Generalized Anxiety Research Paper

3307 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How lack of sleep affects college students

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
PSYCH 33 Abnormal Psychology
Emma Fredere, Lauren Hiller, Marisa Jingco, Marta Stachniuk, Bryan Crim, Kendra Bay, & Ashley Todd

For students attending college, a sense of worry and stress seems normal, because of grades and exams. However, constant anxiety about different aspects of college life could impact one’s health. When one has continuous worry about something, and the worry seems to be endless, it can affect several other parts of one’s life. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a problem among students that is not yet well known in society. As college students, it seems emotions have to be internalized, because most students are without family when they move away to attend college. Without …show more content…

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 …show more content…

Many individuals are affected by this disorder, and some may not even know that they have the disorder until the constant worry becomes a significant part of his or her life. Someone’s life may be consumed by worrying about small details or events, which one does not have time for in the busy life of a college student. College students, those who are learning how to handle life and its challenges, are prone to develop Generalized Anxiety Disorder because of the stress of college. The busy lifestyle that college demands makes it impossible for individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder to achieve normal life benchmarks like earning a college degree. Constantly worrying is also known to lead to sleeping disorders, which may lead to a different set of problems within the individual. For students, developing a sense of how one will live his or her life is a part of learning experience in college; if that learning is disrupted by anxiety or sleep deprivation, it will only hurt the individual in the future situations. Although, there are still questions about what may cause this disorder, whether be genetics, the environment of the individual, or both, those unanswered questions should only be motivation toward learning more about the disorder itself. As mentioned, there is a possibility genetic

Show More
Related

  • Anxiety Disorders : Generalized Anxiety Disorder

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Generalized Anxiety Disorder, also known as (GAD) is one of the several types of anxiety disorders. GAD according to our textbook (Lahey) is an uneasy sense of general tension and apprehension for no apparent reason that makes the individual highly uncomfortable because of its prolonged presence. GAD is much more than the normal anxiety people experience day to day. Without provoking, it is chronic and exaggerated worry and tension. This disorder can involve anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family or work. Sometimes, though, just the thought of getting through the day brings anxiety.

    Read More

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fear and Anxiety are essential functions that occur in the brain that allow people to respond to stimuli appropriately. These feelings as normal as they are can cause problems and in 3.1 percent of adult Americans approximately 6.8 million people it does cause problems (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). A problem can arise when people have too much fear and anxiety; a problem is evident when it interferes with their life and their ability to do things. This is known as general anxiety disorder (GAD). When someone is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder they normally experience excessive exaggerated anxiety and worry about normal life events that give no clear reason for worry (“Generalized anxiety disorder”, 2014). This disorder can be debilitating and rule over people’s lives if it is severe and a better understanding of the disorder can be gained by looking at historical views, current views, causes and symptoms, case studies, differential diagnosis considerations, and treatment.

    Read More

  • Social Anxiety In College Essay

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each year, thousands upon thousands of new high school graduates enter college to begin one of the most exciting chapters of their lives. This is a time where young people get to move away from home, learn valuable life skills, meet interesting new people, and pursue the career of their dreams. While all of this may sound like nothing but positivity, there’s a dismal side to all of this that many individuals are not aware of. Out of all of the problems that college students face, social anxiety is an issue that has persisted throughout the years, and has not begun to improve. According to research out of The University of Plymouth and The University of the West of England, 10% of all university students surveyed said they experienced significant anxiety (Weaver,

    Read More

  • College Students and Anti-Depressants

    2689 Words  | 6 Pages

    According to an article by Josephine Marcotty in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune from April 10, college students lead “hyper-enriched lives,” said Greg Kneser, dean of students at St. Olaf College. That’s what makes this generation of students distinct from its predecessors, he said. That is why more students who cannot cope with these feelings end up at college counseling centers with “increasingly serious mental-health problems.” 15 to 20 percent of college students nationally were diagnosed with depression. The second most common diagnosis was severe anxiety. According to the article, it is not unusual for mental-health issues to become apparent during a student’s college years.

    Read More

  • Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it

    2522 Words  | 6 Pages

    Many first year college students face problems as they enter a new educational environment that is very different than that of high school. However, the common problem is that many first year students become stressed. For many students, college is supposed to be the most fun time of their life; however, their fun can be restricted if it is limited by stress and other mental illnesses. According to the National Health Ministries (2006), stress is caused by “greater academic demands,” the feeling of being independent from family, “financial responsibility,” homesickness, being exposed to meeting new people, peer pressure, “awareness of one’s own sexual identity,” and the abuse of drugs and alcohol (p. 2). However, the causes to first year students’ stress mainly include academic demand, parents, finance, and peer pressure.

