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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects over 4 million adult Americans every year, and is a condition where the person feels extremely worried or anxious on a regular basis. Exaggerated feelings of worry or anxiety are normal in some situations, but for people who have generalized anxiety disorder or related conditions, the feelings are out of proportion with the situation at hand.
People with GAD are anxious about everyday situations and may agonize over money matters, work or school responsibilities, their health and the safety of their family. As a result, people afflicted with GAD have high stress levels, are often depressed or gloomy and rarely participate in social activities.
The disorder has no known root cause but doctors and researchers infer that some factors contribute to the disorder’s development. As with many diseases and disorders, GAD is seen to stem from genetics. It seems that parents who are regular “worriers” pass their trait to their offspring.
Aside from genetics, generalized anxiety disorder may also have an environmental aspect. All people may feel fear and anxiety when they experience stressful events, such as losing a loved one, losing a job, being abused and dealing with divorce. People can overcome fear and anxiety but these feelings can remain in a person’s psyche if they are unable to address it. Some may constantly relapse into a fear or anxious state whenever they experience stress. MedicineNet.com states that many people make the situation worse by resorting to eating food, and taking in nicotine or caffeine to handle their feelings.
Finally, brain chemistry may play a role in the development of generalized anxiety disorder. People who have anxiety problems typically have abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, which can effect the types of messages the brain is sending or receiving. This means the person may be experiencing a fear response from only a mildly stressful situation, and will start to link the mildly stressful situation to that negative experience. In reality, the brain is just sending the wrong type of message to the body, so the person perceives what is happening to them in the wrong way.
Brain chemicals can be balanced by following a specific diet and developing a healthy lifestyle. In rare cases, medication or natural supplements may be prescribed. Just remember that GAD is common and women are more likely to experience its symptoms than men.
Genes and past experiences may not be altered but we can still control our lifestyle to lessen the effects of anxiety disorders. We can choose to have a nutritious diet, exercise regularly, get plenty of rest and deal with stress in a healthy way to prevent feelings of anxiety and worry. Lifestyle and behavior modification may be the most effective method to stop the symptoms of GAD from interfering with the daily live of millions of people.
