What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults 18 years of age and older, or 18% of the population (National Institute of Mental Health). Although highly treatable, only one-third of anxiety sufferers seek treatment (Association and Depression Association of America). In contrast to people who don’t suffer with anxiety, people with anxiety disorders are 3 to 5 times more likely to go see a physician and 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders. Anxiety sufferers are more likely to also suffer with depression, and almost half of those diagnosed with depression also have a co-occurring anxiety disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) impacts about 6.8 million American adults or 3.1% of the total adult population. People with this disorder have persistent and excessive worry over which they can exercise little, if any, control. It’s as if their brains are in “overdrive mode” and they can’t slow their worry down. Their anxiety is typically relentless and way out of proportion to any actual danger. Sufferers may recognize their worry is out of proportion to reality, but report an inability to turn off their worry. Anticipating a worst-case scenario, their worries can be theme based (finances, family, work, school, health, etc,), or may be more generalized in scope — a sense of impending doom and gloom seemingly without explanation. GAD can develop at any point in the life cycle, but typicall...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Anxiety Cognitive-Behavioral General Psychotherapy anxious thoughts Fear Fight or Flight GAD Generalized Anxiety Disorder Panic Attack worry Source Type: news