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Generalized anxiety disorder simple words
Generalized anxiety disorder
Conclusion of generalized anxiety disorder
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The difference between normal worrying and generalized anxiety disorder are the accompanying symptoms as well as the length of time the worrying persists. To occasionally torment oneself with or suffer from distressing thoughts is classified as normal worrying. The symptoms of worrying may vary, but most people experience disturbed feelings and the mental fatigue of being overly concerned with a circumstance. On the other hand, with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) one experiences excessive anxiety under most circumstances, expecting the worst even when there is no obvious or visible reason for concern. The symptoms are being agitated, on edge, easily tired, having difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, and issues with sleep. GAD usually develops during childhood or the adolescent years and the symptoms last as long as six months as opposed to normal worrying which dissipates in a much shorter length of time. (Word count: 141) 2. While in treatment, some people with generalized anxiety disorder are reluctant to give up their worrying and worry behaviors because they believe these worries are helpful to them (e.g. Adrian arrived at work 30 minutes early …show more content…
each morning to plan her day). A) Do you believe worry can have beneficial consequences? If so what are they? B) What are the negative consequences of worry, especially when the worry is at the level found in generalized anxiety disorder? (Minimum 100 words) (5 pts) There are some beneficial as well as detrimental consequences of worrying. Worrying can lead to one staying on top of a diverse array of important things, being aware of potentially threatening situations, and thoughtful self-evaluation. For example, a student worried about an upcoming exam could study more to be prepared for it. When a person worries about possible danger, it motivates them to protect themselves or loved ones from that danger. Although there are a few benefits of normal worrying, the elevated level of worry found in generalized anxiety disorder leads to harmful consequences. The inability to relax, distressing thoughts, nightmares, irritability and insecurity are all examples of the negative effects of excessive worrying. Distressing thoughts prohibit one from living life abundantly. For example, a person, who has the capability of being a great employee but who also has too many distressing thoughts, would be inhibited from fulfilling their highest potential. (Word count: 151) 3. Which of the “four D’s” of abnormal behavior do you think Adrian exhibits? Support your answer with examples from the case study. (Minimum 100 words) (6 pts) Adrian demonstrated signs of distress and dysfunction.
Her inability to concentrate and remember things at work and thoughts about her being negatively evaluated which made her less attentive are well defined examples of dysfunction. She exhibits signs of dysfunction in the sense that her behavior interfered with her life. Because of the incessant worrying, Adrian was inept at accomplishing tasks and making decisions at work. Adrian’s behavior also indicated that she was in distress. She was devastated by her supervisor’s suggestion to take a vacation to “get her head together.” Worried that her job was in jeopardy, Adrian had low self-esteem. She was inclined to seek professional help in light of all that had taken place at work and because of the poor condition of her mental health. (Word count:
128) 4. Using the Psychodynamic perspective, the Humanistic perspective, OR the Cognitive perspective described in your textbook (pages 100-106) explain how a therapist using your perspective would explain the cause of Adrian’s disorder. Then explain how a therapist using your perspective might treat Adrian’s generalized anxiety disorder. (Minimum 100 words) (6 pts) Based on the Psychodynamic perspective, Adrian experienced some measure of anxiety during childhood and used ego mechanisms to help manage the anxiety. Freudian theorists would highlight neurotic anxiety and moral anxiety, when a child is repeatedly prevented from or punished for expressing their natural impulses, as Adrian’s platform for developing generalized anxiety disorder. They believe that developmental issues, early on, lead to abnormal amounts of anxiety in a child. However, Adrian gave no concrete details of her childhood. She referred to her family as a “fairly normal middle class family,” which does not explain any immediate cause for anxiety. So, a therapist could only suspect that Adrian’s family moving to a new city, when she was 14, as the reason for her anxiety. A Psychodynamic therapist would use general techniques to treat Adrian’s disorders such as free association. With free association, Adrian will describe any thoughts, feelings, or images that come to mind no matter how insignificant they may seem. The goal of the therapist would be to help Adrian become less afraid of her intellectual needs, drives, and impulses and more successful in controlling them. Identifying and settling childhood relationship issues that produce anxiety in adulthood, would also be the focus of the therapist using the psychodynamic perspective.
