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Generalized anxiety disorder reflction report
Generalized anxiety disorder case study
Generalized anxiety disorder case study
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What Are The Symptoms Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
By Nick Whyte
Feb 18, 2012
If you are the kind of person who worries about things thatare unlikely to happen or you tend to feel anxious, tense or worried all day long when there is really no reason to, then you are showing some of the symptoms of GAD.
Everyone has fears and worries about certain aspects of our day to day lives but if your worrying is constant enough to interfere with your life, preventing you from relaxing and stopping you from carrying on normally you may have developed generalized anxiety disorder.
GAD is a fairly common condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It tends to manifest itself as constant, chronic worrying, a general tension and
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Worrying is a perfectly normal aspect of our lives but it is when worry gets out of control and starts to interfere with our normal life that it becomes a problem. Excessive worrying, intrusive thoughts that keep popping into your head are signs of Generalized Anxiety. The worrying can take over your life actually preventing you from finding a solution.
The symptoms of GAD can be different from day to day and even hour to hour. You will experience good days and bad days, you might discover that anxiety is worse first thing or others may find that last thing at night is their worst time for anxiety. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms but most sufferers experience some or all of the following symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Problems and worries constantly running through your head. Intrusive, irrational thoughts with anxiety popping into your head at any time.
An inability to cope with uncertainty, needing to know exactly what is going to happen in the future.
A feeling that your anxiety is out of control, that you are unable to prevent yourself from
Anxiety is a monster that most people have to deal with on a daily basis. Even though anxiety is not actually a monster it still torments thousands of people every day, leaving them weak and scared. Anxiety defined means “distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune” defined by Dictionary.com. In the epic poem of Beowulf, one could say that the townspeople had anxiety when it came to Grendel because they feared what he could do to them.
...where the individual is “easily startled”, always has a feeling of being “on edge”, and has “difficulty sleeping, and/or having anger outburst” (HelpGuide). A combination of these symptoms or only one of them often make it hard for an individual to go about their day to day lives.
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.
If the patient is showing any of these sign/ symptoms then they would be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (Comer, 2013, pp.115).
Panic disorder- sudden intense and unprovoked feelings of terror and dread. People who suffer from this disorder generally develop strong fears about when and where their next panic attack will occur, and often restrict their activities as a result.
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.
Anxiety according to Dr.Mercola, “anxiety is a natural normal response to potential, threats, which puts your body into a heightened state of awareness.” (Dr. Mercola) People are often unaware and disregard the severity of the disorder, thus mistaking anxiety for stress. On the contrary, anxiety has many similarities to stress,but stress is an anxiety trigger.(Henry) Frequently the causes of anxiety are unknown or result with our a clear cause rather by its own will.( Henry) The disorder most distinct feature is its internal trigger and its internal response, unlike many other disorders frequently caused internally by the victim without their knowledge.(Henry) “[Anxiety like stress, triggers]... a flood of stress hormones like cortisol
Panic disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which debilitating anxiety and fear arise frequently and without reasonable cause. Panic attacks do not happen out of normal fear. Panic attacks happen without reason or warning. If you have panic disorder it could come from one of the following: family history, abnormalities of the brain, substance abuse, or major life stress(Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-panic-disorder). This disorder is in the category of anxiety and depression. Panic disorder belongs to axis one, which is clinical disorders, this is the top level of the DSM multiaxial
Anxiety disorder is a type of abnormal behavior characterized by unrealistic, irrational fear. These types of disorders are diagnosed two as often in women as in men. Although these disorders can be very chronic and serious, they are easily treatable. Generalized anxiety disorder is when people experience fear and worry that is not focused on one specific aspect; nevertheless, they suffer greatly with headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, and insomnia. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, better known as OCD, involves persistent, unwanted, obsessions and irresistible urges to perform compulsions in order to relieve anxiety. Unlike other anxiety disorders, OCD consists more of anxiety and worry rather than fear itself. Many people who experience OCD are aware that there is no motive behind their actions, however their anxiety is heightened when they try to ignore the compulsions. People with such anxiety disorders often experience sensitivity to other people’s views as well as worry over their surroundings.
The symptoms that one face during GAD include: worry all the time, irritation, feeling of insecurity, depression, dizziness, tension, restless, sleeping disorder, headaches, mental disorder, nausea, and muscle aches. It happens continually for more than 6 months. The symptoms of worry vary during General Anxiety Disorder, worry about family, finance, and always thinking about negative outcomes of any action. Although worrying about family is normal, but in GAD case, the patient think whole day about the way of living of his family, their future, their finance and calculate negative outcomes.
Generalized is an excessive or unrealistic worry about life on small things. They are worried, but they are unable to say what they are worried about (Rathus, 2010). Some causes of this may involve family history of anxiety, recent or prolonged exposure to stressful situations, including personal or family illnesses, excessive use of caffeine or tobacco, which can make existing anxiety worse and childhood abuse. The symptoms vary from difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, irritability, fatigue and exhaustion, muscle tension, repeated stomach aches or diarrhea, sweaty palms, shaking, rapid heartbeat and neurological (Healthline, 2017). One example from my life was when I was driving home from a volleyball game and I hurt myself at the game and I was in pain so tears were rolling down my face and then I started thinking about what the outcome of my injury would be and I started to cry like crazy and hyperventilate and I was shaking. I had no choice but to pull over until I stopped hyperventilating and was able to drive. It was a very scary moment because I had no control over my body. Another example is when I get overwhelmed about school work I freak out. I start to hyperventilate, my hands start shaking and my palms become sweaty and my heart beats faster. A way I deal with this is that I try to do things that help me calm my nerves, like listening to music, taking a quick shower, etc. This really helps me because it calms myself down and
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.
Many of us have gone through anxiety worrying about STDs or pregnancies…. but is unprotected sex worth all the apprehension that comes with it? According to WebMD, worrying can actually harm your physical and mental health, and when it becomes excessive, it can lead to feelings of high anxiety and even cause you to be physically ill. 1) Prolonged worrying affects your day-to-day life so much that it hampers your appetite, routine habits, associations, sleep, and job functioning.
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.
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)