By Frank Hague
There are several subgroups of Anxiety Disorders, with different causes and treatment.

Anxiety disorders are a serious social and financial concern to American business, since they cost the country more than $42 billion a year in healthcare costs and lost productivity, according to “The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders,” a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

More than $22.84 billion is spent on healthcare services, as those with anxiety disorders seek relief for emotional distress and physical symptoms.

Sufferers are 300 to 500 percent more likely to go to the doctor and 600 percent more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than non-sufferers.

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric illness and affect both children and adults. They develop from an interaction of numerous risk factors, including personality, genetics, brain chemistry, and life stress.

Approximately 19 million adult Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only about one-third of those suffering from them receive treatment.

The main feature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive, unrealistic and uncontrollable worry about everyday events. This constant worry affects daily functioning and brings physical symptoms.

GAD can occur with other anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, or substance abuse. It can be misdiagnosed because it lacks some of the dramatic symptoms, such as unprovoked attacks of panic, that are seen with other anxiety disorders.

For a diagnosis to be made, uncontrollable worrying occur more days than not for at least 6 months.

The focus of GAD is fluid, shifting unpredictably from job issues, finances, health of both self and family, and smaller issues such as chores, car repairs and being late for appointments.

The intensity, duration and frequency of the worry are disproportionate to the issue and interferes with the sufferer’s daily life.

Physical symptoms can include muscle tension, sweating, gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and/or nausea, cold and clammy palms, the feeling of having a “lump in the throat” and difficulty swallowing. Sufferers are irritable and complain about feeling on edge, tire easily tired and have trouble sleeping.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by persistent, recurring thoughts (obsessions) that reflect exaggerated anxiety or fears; typical obsessions include worry about being contaminated or fears of behaving improperly or acting violently.

The obsessions may cause the individual to perform a rituals or routines to relieve the anxiety, such as excessive handwashing, checking appliances, repeating phrases or hoarding.

People with Panic Disorder suffer severe acute attacks of panic for no apparant reason, which may mimic the symptoms of a heart attack or cause them to feel they are losing their minds. Symptoms include heart palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, sweating, trembling, tingling sensations, feeling of choking, fear of dying, fear of losing control, and feelings of unreality.

Panic disorder is often accompanied by agoraphobia, in which people are afraid of having a panic attack in a public place, so they become afraid to leave the safety of their controlled home environment. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can follow a traumatic event such as a sexual or physical assault, witnessing a death, the unexpected death of a loved one, or natural disaster.

There are three main symptoms associated with PTSD: “reliving” of the traumatic event (such as flashbacks and nightmares); avoidance behaviors (such as avoiding places and other reminders related to the trauma) and emotional numbing (detachment from others); and physiological arousal such difficulty sleeping, irritability or poor concentration.

Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by severe anxiety about being judged by others or behaving in a way that might bring ridicule or embarrassment.

This intense anxiety may lead to extreme shyness and avoidance of social situations. Physical symptoms associated with this disorder include faintness, heart palpitations, blushing and profuse sweating.

Anxiety disorders also include Specific Phobias, an intense and unreasonable fear of specific objects or situations, such as spiders, dogs, or heights. The disproportionate level of fear is recognized by the sufferer as being irrational.

It can lead to the avoidance of common, everyday situations. Patients often have more than one anxiety disorder, and sometimes other illness as well such as depression or substance abuse.

Treatment of anxiety disorders includes support groups, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, anxiety management and relaxation techniques, and psychotherapy. Drugs therapy used to treat anxiety disorders includes benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and beta-blockers.

Often a combination of the two therapies is more useful than one exclusively. Up to 90 percent of patients will show improvement of their symptom from medical treatment.

About the Author
Author is Frank Hague who is very interested in anxiety and how to treat it. Check out the website: http://www.anxiety-now.info

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by Jocelyn Snider

Generalized anxiety disorder is diagnosed if symptoms are present in most days than not for more than six moths.

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the common anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the term covering several different forms of abnormal, pathological anxiety, fear, phobia and nervous condition, which may come on all of a sudden or gradually, over a period of several years and may impair or prevent the pursuing of normal daily routines.

The essential characteristic of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is excessive uncontrollable worry about everyday things. This constant worry affects daily functioning and can cause physical symptoms. GAD is usually difficult to diagnose for it lacks some of the dramatic symptoms, like unprovoked panic attacks, that are seen with other anxiety disorders. To be able to diagnose Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms must be present more days than not for at least 6 months.

The diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms are:

- Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehension), occurring more days than not for a period of at least 6 months, about numerous events or activities.

-The person with GAD finds it hard to control the worry.

-The anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms, with at least some symptoms are present for more than 6 months in most days than not (at least one is required for children):

-restlessness or feeling tense or on the edge

-easily fatigued

-difficulty concentrating or mind going blank

-irritability

-muscle tension and muscle aches

-difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep

-difficulty swallowing -trembling, sweating

-nausea, light-headedness

-feeling out of breath

The focus of anxiety and worry is not limited to, or the anxiety or worry is not about having a panic attack, being embarrassed in the public, being contaminated, gaining weight, having multiple physical complaints, or having a serious illness, and the anxiety, and worry do not occur exclusively during post traumatic disorder.

The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of everyday activities.

The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effect of substance, such as alcohol and drug abuse, or medical condition, and does not occur exclusively during a mood disorder, a psychotic disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder.

When the anxiety level of people with GAD is mild, they can still function socially and keep a job. Even if they don’t avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, they may have difficulty doing the simplest daily activities if there anxiety is severe. The disorder comes on gradually and can begin at any age, but the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is commonly treated with medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Several drugs are used to treat anxiety disorders and these include: benzodiazepines and antidepressants, and Quetiapine.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-generalized-anxiety-disorder-752346.html

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-generalized-anxiety-disorder-752346.html

About the Author
Learn about  social anxiety treatment  and  how to control anxiety  at the  Health And Nutrition  site.