Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

The purpose of this paper is to take the case of Adrian from a DSM-IV perspective and further analyze it from a more current DSM-5 perspective. Adrian is a 39-year-old Caucasian mother of two children, a son, age 12 and a daughter, age 7. The DSM-IV case study format has given Adrian a principle diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and secondary diagnosis of social phobia. In the following paragraphs, this diagnosis will be discussed using the most recent DSM-5 criteria, other conditions to consider will be explored, the WHODAS and culture formulation interview will be utilized and examined and, lastly, a new DSM-5 diagnosis will be given.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about everyday things that is disproportionate to the actual source of worry. This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals suffering GAD typically anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, death, family problems, friend problems, relationship problems or work difficulties.[1] They often exhibit a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue, fidgeting, headaches, nausea, numbness in hands and feet, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, bouts of difficulty breathing, trembling, twitching, irritability,

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry that is not limited to one subject, situation or activity (Nevid, Rathus & Greene, 2017). People with GAD are known to worry about many things in their lives; their health, their finances, their well-being and that of their children. It is a worry that can be describe as excess and one that impairs one from functioning (Nevid, Rathus & Greene, 2017).

Preferred treatment for GAD includes medication and cognitive behavioral therapy, but more extensive therapy may be called upon in some instances of recurrence or

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States. Between 15 - 19% of the population suffers from this disorder, which impairs the quality of life and functioning (Stuart 218). What is anxiety? Abnormal Psychology describes anxiety as “an adaptive emotion that helps us plan and prepare for a possible theat.” The text book further states, “worrying about many different aspects of life becomes chronic, excessive, and unreasonable.” This is also known as generalized anxiety disorder or GAD (Butcher 201). DSM IV-TR specifies that GAD is a worry that occurs more days then not for at least 6 months, and that it must be experienced as difficult to control (Butcher 201). 25% of those that suffer from this

GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. Physical symptoms include tension, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, gastrointestinal problems, restlessness and edginess (Aikins & Craske, 2001). Excessive worry becomes a typical way of thinking and everyday problems result in a series of ''what-if'' thoughts, which eventually leads to a disastrous prediction. Because individuals with GAD are highly sensitive to threat in general, particularly when it has personal significance, they frequently observe possible threats (Barlow, 2002). In response to these anticipated dangers, fight-or-flight reactions are activated. In most anxiety disorders, it is generally clear what needs to be escaped or avoided (e.g., spiders or public speaking), but in GAD there is

Even though there are no specific statistics showing geographically how many people in each country are affected, it is estimated that “5% - 6% of teens ages 13-18 are affected by this troubling disorder, not including the teens that receive no treatment,” (“Generalized”). Youth that receive no treatment could be considered are under privileged. Meaning that they do not have the resources or are very limited to resources that could help them get the proper treatment for their disorder. Many of those adolescents are children that come from low income families, single family homes, or foster care to name a few. Foster care children however, “Find themselves in a system that is ill-equipped to provide the services they need, and that can further impede their progress towards emotional well-being,” States Lisette Austin, author of “UNLOCKING: Mental Health Services for Youth in Care.” “According to the World Health Organization, nearly 20% of children and adolescents worldwide suffer from some type of emotional or behavioral problem. . .” (“Austin”) (“Mental”). “U.S. Surgeon General reports that roughly 1 in 10 American children experience a mental illness severe enough to cause significant impairment,” (“Austin”) (“Mental”). In her article she also states from another source, Steve Hornberger, Director of Behavioral Health for CWLA, “That anywhere ranging from 40% to 85% of kids in foster care have mental health disorders, depending on what reports you read,” (“Austin”)

The main feature of (GAD) is characterized by “excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation) about a number of events or activities” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals, who are diagnosed with GAD, often have worrisome thoughts that are hard to control which inhibits them from concentrating on everyday tasks. To distinguish GAD from nonpathological anxiety, it is important to keep in mind several features. The worries associated with GAD are excessive and problematic for psychical functioning, more pervasive, pronounced and distressing, and are accompanied by physical symptoms (e.g., restlessness) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It is important to note that symptoms of GAD can be misunderstood for different reasons. Risk and prognostic factors can be temperamental, environmental, and genetic and physiological, additionally, cultural factors in the expression of GAD also need to be considered. Given the information above about GAD, it can be concluded that it is important to have treatment for such disorder in order to help individuals have

Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disorder consisting of excessive worrying, tension and nervousness. This condition can occur over and over again and if left untreated can lead to suicidal and violent thoughts in the patient. Even though there are certain triggers to the condition, the person eventually becomes so used to worrying and taking stress that they can't control the feeling. These dreadful feelings and excessive thinking eventually overtakes them and leads them into more and more depression. Consequently, the stress and anxiety interferes with the patient's ability to lead a normal life. The major symptoms of this order are motor tension, violence, autonomic hyperactivity, apprehension, and vigilance. GAD has been defined as a state of worry and anxiety that lasts for at least six months and is accompanied by any of the associative symptoms. Associative symptoms included irritability, insomnia, and fatigability.

