Updates on Anxiety
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by chronic, excessive worry that lasts most days for at least six months. People with GAD often worry about multiple areas of life — such as finances, relationships, health, or work — and find it difficult to control the worry, even when they recognize it may be out of proportion to the actual risk.
What is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
Along with persistent worry, people with GAD may feel:
- Restless or on edge
- Easily fatigued
- Irritable
- Tense in their muscles
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
Many of these symptoms overlap with those of depression, so it's important to work with a skilled therapist to clarify the diagnosis.
GAD differs from:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), where recurring intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) are central.
- Panic disorder, which involves sudden panic attacks — intense episodes of fear or discomfort with physical symptoms like heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, or fear of losing control.
What causes GAD?
Anxiety can arise from a combination of:
- Biological and genetic factors
- Family background and early experiences
- Conditioning (learned responses to stress)
- Recent stressors
- Personal beliefs and self-talk
Certain traits can perpetuate anxiety, including perfectionism, a strong need for approval, excessive need for control, and difficulty recognizing signs of stress. Growing up in an environment with abuse, neglect, or shaming can also increase vulnerability to anxiety.
When should I consider psychotherapy?
There are many self-help strategies that can help manage anxiety:
- Regular exercise
- Healthy eating habits
- Daily relaxation, meditation, or deep breathing
- Expressing emotions rather than suppressing them
- Challenging critical self-talk and unhelpful beliefs
If these strategies aren't enough, psychotherapy can provide deeper and longer-lasting relief.
- Short-term therapy (6–20 sessions) can help you develop tools to manage anxiety and explore its roots.
- Long-term therapy (a year or more) can help uncover deeper emotional patterns and build lasting resilience.
Both individual and group therapy can be effective. Individual therapy provides personalized insight and support, while group therapy offers the opportunity to explore how relationships affect anxiety and to experience mutual support.
Should I consider medication?
Many people with GAD find that psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, and support are enough. But when anxiety significantly interferes with daily functioning — or when symptoms like panic attacks, obsessions, or depression are present — medication can be a valuable part of treatment. While medication doesn't address the underlying causes of anxiety, it can provide stability that allows other approaches to work more effectively. The decision to take medication is best made in collaboration with your therapist and physician.
Many people find this workbook very helpful:
Bourne, E. J. (2020). The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook (7th ed.). New Harbinger Publications.