Understanding the Cause of 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 generalized anxiety disorder are unable to stop worrying about everyday events and situations, and may become overly concerned with money, work, school, health or their families. They spend their days in constant worry or anxiety over certain situations, and they often end up feeling worn out, depressed, sad, and cannot enjoy relationships or 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".
Aside from genetics, generalized anxiety disorder may also have an environmental aspect. All people may feel fear and anxiety when they experience stressful events, such as losing a loved one, losing a job, being abused and dealing with divorce. People can overcome fear and anxiety but these feelings can remain in a person's psyche if they are unable to address it. Some may constantly relapse into a fear or anxious state whenever they experience stress. MedicineNet.com states that many people make the situation worse by resorting to eating food, and taking in nicotine or caffeine to handle their feelings.
The neurochemical composition of the brain is also seen as a cause of generalized anxiety disorder. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters are linked with anxiety disorders. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that relay signals in the brain and an imbalance of it can affect the type of signals the brain is sending and receiving. This can translate to a slightly stressful situation triggering an intense fear response in a person. The person then will start to associate fear with that situation. This happens because the brain is producing the wrong signals so the person has a distorted perception of the situation.
Brain chemicals can be balanced by following a specific diet and developing a healthy lifestyle. In rare cases, medication or natural supplements may be prescribed. Just remember that GAD is common and women are more likely to experience its symptoms 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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