Imagine while writing a term paper trying to figure out how to start a proper introduction, a text message is received from a loved one reading, “I am on my way home now. see you soon.” You reply, “Okay drive safe.” Moments pass and the feeling of worry slowly starts to kick in wondering if they are driving safe, if they are checking their mirrors before switching lanes, if they have their seatbelt on, and if the tires are still good on the car. Then in a matter of minutes, ‘if’ turns into ‘what if’. What if they got into an accident, hostage by terrorist, got kidnapped by mafia, and other things that are not likely to happen while on the road. This constant worry, nervousness, and tension just continuously grows and envelopes you, rendered unable to even complete normal tasks like writing this introduction. This is just a small example of what someone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder may go through on a daily business every moment during their day. The topics that are going to be covered in this paper are what is GAD and what are the signs and symptoms, how does GAD affect the ability to perform normal activities of daily living, and an overall summary with my assigned individual at SDC for his Intensive Learning Project.

Anxiety, also known as generalized anxiety disorder, is categorized by Mayo Clinic as “ongoing anxiety and worry that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities”(“Generalized”). According to Mayo Clinics article Generalized Anxiety Disorder that not only adults but also children and adolescent who have this disorder that “Your anxiety, worry or physical symptoms cause you significant distress in social, work or other areas of your life.” Everyone experiences anxiety at one point in their life it; however, becomes a disorder once it starts to interfere with the everyday life of that person. The symptoms of anxiety in adults are persistent worrying over normally insignificant details in life, overthinking, having difficulty

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disorder of shared self-reported symptoms. It goes with tension, uncontrollable worrying, sometimes muscle pain, trouble sleeping, and irritability that all together impair work ability, relations, and leisure activities. It is a common condition and there are psychological and pharmacological treatment options are available for anxiety disorders but not all patients respond to the same treatment as others. Finding a good treatment can take many months or sometimes longer. Patients just have to go through the adequate treatment trials for the right amount of time. There are six major forms of anxiety disorders, each with their own distinct symptom: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), specific phobias, and the most common generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Most anxiety disorders are treated with behavioral therapy, medication, or some combination of the two. Sometimes complementary or alternative treatments may also be helpful.

Define generalized anxiety disorder and how it differs from panic attacks, and from specific phobias. Before adulthood, we as humans often tend to experience worry or anxiety between our childhood and middle age life cycle. However, if continuously worrying too much become difficult to control one may become diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder or (GAD) is characterized by persistent, excessive, and unrealistic worry about everyday things. Such as, expecting the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern. Panic attack, on the other hand, have a small number of similarities with generalized anxiety disorder, but they’re different disorders. Panic attacks are characterized by repeated episodes of panic

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can be identified as the condition that demonstrates "persistent, high levels of anxiety and excessive worry" about one's daily life. These anxious feelings tend to reveal physical symptoms that can interfere with the patient's optimal functioning since they are constantly feeling restless or tense. According to the DSM-5, in order to properly diagnosis a patient with GAD, the patient must demonstrate the symptoms "majority of days for at least six months" and experience "significant distress or impairment in life activities." GAD is developed during one's childhood and adolescent year, gradually becoming more apparent as they mature. In the United States, GAD affects approximately 1.2 percent to 2.9 percent

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disorder in which an individual may feel persistent, excessive, and worry about everyday things that may not even happen. Individuals with this disorder may feel worry, excessive anxiety, and have thoughts of the worst even when there is no need for concern. A person experiencing GAD may expect a disaster. They may worry about their finances, money, health, family, work, or any issue that may come to mind. This disorder may be present when a person worrying increases on more days than one for at least six months. GAD can interfere with work, school, family, and even social activities. GAD can be diagnosed in adults when they experience at least three of the symptoms. These symptoms include restlessness or feeling on the edge, fatigue, difficulty focusing or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension, pain in back or headaches, and sleep disturbance (ADAA, n.d.).