Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is marked by seemingly inevitable feelings of danger and anxiety. Individuals affected by this disorder lack well developed anxiety evasion mechanisms and constantly experience extreme, uncontrollable and extreme worry about daily activities and inconsequential affairs. GAD is accompanied by fatigue, headaches, muscular tension, hot flushes, trembling, irritability, sweating, and insomnia, difficulty in concentrating, unsteadiness and fainting. These symptoms are usually consistent for 6 months. . It is estimated that approximately 6.8 American adults are affected with this disorder with women being twice as many as men.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be a disabling condition impairing the day to day functioning of individuals affected by it at personal, professional and social fronts. Patients with GAD tend to worry endlessly about their financial situation, social and professional relationships, health issues, children and security anticipating disaster.

Symptoms of Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD):

A person affected by this disorder is constantly worried about numerous daily life events or activities. This state is also known as free floating anxiety as it is not associated to any object, situation or person in particular. The worry connected with GAD is often vague and inexplicable. It is also not linked to the worry associated with other concurrent disorders such as the possibility of having a panic attack in public or inescapable situations.

• Constant feeling of restlessness or of being on the edge
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Muscular tension
• Blank mind
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Sleep disturbances
• Tension
• Tremors
• Confusion
• Fright
• Inability to recall
• Increased heart beat
• Increased sweating
• Recurrent need to urinate
• Difficulty in breathing
• Diarrhea
• Inability to control negative thoughts
• Marked fear of losing control

Characteristics of Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD):

Individuals suffering from GAD tend to be in a persistent state of tension, worry anddisseminate uneasiness.

Their mood is distinguished by high levels of negativity, chronic over arousal and a sense of uncontrollability.

Individuals with GAD experience difficulty concentrating, are unable to take decisions and are often confused. They dread making mistakes and may engage in postponing important affairs or constant checking.

These individuals show a marked alertness for possible signs of threat in their environment.