Mental health complications are common for adults especially as the economy is in a state of flux. For many adults, the chronic feeling of worry creates a complication known as GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder, and can lead to life altering health complications in the long term. If you tend to worry quite often, and you are unsure if you have GAD, it is important to speak with a health care provider about the possible development of this mental health complication.
Prior to seeing a mental health specialist, you may want to consider some key aspects of your personality to determine if your worry is isolated or if it is a complication of a chronic nature. To put it simply, adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder worry constantly. They even worry about the fact that they have nothing to worry about. While anxiety and worry are a normal part of life, especially when faced with isolated situations, for adults with generalized anxiety disorder, the worry is persistent and is not tied to one particular event or person.
So, how do you know if you have GAD? For most adults the complications of generalized anxiety disorder lead to secondary health complications. If you suffer from tension headaches, feel shaky or tired when there is no substantial reason to feel so, or if you are unable to sleep or find you are sleeping too much, these could all be signs that generalized anxiety disorder is to blame. Consult with a healthcare professional to determine what treatment is appropriate.
Generalized anxiety disorder can be self-managed if you believe you have it but most adults with GAD find they are better suited when they have treatment that includes medications, therapy and even lots of rest and relaxation. If you want to try and self-treat, some of the best treatments include the rest and relaxation but you will also want to consider alternative forms of healing that include hypnotherapy, acupuncture and even Reiki therapy. All of these can take your mind off of the worry at hand and help to alleviate your anxiety.
Self-diagnosing any health condition is not recommended but oftentimes adults with generalized anxiety disorder do not seek treatment because they do not realize they suffer from a complication. If you are a persistent worrier, and you find that you worry in general about situations and people when there is no specific reason to do so, this is probably a positive self-diagnosis of chronic worry or generalized anxiety disorder for which you should receive treatment.
Sources: Psychology Today, July 2007