2. By looking through the case study, the most prominent problem Sara struggles with, is her persistent worry about different parts of her life including her job status, health and her relationship with her husband. For the past six months, she has been anxious and worried excessively, leading her to have difficulty sleeping. As she admitted, “ I cannot shut my brain off anymore, I am worrying all the time”, therefore her condition met the primary criteria of generalized anxiety disorder which is the excessive worry for at least 6 months more days than not, about diverse events and activities. Being restless, irritable, having sleep difficulty and being easily fatigued are four factors of GAD that are apparent in this case. “I have always had lots of energy but now at times I struggle to get out of bed and drag myself thorough the work day”; it indicates the fatigue she recently experienced. Fidgets with her jewellery when speaking and a nervous laugh she has, shows her persistent anxiety. Moreover, she was recently diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome which has a high comorbidity with anxiety disorders. In conclusion, since she is persistently worried about different aspects of her life and she has the criteria for GAD, generalized anxiety disorder is the most likable disorder she has.
The onset of Generalized anxiety disorder begins in childhood or adolescents, and It can have a lifetime prevalence of 3-5% with a higher risk in women. One major effect of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive worry or anxiety lasting up to 6 months at a time, although individuals that have Generalized Anxiety Disorder don’t identify their worrying as excessive all of the time, but they will recount subjective distress because of a constant worry, or may have difficulty with control over the worrying, or even experience social impairment. Anxiety can be associated up to 6 symptoms which include inability to sleep, fatigued, lack of concentration, easily agitated, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Most of which can affect everyday lifestyle and greatly effect physical health, not only can they cause personal distress but may also cause distress in those around.
Everybody has their own list of strengths, some may be obvious, where others may not be. After Thomas J. passed away, Vada was overwhelmed with grief. Shelly saw this and told Harry to stop hiding and running away from his daughters emotions. She stated that life isn’t just death and not to ignore the living, especially his daughter. After this conversation, the support that Vada received from her father increased. Which in return helped strengthen Vada’s support system overall. Another strength would be that the family does care about each other, even though they may not always show it.
The six most common forms of anxiety are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is characterized by excessive worries about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations. People with GAD often have trouble identifying that specific fear and controlling it. That said fear is often unreasonable and not in proportion with what is expected in a normal situations. They normally expect failure and disaster is coming, and they normally can not lead normal lives. Phobias are an irrational fear of a certain object or situation. Most people will acknowledge their fear and know that it is unreasonable, but they can not control their anxiety. Another disorder is Social Anxiety Disorder. It is a social phobia, and their main fear is being judged harshly by others and the fear of do...
Bearing in mind that an anxiety response is a result of various factors, there are different types of anxiety disorders. The most common type of anxiety disorders as described as specific phobias, social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) (2016), specific phobias affect about 19 million adults in the U.S, while SAD affects 15 million, PD affects 6 million, GAD affects about 6.8 million, OCD affects about 2.2 million and PTSD affects 7.7 million adults respectively. Considering that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S, yet only about one-third of those suffering receive treatment (ADAA, 2016).
Anxiety disorders are the 2nd most diagnosed mental illness in the United States. Anxiety comes from the “fight or flight” physiological response in ones body. The fear a person experiences is an intense emotional alarm accompanied by a surge of energy in the autonomic nervous system. The surge is what motivates us to flee from danger, cueing the “flight” response. However, some anxiety is good for us in moderate amounts. Most people perform better when we are a little anxious (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). Anxiety can improve test performance or make you more energetic and charming on a date. It improves, social, physical, and intellectual performance. In fact little would get done if we didn’t have any anxiety. However anxiety can be negative as well. The most common symptoms are looking worried and anxious or fidgeting. That is pretty normal for most people. These symptoms are a physiological response that starts in the brain. It elevates the heart rate and creates muscle tension. Most of the research has been done with animals. Animals seem to experience anxiety in a similar way to ...
