23 years
General question; How can we help someone who is very worried about something that is not even there? Depression is on their way.
Aug 11, 2014
Addressing GAD (i.e., making the correct diagnosis and giving the right tretament) requires professional help, like a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist
It is normal to be concerned or worry about issues like health, money, or family problems, but people with GAD are worry excessively or in an exaggerated manner about these or other things, even when there’s no need to worry. Such individuals are very anxious to the extent that worrying at times interferes with their daily functioning.
GAD develops gradually, often beginning during the teen years or young adulthood. Symptoms fluctuate between better or worse, and are exacerbated by stress.
GAD can be familial, but the exact cause of it has not been yet determined. Research revealed that several parts of the brain are involved in fear and anxiety; it also suggests that the extreme worries of GAD may be a way for a person to avoid or ignore some deeper concern in their sub-consciousness. If the person deals with this concern, then the worries of GAD would also disappear.
Signs &symptoms of GAD:
• Excessive worrying about everyday things
• Inability to control constant worries
• The person is aware that they worry much more than they should
• Trouble relaxing
• Difficulty in maintaining concentration
• Easily startled
• Sleeping problems: in initiating sleep or maintaining it
• Feeling fatigued all the time
• Headaches, muscle aches, stomach aches, or unexplained pains
• Difficulty swallowing
• Tremble or twitch (tremors)
• Irritability, increased sweating, feeling light-headed or out of breath
• Going to the bathroom frequently.
Treatment:
GAD is generally treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both.
Psychotherapy. A type of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is especially useful for treating GAD. It coaches the affected person to adopt different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to situations that help him or her feel less anxious and worried.
Medication. Doctors also may prescribe medication; two types of medications are commonly used to treat GAD: anti-anxiety (anxiolytics) medications and antidepressants. Anti-anxiety medications are powerful and there are different types. These side effects are usually not severe, especially if dosage is slowly increased over time.
Antidepressants, usually used to treat depression, can be helpful for GAD. They may take several weeks to kick in. These medications have more side effects than anxiolytics such as headache, nausea, or difficulty sleeping. These side effects are usually tolerated by most patients, especially if the dose starts off low and is increased slowly over time.
The downside of antidepressants is that most may induce suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. Anyone taking antidepressants should be monitored closely, especially when they first start treatment.
Some people do better with CBT, while others do better with medication. Still others do best with a combination of the two.
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