Key Causes of Common Anxiety Disorders
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People who feel overly worried or anxious daily might be suffering from generalized anxiety disorder or GAD. Symptoms include extreme anxiety or worry about normal situations. Around 4 million adult Americans are estimated to suffer from GAD each year.
People with GAD are anxious about everyday situations and may agonize over money matters, work or school responsibilities, their health and the safety of their family. As a result, people afflicted with GAD have high stress levels, are often depressed or gloomy and rarely participate in social activities.
The root cause of this disorder is still unknown to us. Based on doctors and researchers work however, there seems to be several factors that play a role in the development of generalized anxiety disorder. Number one on their list is heredity. It seems that an individual is more likely to suffer from GAD if his or her parents were constant "worriers".
The environment is another factor in the development of GAD. Highly stressful events such as abuse, divorce, death of a loved one, or losing a job can cause intense anxiety, fear or terror. These feelings can worsen or linger on if they are left unaddressed. A person may subconsciously replay these feelings whenever they are stressed, and this just leads to a cycle of anxiety. According to MedicineNet.com, a lot of people make the situation worse by relying on food, nicotine, or caffeine to deal with their negative emotions.
Finally, brain chemistry may play a role in the development of generalized anxiety disorder. People who have anxiety problems typically have abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, which can effect the types of messages the brain is sending or receiving. This means the person may be experiencing a fear response from only a mildly stressful situation, and will start to link the mildly stressful situation to that negative experience. In reality, the brain is just sending the wrong type of message to the body, so the person perceives what is happening to them in the wrong way.
Correcting neurotransmitter imbalances is possible by eating certain foods and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In some extreme cases, medication or natural supplements may also be recommended. It's important to understand that generalized anxiety disorder is quite common, and more women experience the symptoms and effects of this disorder than men.
Genes and past experiences may not be altered but we can still control our lifestyle to lessen the effects of anxiety disorders. We can choose to have a nutritious diet, exercise regularly, get plenty of rest and deal with stress in a healthy way to prevent feelings of anxiety and worry. Lifestyle and behavior modification may be the most effective method to stop the symptoms of GAD from interfering with the daily live of millions of people.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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