Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms and Diagnosis
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Long Term Outlook
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
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- Mental Disorder Articles
Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Any treatment program must tackle three key problems in a sufferer:
The generalized anxiety disorder sufferer may follow illogical trains of thought and have generally distorted cognitive processes, turning a small idea or event into a major worry.
Their methods for coping with anxiety are normally ineffective.
They usually exist in a state of high physiological arousal, meaning that their minds, bodies and nerves are always running on full alert, even when they should be relaxing.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy thus has multiple goals. Firstly, it aims to correct the distorted thinking that leads to excessive worry; this is the cognitive side. Secondly, it aims to provide proper coping methods, and through this reduce the level of physiological arousal; this is the behavioral side. Usually undertaken with a therapist, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown excellent results.
The Cognitive Side
To correct distorted thinking, the generalized anxiety disorder sufferer will first be asked to examine their current perceptions about a particular worry. For instance, they may worry constantly that they will mismanage their finances and run out of money. The therapist will then have the participant ask whether the worry is reasonable. Reasons for and against the worry will be advanced. For instance, the therapist may ask if the participant actually has a poor financial history. The goal is to for the participant to see the worry for what it is: possible but highly improbable, and definitely not something to expend effort worrying about.
When the key worries have been dealt with in this matter, participants are taught to anticipate future worries. The ultimate goal is to be able to catch concerns as they are generated, and examine them rationally before worry and anxiety begins.
The Behavioral Side
To provide better coping strategies, a therapist will have the participant imagine a worrying situation. Participants are taught to use relaxation techniques as anxiety levels begin to rise. The imagination provides an effective ‘practise room’ for learning coping techniques.
Drug Treatments
Drug treatments often prove useful for sufferers of generalized anxiety disorder, particularly when used in conjunction with cognitive-behavioral or other therapies.
The most common prescription was, until recently, tranquilizer-type drugs, particularly benzodiazepines such as Valium. These drugs do not deal with the source of the worry, but with the felt effects of anxiety. They can be very effective in the relief of symptoms. Unfortunately, they tend to cause sedation and can be addictive. Because of this, they are now usually prescribed in lower doses, in conjunction with tricyclic antidepressants such as Imipramine.
New studies suggest that serotonin re-uptake inhibitors such as Prozac may help dispel underlying worries and reduce anxiety. Generalized anxiety disorder may, like many other mental disorders, be linked to low serotonin levels in the brain. Child sufferers appear to derive particular benefit from a prescription.
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