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This paper discusses generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), including causes, treatments, and personal experiences with the disorder. GAD is characterized by excessive, disproportionate anxiety about multiple aspects of life. While occasional worry is normal, those with GAD experience constant worry about minor issues. GAD can range from mild to severely impairing daily life. Potential causes include genetics, traumatic life events, medical conditions, and personality traits like shyness. Treatments include medication, therapy to learn coping strategies, or a combination. The author and their father both struggle with GAD and find therapy and medication help manage symptoms.

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333 views7 pages

Research Paper

This paper discusses generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), including causes, treatments, and personal experiences with the disorder. GAD is characterized by excessive, disproportionate anxiety about multiple aspects of life. While occasional worry is normal, those with GAD experience constant worry about minor issues. GAD can range from mild to severely impairing daily life. Potential causes include genetics, traumatic life events, medical conditions, and personality traits like shyness. Treatments include medication, therapy to learn coping strategies, or a combination. The author and their father both struggle with GAD and find therapy and medication help manage symptoms.

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api-242499715
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© © All Rights Reserved
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You are on page 1/ 7

Aubrey Grygla

Marci Campbell
Psychology 1010
June 6, 2016

Generalized Anxiety Disorder


Introduction
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a psychological disorder
characterized by an excessive or disproportionate anxiety about several
aspects of life. Generalized anxiety disorder affects a large number of people
and is one of the most common disorders that affect people. This paper will
discuss the causes of generalized anxiety, treatments and ways to cope as
well as living with anxiety and the daily struggles

Literature review
It is very common for people to worry about things from time to time
but people that have Generalized Anxiety Disorder are in a constant state of
worry and they often worry about miniscule things that dont seem like a big
deal to others.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be anywhere from mild to life altering.
Some people with GAD can live a normal life and cope with their anxiety
where others have a hard time functioning on a day to day basis. Many

people with GAD struggle in work or school settings, they can suffer from
panic attacks that can prevent them from doing day to day activities.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM) the symptoms for Generalized Anxiety Disorder can include: Muscle
tension, irritability, Fatigue, Edginess, restlessness and sleeping difficulties.
People that suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder can often suffer from
other types of mental disorders including; other types of anxiety like social
anxiety, or depression.
Research has not shown an exact cause for Generalized Anxiety
Disorder, there are many common factors that can contribute to a person
developing anxiety. According to the Mayo Clinic someone that is shy or has
a timid personality could be more likely to develop Generalized Anxiety
Disorder. Genetics can also play a role in whether you have GAD or not.
People with a close relative that has GAD are more like to develop it in their
life than someone who has no family history of GAD. Gender is not a cause of
Generalized Anxiety Disorder but it is more commonly found in woman than
men. Women are twice as likely to develop GAD in their lifetime. GAD can
also be caused by a traumatic event in a persons life or serious stress.
There are many treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Most
people will start with a visit to their general practitioner which often leads to
treatment with medication. Medication can help treat anxiety but it can also
make it worse. Some anxiety medications will cause depression or other

symptoms that are just as hard to function with as GAD. Therapy is another
treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. A therapist can help a person
learn to recognize early signs of anxiety and teach them ways to cope or
calm down once the anxiety is full on. A lot of patients will use a
combination of medications and therapy to live a normal life with their GAD.
I have had a lot of experience with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in my
life. My father was misdiagnosed with depression as a teen and as an adult
he was diagnosed with GAD. He struggled for many years trying to
understand why he always felt panicked to go to work or scared that
something dangerous would happen to everyone around him. Once he was
correctly diagnosed with anxiety he tried many courses of treatment and has
now found a way to cope with his anxiety on a day to day basis. While he still
has days where his anxiety is uncontrollable he is able to deal with his
worries.
I have also been diagnosed with GAD as well as Social Anxiety. I
developed this after I had finished high school so when I started college I
really struggled to deal with not only the normal anxieties of collage but also
the stress of having Generalized Anxiety Disorder as well.

Conclusion
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a very common mental illness and
there are many different types, treatments and symptoms that go along with
it. There has been a lot of research and thoughts on how to deal with anxiety

but there is always more to learn. People that dont suffer from GAD often
dont understand the struggle that people with GAD have to deal with. Since
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common mental illnesses it
is something people should educate themselves on. Understanding how
people with GAD function can make it easier not only for the person with
GAD but for the people that have to work with them on a daily basis.

References
(American Psychological Assoc.)
References
Roberge, P., Normand-Lauzire, F., Raymond, I., Luc,
M., Tanguay-Bernard, M., Duhoux, A., & ...
Fournier, L. (2015). Generalized anxiety
disorder in primary care: mental health services
use and treatment adequacy. BMC Family
Practice, 161-11. doi:10.1186/s12875-0150358-y
NIMH RSS
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxietydisorders/index.shtml

Risk factors
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxietydisorder/basics/risk-factors/con-20024562

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