    Read More

  • College Stress

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jack’s heart pounds as he casts panicked looks around the classroom. He doesn’t recognize the professor, he doesn’t know any of the students, and he can’t even figure out what the subject is. In front of him is a test. At the very last minute his roommate awakens him. It’s only another anxiety dream. The very fact that dreams like Jack’s are common suggests that college is a stressful situation for young people. The cause of this stress can be academic, financial, and personal.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    Students with academic anxiety are self-engrossed and lead to their own academic demise. Test anxiety does not only affect a student's performance on a test, but Huberty (2009) asserts that test anxiety over time tends to contribute to more common underachievement. He describes the consequences of constant test anxiety including lowered self-esteem, reduced effort, and loss of desire to complete school tasks. Students who have academic anxiety also have a higher risk of developing depression, and often feel deprived of confidence (Cunningham, 2008). Thus, academic anxiety can become extreme, and have negative effects on students’ well-being.

    Read More

  • Anxiety In College Students

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anxiety plays a major role in college students especially when it comes down to testing and student’s GPA. Researchers shows most of this anxiety from students come from emotional dysregulation is an emotional response that is poorly modulated, and doesn’t fall in the range of accepted emotive response. College students reported to have a higher rate of anxiety disorder when it comes to taking any college based test. Anxiety is being in fear, worrying a lot, nervousness, imminent even or something with an uncertain outcome. Some people aren’t able to overcome their anxiety because of the thought of always being anxious. The symptoms that come with anxiety is shakiness and having a very fast heart rate at any time of anxiousness.

    Read More

  • Anxiety and Depression

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Every person experiences some form of anxiety in his or her lifetime. Anxiety helps us deal with tense situations like using our flight or fight reaction, study harder for an exam, or keep focus on important deadlines. Anxiety can be useful until it gets to the point of interfering with everyday life. Some people explain it as not being able to shut the anxiety off. When anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a disabling disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Each year, anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). There are five major Anxiety Disorders they include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Phobias.

    Read More

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder Case Study

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Depression Among College Students

    2001 Words  | 5 Pages

    College students face strenuous workloads daily, causing them to feel more pressure about their schoolwork and academics and resulting in anxiousness. About 50% of college students today are suffering from depression, a larger number than most believe, but not all reveal that they have a depressive issue (Deroma, Leach, Leverett 325). Researchers suggest that academic stress plays a big role in a college student’s depression. Most people know that college is a lot harder than high school ...

    Read More

  • How to Cope with Stress from College

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    Going to college can be an exciting new experience that can challenge a person more than he or she thought was possible. Attending college, especially for the first time, can be a very stressful time in a person’s life. Some of the stress that is associated with attending college are living in a new place, having to meet new people, having new responsibilities, and of course the homework that goes along with taking classes. If a person does not learn to cope with these stressors in a healthy way, that person may become very overwhelmed and possibly depressed (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2010) .To keep one’s body and mind safe from the overexposure of stress, they can practice the following techniques.

    Read More

  • Anxiety Research Paper

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anxiety, a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Most teens in school suffer from anxiety, however I suffer from something more than typical school anxiety. I suffer from sweaty palms, being paranoid, always worrying, and being nervous. Some people fear death, however I fear anxiety. I fear that my anxiety can take over my life. Over the past year, I have found a way to control my anxiety, I have found a way to gain not only confidence but self love.

    Read More

  • Long Term Anxiety Essay

    1502 Words  | 4 Pages

    People suffering from anxiety can be subject to anxiety attacks, mood changes, overwhelming stress, and symptoms of depression. They can experience fatigue and are more likely to struggle with insomnia. People with anxiety will often have a hard time accomplishing easy, everyday tasks. Something as easy as ordering food at a restaurant can cause people with anxiety great distress. Long-term anxiety can affect the body’s ability to do its job. People who have had anxiety for a long time are not able to fight off bacteria and viruses as well as they used to. Unless you have anxiety, it is hard to understand the damaging effects it has on the body.

    Read More

  • Anxiety Research Paper

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    My fear has a name the name of that fear is anxiety. This fear has followed me like a monster lurking in the dark for its next victim. Anxiety is that rush you get before big game or the butterflies you get on your first date. People with anxiety take this positive feeling and turn it into something negative. It usually is a positive feeling but mine was not. For some people it is really hard to understand what anxiety is and how it feels. People deal with anxiety different than most people. Everyone has anxiety but may not realize they do. However, I did most people will tell you “Oh everything will get better you just needtake take a deep breath and calm down.” It always does not get better most of the time I did not know what I was up against.

    Read More

More about Generalized Anxiety Research Paper

Open Document