Overall, generalized anxiety disorder is classified by excessive and uncontrollable worry over a large variety of daily problems. Besides anxiety, people with GAD also experience fatigue, irritability, restlessness, and muscle tension. GAD is quite common, and about three percent of all American adults are diagnosed with it every year. Several potential causes of generalized anxiety disorder are environment, genetics, brain chemistry, and personality. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication are used to treat GAD. However, the medicine comes with many side effects. Lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet and supplements can also aid in helping the patient. If untreated, generalized anxiety disorder can be a long-term illness, although the outlook is generally positive for those who have treatment.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to a threatening situation and results from an increase in the amount of adrenaline from the sympathetic nervous system. This increased adrenaline speeds the heart and respiration rate, raises blood pressure, and diverts blood flow to the muscles. These physical reactions are appropriate for escaping from danger but when they cause anxiety in many situations throughout the day, they may be detrimental to a normal lifestyle. An anxiety disorder is a disorder where feelings of fear, apprehension, or anxiety are disruptive or cause distortions in behavior, (Coon, 526); they are psychiatric illnesses that are not useful for normal functioning. At times, an underlying illness or disease can cause persistent anxiety. Treatment of the illness or disease will stop the anxiety. Anxiety illnesses affect more than 23 million Americans with about 10 million Americans suffering from the most common, general anxiety disorder . (Harvard, 1). Common anxiety disorders are panic attacks (panic disorder), phobias, and general anxiety disorder (GAD). Panic attacks Panic attacks can begin with a feeling of intense terror followed by physical symptoms of anxiety. A panic attack is characterized by unpredictable attacks of severe anxiety with symptoms not related to any particular situation. (Hale, 1886). The person experiencing the attack may not be aware of the cause. Symptoms include four or more of the following: pounding heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness, chest pain, shaking, sweating, choking, nausea, depersonalization, numbness, fear of dying, flushes, fear of going crazy. Heredity, metabolic factors, hyperventilation, and psychological factors may contribute to anxiety causing panic attacks.
Ghinassi and Winning (2010) claimed, “Approximately 6.8 million American adults, or about 3.1 percent of people age 18 and over, have GAD in a given year” (p. 51). GAD is another term for generalized anxiety disorder which is quite common in most adults in the United States according to the statistic given. It is normal for human beings to go through stages of fear or anxiety. These psychological disorders often involve environmental causes because of the child’s complex development through life (Ghinassi and Winning, 2010, p. 52). Some children face experiences which leave them in fear which causes even more fear of ever experiencing such a thing again in the future, thus anxiety begins. Most of the time generalized anxiety does not prepare nor protects the person what is they fear, and it usually ends up causing more trouble for the person experiencing anxiety.
People with GAD have unrelenting, excessive, uncontrollably worries. The central cognition in people with GAD was summarised as "The world is potentially dangerous and I many not be able to cope with whatever comes from the future so I must anticipate all bad things that might happen so that is can avoid them or prepare for them" (Sibrava and Borkovec, 2006 as cited in Wilkinson et al., 2011, p.
A generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by feelings of edginess, continual tense and jittery feelings, worry, muscular tension, agitation, and sleeplessness. Those feelings may make themselves known to the outside world through furrowed brows, twitches, sweating, and fidgeting. A person suffering from this disorder may find it difficult to concentrate on their day to day lives, their attention is constantly diverted to a large variety of worries.
Stated in the textbook, people with generalized anxiety disorder “worry continually, and are often jittery, agitated, and sleep deprived. Concentration is difficult as attention switches from worry to worry...” I feel that some of the symptoms applied to me, as I often stay up late into the night worrying about stuff in general, and occasionally
They may know that they’re anxiety is not helping them or is ruining their relationships however, they cannot stop. Their family and friends worry about them and wish that the family member with GAD could stop with their anxiety and live a normal lifestyle. To the individual it feels as if their worry is out of control and it is consuming their life. It dominates their thoughts and is disrupting aspects of their life. For example, a student who gets very good grades but has GAD will always worry about their school work not being good enough or not meeting the standards of others, which can lead to them giving up or dropping out. Generalized Anxiety Disorder disrupts their life because even though they are capable of academic achievement their anxiety is preventing that from happening. Dropping out of school is just one example but, when anxiety is preventing someone from living a normal life then it can be classified as Generalized Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, is characterized by persistent and excessive free-floating anxiety over a prolonged period of over six months. Over 6 million Americans suffer from GAD, but only around 43% receive treatment. GAD reduces quality of life by creating worry over daily activities, even if the individual enjoys the activity in question. While an exact cause has not been pinpointed, there is evidence that biological and social factors, as well as life experiences are involved.
This is when an individual suffers from extreme, irrational and uncontrolled worries. Certain situations cause feelings of apprehension and negative expectations, it is common for individuals with GAD to envision disaster or expect the worst case scenario, they also tend to worry continuously about everyday issues linked to family, work, finances etc. Headaches, irritability, nausea, breathing difficulties, insomnia, muscle tension/pain and fatigue are a few of the many symptoms caused by GAD.