General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Home » General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) » Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Generally, people suffering from GAD are chronically tense, anxious, or consumed with worry. They may experience the following symptoms:

• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Irritability
• Lack of focus
• Sleep deprivation

Course
GAD often develops during adolescence, although patients usually do not seek treatment until adulthood. After seeking treatment, many people claim to have felt anxious, nervous, or overly worried their whole lives. Onset after age 20 is less common.

In most people, GAD is a lifelong disorder. Symptoms typically worsen during times of stress and improve during times of stability. Depression and panic may develop in people with anxiety. As many as 25% of people with GAD are eventually diagnosed with panic disorder, and 40% with depression. Alcohol and drug abuse often develop when people attempt to use these substances to manage anxiety. Despite depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, the suicide rate is low among patients with GAD.

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Resources

	Join Our Anxiety Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted. June 1st is National Cancer Survivors Day Share your survival story and help others in the fight against cancer. Read cancer survivor stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
Are you interested in becoming a nurse? Take this test. Advertising Disclaimer To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer