Page last reviewed: 19 December Next review due: 19 December Home Mental health Mental health conditions Generalised anxiety disorder in adults Back to Generalised anxiety disorder in adults.
Overview - Generalised anxiety disorder in adults. During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal. Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions, including: panic disorder phobias , such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD social anxiety disorder social phobia The information in this section is about a specific condition called generalised anxiety disorder GAD. Information: Coronavirus advice Get advice about coronavirus and looking after your mental wellbeing: Every Mind Matters: how to look after your mental wellbeing while staying at home Mind: Coronavirus and your wellbeing.
Treatment and support are available for you. Your doctor can offer you treatment. What you are given will depend on your symptoms and how severe they are. Need more advice? If you need more advice or information you can contact our Advice and Information Service. Contact us Contact us. About What are anxiety disorders? Physical symptoms of anxiety can include: sweating, heavy and fast breathing, hot flushes or blushing, dry mouth, shaking, hair loss, fast heartbeat, extreme tiredness or lack of energy dizziness and fainting, and stomach aches and sickness.
Anxiety can lead to depression if left untreated. Ali's story. This section provides an overview of the most common types of anxiety disorders. Panic disorder You will have regular panic attacks with no particular trigger if you have panic disorder. Panic disorder symptoms can include the following.
An overwhelming sense of dread or fear. Chest pain or a sensation that your heart is beating irregularly. Feeling that you might be dying or having a heart attack. Sweating and hot flushes or chills and shivering. A dry mouth, shortness of breath or choking sensation. Nausea, dizziness and feeling faint.
Numbness, pins and needles or a tingling sensation in your fingers. A need to go to the toilet. A churning stomach.
Ringing in your ears. You may also dissociate during a panic attack. Such as feeling detached from yourself. Social anxiety disorder Social anxiety disorder is sometimes known as social phobia.
Some common situations where you may experience anxiety are the following. Speaking in public or in groups. Meeting new people or strangers. Eating or drinking in public. You may be worried that you will do something or act in a way that is embarrassing. Phobias A phobia is an overwhelming fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal. Common examples of phobias include the following. Animal phobias. Such spiders, snakes or rodents.
Environmental phobias. Such as heights and germs. Situational phobias. Such as going to the dentist. Body phobias. Such as blood or being sick. Sexual phobias. Such as performance anxiety. This could be the following: Leaving your home. Being in public spaces. Using public transport. Being in crowded spaces. An obsession is an unwelcome thought or image that you keep thinking about and is largely out of your control.
These can be difficult to ignore. These thoughts can be disturbing, which can make you feel distressed and anxious. A compulsion is something you think about or do repeatedly to relieve anxiety. This can be hidden or obvious.
Such as saying a phrase in your head to calm yourself. Or checking that the front door is locked. Skin-picking Skin picking is medically known as dermatillomania.
Hair pulling Hair pulling is medically known as trichotillomania. Your doctor will look at the following to diagnose your condition. You repeatedly pull your hair out, causing noticeable hair loss You feel increasing tension before you pull your hair out You feel relief or pleasure when you have pulled your hair out There are no underlying illnesses, such as a skin condition, causing you to pull your hair out Pulling your hair out affects your everyday life or causes you distress.
Health anxiety You may have health anxiety if you spend a lot of time worrying about if you are ill. You may: worry that your doctor has missed something, check your body a lot for signs of illness, constantly worry about your health, spend a lot of time asking people if they think you are ill, spend a lot of time looking at health information on the internet, on the tv or in newspapers, or act as if you were ill.
You may spend a large amount of time doing the following: Staring at your face or body in the mirror. Covering yourself with lots of makeup. Thinking about plastic surgery when you do not need it.
What causes anxiety disorders? Your doctor will look at different things when deciding on your treatment such as the following. Your diagnosis and symptoms. What options you have tried already. Your goals and preferences. Any other conditions you have. IAPT should be available in your area. You can often self-refer or ask your GP to refer you. Choice and managing problems by clicking here. Talking therapies by clicking here.
How are anxiety disorders treated? You can find more information about treatments for: Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD by clicking here. Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD by clicking here.
You will be supported by a trained professional A written or electronic information based on cognitive behavioural therapy principles. Instructions to work through the material over at least 6 weeks.
Very brief support from a therapist such as a 5-minute telephone conversation. Individual guided self-help You should: get written or electronic materials, be supported by a trained professional, who delivers the self-help programme and reviews progress and outcomes, and get support to use the materials, either face-to-face or over the telephone.
Your learning should: be based on CBT, get you involved, include presentations from a trained professional, include self-help manuals, have 1 therapist to about 12 people, and usually be 6 weekly sessions, each lasting 2 hours.
