Sometimes in your life, you may feel like certain things are worrying you. This may be a job interview, an exam, your finances, etc. But as soon as that event is over or you solve that problem, you feel relaxed and get back to your day-to-day activities. However, sometimes even after you are done with something, you are still on edge. And this is interfering with your daily life activities, relationships, etc.

It is an indication that you may have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Having GAD makes life a bit challenging and frightening. Since, you get distracted because of your anxiousness. But with proper treatment, you can get over this in no time. In this article, we will be highlighting some of the important things about GAD. This will help you understand the disorder and the treatment options available.

Signs of GAD

Generalized Anxiety Disorder can cause emotional as well as physical symptoms. Some of the common signs of the disorder include:

1. Trouble concentrating

2. Inability to make decisions

3. Constant worrying

4. Overthinking

5. Palpitations 

6. Body aches

7. Fatigue 

8. Excessive sweating

If any of these symptoms are affecting your daily life. You must visit a doctor to discuss the problems you are facing. 

Causes

Just like many other mental health conditions, doctors believe that GAD occurs due to the interaction of environmental and biological factors. These factors include:

1. Having a family history of the disorder

2. Experiencing trauma

3. Imbalance of happy hormone (Serotonin) and other brain chemicals

4. Health conditions like thyroid disorder and arrhythmias

Diagnosis of GAD

For the diagnosis of GAD, your doctor will ask you some questions like:

1. How long have you been experiencing these signs?

2. What are the most common signs that disturb your daily routine?

Certain medical conditions may cause your symptoms like thyroid disorder, epilepsy, heart disease, etc. To rule out this possibility, your doctor will perform a few tests. These include:

1. Stress tests

2. X-ray

3. Blood tests,

4. Urine tests

Next, your doctor will:

1. Give you a psychological questionnaire to fill out. 

2. Use the listed criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (By the American Psychiatric Association). 

These steps will confirm the diagnosis of GAD. 

Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

When it comes to the treatment your doctor will look into a few things before finalizing your plan. These include the severity of your symptoms and the presence of any other condition. Based on these factors, your treatment will be finalized. Here are some of the treatment options:

PsychoTherapy 

Psychotherapy is a form of Talk Therapy that involves talking with your psychologist to reduce the symptoms causing trouble. During the therapy, you learn about your behavior, mood, feelings, and thoughts. This teaches you to control your life while using coping skills to respond to challenging situations. 

This therapy has different types, each of which has its approach. Some of the psychotherapies for anxiety treatment are:

1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is the gold standard for anxiety treatment. This therapy will help you to identify and change disturbing thought patterns. These thoughts have a negative effect on your mood, and once these thoughts are altered you will feel positive. 

2. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT aims to reduce uncomfortable sensations or anxious thoughts by increasing your involvement in meaningful activities. Studies have shown that adults undergoing this therapy have shown a significant improvement in symptoms.

3. Psychodynamic therapy

It works on giving you a deep understanding of your emotions and gives you an insight into how you think and feel. Once your internal conflict resolves, you will see an improvement in your anxiety. 

Medications

Certain medications help in anxiety treatment by interacting with your brain chemicals (neurotransmitters). Before prescribing a particular medicine, your doctor will discuss its side effects and benefits. Here are some examples of medications for GAD:

1. Antidepressants: These are the first-line medications for GAD. Examples of antidepressants include norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

2. In rare cases, doctors prescribe Benzodiazepines to relieve the acute symptoms of anxiety for a short time. These are not a great treatment choice as they can become habit-forming. Especially if you have or had drug and alcohol abuse. 

3. Buspirone helps in reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety. 

Changes in lifestyle

In addition to getting therapy or medications for GAD, there are some changes that you can make in your life to see a difference. Here are some tips:

1. Keep yourself active

2. Stop smoking

3. Meditate

4. Eat health

5. Make a proper sleep schedule 

Summing Up

Experiencing anxiety occasionally is something normal. But, feeling tense all the time means you either need to visit a doctor or change your lifestyle. It will help you to timely work on the symptoms that are affecting your life. The earlier you get the right treatment, the better the outlook.