Understanding
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety and worry are normal parts of life. Whether
it's a wedding, a job or even a sporting event,
people can get anxious about how things will turn
out. Moderate amounts of anxiety can often be
a great motivator which helps people optimise
their performance, for example revising for an
exam, completing a work assignment on time or
delivering an inspiring speech.
When the worry becomes persistent, unrealistic and
a habitual way of approaching situations, a person
may be suffering from generalised anxiety disorder. This disorder might mean the person always
anticipates disaster, or worries excessively about
money, health, family or work.
Unlike other anxiety disorders (such as post-traumatic
stress disorder, panic disorder, social phobia
or obsessive compulsive disorder), generalised
anxiety disorder is not related to any single
event. The key elements are persistent worry,
anxiety and tension that are unrelated to another
illness. People are usually very conscious of
the symptoms but find them difficult to control.
Typically, the symptoms will have lasted for at
least 6 months and will have disrupted personal,
social and professional life.
