|
Everybody worries from time to time. It is considered
to be a normal part of life. But when worry starts
to interfere with your life, then you might have a
condition called Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a condition
whereby you experience chronic and debilitating anxiety
and/or worry. The amount of time that you spend
worrying is usually out of proportion to the likelihood
that whatever you are worrying about would actually
happen. Your worry, however, affects your ability to
function in important areas of your life like work,
home, school and your personal relationships. In addition,
you also may experience a lot of physical symptoms
that are related to the worry. Unlike some of the other
anxiety disorders, however, you don’t necessarily
experience panic attacks, nor have phobias or obsessions
(although you still might experience them). In short,
you worry and you can’t seem to stop.
The following are some of the physical symptoms that
you are likely to experience if you have Generalized
Anxiety Disorder:
- Feeling restless or keyed up
- Difficulty concentrating
- Being easily fatigued
- Feeling irritable
- Experiencing muscle tension
- Having sleep difficulties
- Gastrointestinal discomfort
including nausea and diarrhea
- Sweating
In order to be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety
Disorder you must spend most of your days during a
six month period or
more, worrying and focusing on at least two main types
of life circumstances- these could be finances or health,
your children, other relationships or work performance
etc. The worry must also cause you significant
distress in your life.
If you think you may have Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
speak to your family physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
|
