Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Essay Sample)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a condition that makes a person anxious about various issues and situations rather than one specific issue (Stein, Hollander & Rothbaum, 2010). People suffering from this disorder always feel anxious and can usually not remember the last time they were relaxed. The disorder causes both physical and psychological symptoms that vary from one person to another. The symptoms generally include feeling of worry or restlessness, trouble in sleeping or even concentrating.
Causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
There is no definite cause of GAD. However, researchers believe that it is a combination of several factors. These factors include an imbalance in the brain chemicals such as noradrenaline and serotonin that control moods, over-activity in the sections of the brain involved in behaviour and emotions and a history of drug abuse. Furthermore, GAD can also be caused by long-term and painful health conditions, traumatic experiences such as bullying, domestic violence and child abuse and the inherited genes (Stein, Hollander & Rothbaum, 2010). A person is five times more likely to develop GAD if a close relative has suffered that condition before.
Treatment
GAD has always been a challenge to diagnose due to the medical attention people seek for symptoms such as headaches or sleeplessness. Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be administered to patients (Stein, Hollander & Rothbaum, 2010). Psychotherapy is another treatment that can be used to control the disorder. S...