How does generalised anxiety disorder differ from everyday feelings of worry?

Although we all experience worry and concern as part of daily life, excessive anxiety can disturb sleep, affect mood and ultimately lead to an inability to enjoy life or perform day to day functions. In this expert article, highly respected consultant psychiatrist Dr Edwin Ugoh offers detailed insight on how high levels of anxiety can become problematic and when to seek specialist advice.

How does generalised anxiety disorder differ from everyday feelings of worry?

Anxiety is quite a common problem which everybody experiences at different levels. As our individual personalities make us all quite different, this can shape how we experience anxiety and to what extent.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), however, is a different thing altogether. People suffering from GAD are very anxious about many things and all aspects of daily life may worry them. This level of anxiety is so severe that it can affect your personal functioning and your life in many ways. GAD is quite a common problem and can be seen in up to one in every twenty people in the United Kingdom.

What are the symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder?

The symptoms that we see in people suffering from GAD can be both mental and physical. In terms of mental symptoms, people often report feeling very worried and having trouble concentrating or focusing. People suffering from GAD often have difficulty sleeping, are very restless and feel tense or irritable. Although these are the most common symptoms, there are a range of other ways in which GAD can affect your mental wellbeing.

The physical symptoms of GAD can vary and may affect different parts of the body. Some people experience the feeling that they are not able to breathe normally, feel light-headed or may have palpitations while other patients may have tummy ache or tummy upset.

As I mentioned previously, not everyone who is anxious has generalised anxiety disorder. People have different personalities and may deal with worries differently. However, a person who feels anxious to a regular extent doesn’t experience problems with their general functioning, ability to go to work or enjoyment of their life. Day to day anxiety isn’t likely to affect your sleep that much or your ability to maintain relationships.

On the other hand, when anxiety starts to affect your daily life, such as your ability to work, and your overall enjoyment of life, then that could be a problem. Clearly, when this continues for a long time and begins to affect your sleep, this can impact on your mood, meaning you are more irritable and anxious and that you can no longer enjoy activities that would ordinarily make you happy. In this case, it's time to see a specialist psychiatrist for help.

How can a psychiatrist help with generalised anxiety disorder?

When you see a psychiatrist, they will take a comprehensive history of your symptoms to find out exactly what you have experienced and for how long. They will also take into account other key factors, such as important events in your life and how they may be affecting your general functioning and mental health.

We are then able to make what we call a ‘formulation’, where we look at your history and all of the relevant information to give a diagnosis. Once this has been established, the psychiatrist will be able to work with you to set up a treatment plan.

How is generalised anxiety disorder treated?

There are two main treatment approaches for generalised anxiety disorder. Psychiatrists may prescribe medication, such as antidepressants, which often work quite well for most people.

However, another approach, which is perhaps more important for patients with generalised anxiety disorder, is psychotherapy or ‘talking therapy’. There are different forms of this type of therapy but the most common is called cognitive behavioural therapy.

Oftentimes when you combine medication and talking therapy, most people suffering from generalised anxiety disorder feel better and find they are able to get back to enjoying a good quality of life and general functioning.

Ultimately, that is our principal aim as psychiatrists - to help people get back to enjoying their normal life.

If you think you would benefit from a consultation with Dr Ugoh to discuss how anxiety is impacting your life, you can schedule an appointment with him by visiting his Top Doctors profile.