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Generalized Anxiety Disorder

People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are chronic worriers. When they think of different areas of their lives -- health, money, family, career -- they are drawn to imagine what could go wrong. Sometimes the source of the worry is hard to pinpoint. They are unable to shake off their excessive fretting.

If you have GAD you often feel tense, restless, keyed up or on edge. You may have difficulty falling or staying asleep.The wear-and-tear may make you irritable or depressed. 

People with GAD try to avoid uncertainty, get around it, or eliminate it in a variety of ways. This is a taxing, tiring, and sometimes futile strategy. Moreover, many chronic worriers believe that worry is actually useful and are reluctant to give it up.

GAD usually begins prior to adulthood and is more common in women than men. Symptoms tend to wax and wane.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “cognitive behavior therapy is especially useful for treating GAD. It teaches a person different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to situations that help him or her feel less anxious and worried.”

Therapy for Anxiety, OCD, and Hoarding | Dan Kalb, PhD