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Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Worry is a normal reaction to a stressful or troubling event, and it usually goes away on its own. But what happens when the worry doesn’t go away? Some people worry all the time—even when everything is okay. They might feel like their worry is out of control or feel like they just can’t stop their worried thoughts. Others don’t notice their problem with constant worry until they feel physical signs of stress, like headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension and fatigue. We all worry sometimes. But if you seem to worry much more than other people and you worry so much that it affects the quality of your life, you may have something called generalized anxiety disorder.

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What is it?

Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is a mental illness. It belongs to a group of illnesses called anxiety disorders. People living with GAD worry much more than other people, and they worry more often than other people. They often worry about many different activities of daily life, such as their home, work, finances, family, health and the future. People living with GAD also find it hard to control or stop worrying once they start to worry. Worrying all the time can be hard on your body.  Most people living with GAD end up getting treatment for it only because the physical symptoms lead them to visit their doctors. GAD can leave you feeling tired, restless or irritable all the time. It can also make your muscles sore and make it hard for you to unwind, sleep or concentrate. GAD can also cause stomach problems, headaches and other physical health problems.

Day-to-day worries are a normal part of life. In fact, some worry is actually a good thing. Normal worry tells us when we might be in trouble or when something might be wrong. If we didn’t worry at all, we’d probably have a hard time getting out of bed and off to work.  It’s also perfectly normal to feel more worried than usual if you’re experiencing a stressful or difficult event like losing your job.

Worry becomes generalized anxiety disorder when it’s an extreme reaction to daily life, when it’s difficult to control, when it happen most days for several months and when the constant worry affects your body and your life. Many people with GAD say they can’t remember the last time they felt relaxed. The disorder can last for a long time, though symptoms may feel better or worse at times.

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Could I have generalized anxiety disorder?

I feel like I worry a lot more than most other people doOnce my worry starts, I have a hard time stopping itI worry even when everything is okay—for example, I worry about getting sick even though my doctor says I’m healthyMy body shows signs of worry: my heart races, my palms get sweaty or my muscles feel tenseI feel restless or fidgety; I find it hard to sit stillI’m irritable and get upset easilyI have trouble sleeping; I feel tired all the timeIt’s very hard for me to concentrate or make decisions—even minor decisionsI have a lot of fearful thoughts about the futureIf you have some of these symptoms and they last for a long time, talk to a doctor or mental health professional.

Who does it affect?

Generalized anxiety disorder affects between 5% and 6% of people at some point in their life. GAD often starts sometime between late childhood and early adulthood, though it’s not uncommon for it to begin much later in life.  Children may also be diagnosed with GAD. In children, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can look like GAD, so a mental health professional will carefully look at where the child’s worry is coming from before they make a diagnosis.

There are some groups of people at higher risk of getting the disorder:

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What can I do about it?

Generalized anxiety disorder is usually treated with a combination of counselling, medication and self-help.

Self-guided CBT may be helpful if you have mild to moderate GAD symptoms. Self-guided CBT means you work through CBT exercises by yourself. You can learn more about self-guided CBT from your family doctor or mental health practitioner.

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Where do I go from here?

In addition to talking to your family doctor, check out the resources below for more information about generalized anxiety disorder:

AnxietyBC
Visit www.anxietybc.com or call 604-525-7566 for information, tools, and community resources on anxiety.

BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information
Visit www.heretohelp.bc.ca for the Anxiety Disorders Toolkit, more info sheets and personal stories about anxiety disorders. The Toolkit is full of information, tips and self-tests to help you understand generalized anxiety disorder.

Resources available in many languages:
*For each service below, if English is not your first language, say the name of your preferred language in English to be connected to an interpreter. More than 100 languages are available.

HealthLink BC
Call 811 or visit www.healthlinkbc.ca to access free, non-emergency health information for anyone in your family, including mental health information. Through 811, you can also speak to a registered nurse about symptoms you’re worried about, or talk with a pharmacist about medication questions.

Crisis lines aren’t only for people in crisis. You can call for information on local services or if you just need someone to talk to. If you are in distress, call 310-6789 (do not add 604, 778 or 250 before the number) 24 hours a day to connect to a BC crisis line, without a wait or busy signal. The crisis lines linked in through 310-6789 have received advanced training in mental health issues and services by members of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information.

© 2014

This info sheet was prepared by CMHA BC Division on behalf of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information and HeretoHelp. Funding was provided by BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. For more resources visit HeretoHelp.bc.ca.DOWNLOAD (PDF)

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