What Is An Anxiety Disorder?

If you are dealing with an anxiety disorder, you know just how far reaching the effects of this condition can be. Anxiety disorders can come on at any time of life and affect children as well as adults. Generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorder all belong to the general category of anxiety disorders. In this article, we will take a closer look at just one anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and discuss the symptoms, causes and treatment options available.


Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by constant worry about issues of all shapes and sizes. The constant influx of worry leads to both physical and psychological tension that makes it difficult to get a good night\\\'s rest. Worries can also lead to other physical symptoms, including stomach disorders like nausea and diarrhea. In addition, people with generalized anxiety disorder may have to deal with consistent muscle tension, chronic back and neck pain and frequent headaches as a result.


Medical professionals are still unsure of precisely what causes generalized anxiety disorder. With many patients seeking medications for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, most medical professionals believe that brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine may play a role in its onset. Other factors that may play a part in this diagnosis include environmental factors and genetics, since the disorder tends to run in families. Another possible contributor appears to be a particularly stressful event or time of life, since the condition is often preceded by such an occasion.


While the cause is still uncertain, there are now treatment options that can affectively control the symptoms so patients can enjoy a higher quality of life. Most doctors will begin by prescribing a medication that is similar to the ones used to effectively treat other psychological disorders like depression. These medications include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Paxil, which are effectively used for this purpose. While SSRIs are effective for the majority of generalized anxiety disorder patients, they do not work for everyone and doctors have other medication options to try for these patients.


Many anxiety patients find that the medications work best when they are combined with regular psychotherapy sessions. Psychotherapy helps patients alter their thought processes so they can relieve the tension and anxiety that results from constant worry and fear. The doctor who leads these psychotherapy sessions is most frequently a psychiatrist or psychologist trained in treating anxiety disorders. When the right medication is combined with effective psychotherapy sessions, the result is usually as reduction of symptoms and a higher quality of life for the patient.