A trained therapist will teach you different techniques to manage your situation. You can get more information about: Talking therapies by clicking here. Antidepressants by clicking here. Benzodiazepines by clicking here.
Complementary and alternative therapies by clicking here. Unhappy with treatment What if I am not happy with my treatment?
If you are not happy with your treatment you can: talk to your doctor about your treatment options, ask for a second opinion, get an advocate to help you speak to your doctor, contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service PALS and see whether they can help, or make a complaint. There is more information about these options below. Treatment options You should first speak to your doctor about your treatment. Second opinion A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have.
Advocacy An advocate is independent from the mental health service. They give information and support to patients. You can find out more about: Medication.
Second opinions by clicking here. Advocacy by clicking here. Complaining about the NHS or social services by clicking here. Managing symptoms What can I do to manage my symptoms? However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations.
Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes panic attacks. These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. You may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood. Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder social phobia , specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder.
You can have more than one anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety results from a medical condition that needs treatment. Your worries may not go away on their own, and they may get worse over time if you don't seek help. See your doctor or a mental health provider before your anxiety gets worse. It's easier to treat if you get help early.
The causes of anxiety disorders aren't fully understood. Life experiences such as traumatic events appear to trigger anxiety disorders in people who are already prone to anxiety. Inherited traits also can be a factor. For some people, anxiety may be linked to an underlying health issue. In some cases, anxiety signs and symptoms are the first indicators of a medical illness.
These physical symptoms are frightening, leading to further anxiety and panic. But by breathing deeply from the diaphragm, you can reverse these symptoms and calm yourself down. The technique involves systematically tensing and then releasing different muscle groups in your body.
As your body relaxes, your mind will follow. Research shows that mindfulness meditation can actually change your brain. With regular practice, meditation boosts activity on the left side of the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for feelings of serenity and joy.
A healthy, balanced lifestyle plays a big role in keeping the symptoms of GAD at bay. In addition to regular exercise and relaxation, try adopting these other lifestyle habits to tackle chronic anxiety and worry:.
Get enough sleep. Anxiety and worry can cause insomnia , as anyone whose racing thoughts have kept them up at night can attest. But lack of sleep can also contribute to anxiety.
Improve your sleep at night by changing any daytime habits or bedtime routines that can contribute to sleeplessness. Limit caffeine. Stop drinking or at least cut back on caffeinated beverages, including soda, coffee, and tea. Caffeine is a stimulant that can trigger all kinds of jittery physiological effects that look and feel a lot like anxiety—from pounding heart and trembling hands to agitation and restlessness.
Caffeine can also make GAD symptoms worse, cause insomnia, and even trigger panic attacks. Avoid alcohol and nicotine. Having a few drinks may temporarily help you feel less anxious, but alcohol actually makes anxiety symptoms worse as it wears off.
While it may seem like cigarettes are calming, nicotine is actually a powerful stimulant that leads to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety. Eat right. Going too long without eating leads to low blood sugar—which can make you feel anxious and irritable—so start the day right with breakfast and continue with regular meals. Eat plenty of fruits, and vegetables, which stabilize blood sugar and boost serotonin, a neurotransmitter with calming effects.
Reduce the amount of refined carbs and sugar you eat, too. Sugary snacks and desserts cause blood sugar to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling emotionally and physically drained. CBT examines distortions in our ways of looking at the world and ourselves. Your therapist will help you identify automatic negative thoughts that contribute to your anxiety.
CBT involves learning about generalized anxiety disorder. It also teaches you how to distinguish between helpful and unhelpful worry. An increased understanding of your anxiety encourages a more accepting and proactive response to it. You learn to monitor your anxiety, including what triggers it, the specific things you worry about, and the severity and length of a particular episode.
This helps you get perspective, as well as track your progress. Physical control strategies. Cognitive control strategies teach you to realistically evaluate and alter the thinking patterns that contribute to generalized anxiety disorder. As you challenge these negative thoughts, your fears will begin to subside. Behavioral strategies. Instead of avoiding situations you fear, CBT teaches you to tackle them head on.
By focusing on your fears without trying to avoid or escape them, you will feel more in control and less anxious. Medication for GAD is generally recommended only as a temporary measure to relieve symptoms at the beginning of the treatment process, with therapy as the key to long-term success.
This anti-anxiety drug, known by the brand name Buspar, is generally considered to be the safest drug for generalized anxiety disorder. Although buspirone will take the edge off, it will not entirely eliminate anxiety. These anti-anxiety drugs act very quickly usually within 30 minutes to an hour , but physical and psychological dependence are common after more than a few weeks of use.
They are generally recommended only for severe, paralyzing episodes of anxiety. Some antidepressants can also exacerbate sleep problems and cause nausea or other side effects.
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