis or catastrophe. In addition, the person suffering from generalized anxiety disorder will not be able to handle everyday chores or work because he or she is consumed with worry, and unable to say what exactly she is worried about.

The problem with generalized anxiety disorder is that it is rather difficult to diagnose. Doctors may also not be able to distinguish this kind of disorder immediately. This is because it has to continue over a period of half a year before it can be conclusively declared as chronic anxiety attacks or generalized anxiety disorder.

It also is aggravated by the fact that the person suffering from generalized anxiety disorder knows that she is worried about something she does not need to worry about, and yet she cannot help herself.

Also, the anxiety attacks may happen for several months, then get better and no incidents will happen for another couple of months. Thus, generalized anxiety disorder can improve, and then worsen. One common factor in all anxiety attacks that occur for no valid reason is stress – whether it is imagined or real.