Читать книгу Anxiety Toolbox: The Complete Fear-Free Plan - Gloria Thomas - Страница 18

General Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by consistent, chronic worry. The American Psychiatric Association has described the condition as excessive anxiety and worry occurring for a minimum of six months. It is estimated that between 2 and 5 per cent of the population of the UK suffer from GAD, while in the US it is estimated there are around four million sufferers. GAD affects both men and women, although statistics show that a considerably higher percentage of women suffer the disorder. Genetics can play a part in GAD, though childhood and life experiences seem to be the bigger contributor.

GAD is a non-specific anxiety, therefore it is not often possible to pinpoint where its roots lie. Excessive worry seems to be present in relation to absolutely everything in life – health, money, job, relationships and even worry about worry itself. With this kind of worry – often referred to as ‘meta’ worry – life becomes distorted with anxieties about everything. Day-to-day concerns, such as turning up on time for appointments or obsessing over something said or done, are often compounded by daily events on the news and events on a global level, such as the terrorist attack at the world trade centre.

With GAD, worries start internally; the individual starts with negative, limiting and often irrational thoughts about themselves, which develop into an exhausting spiral of negative internal dialogue. Experiences become exaggerated out of all proportion, as the anxiety is always more intense than the situations ever warrant. To make matters worse, not only does the individual with GAD worry about himself or herself, they also worry for their loved ones and anyone else around them.

GAD, at its extreme, escalates to the extent that it causes crippling distress to the sufferer. It can last for weeks or months and seem never ending. To the worrier, it feels as if there are threatening situations and disasters around every corner. If you experience this sort of anxiety excessively then you are likely to suffer other physical symptoms, such as general aches and pains, headaches, light-headedness, nausea, lack of concentration, memory loss and sleeping difficulties, all of which can then create even more anxiety. Like all anxieties, you can suffer from GAD to varying degrees.