This document discusses generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and its effects on overall wellness. It describes GAD as excessive, uncontrollable worry about daily activities that occurs for at least six months. Treatment options include medication and psychotherapy. Living with GAD can negatively impact physical, mental, emotional and social well-being by causing fatigue, poor sleep, avoidance of social situations, and increased risk of depression. More research is still needed to better understand and treat GAD.

1. Running head: GENERALIZED ANXIETY
DISORDER 1
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
It’s Effects on Wellness
Rachel Kohlway
Alvernia University

2. GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER 2
Many people believe that wellness only includes ones physical well-being. However,
mental and emotional wellness is just as important to a person’s overall health and wellness.
There are many different types of anxiety disorders that can affect the overall wellness of
someone. One of these disorders is known as generalized anxiety disorder, sometimes called
GAD. Having generalized anxiety disorder can interrupt a person’s day to day life, which can
greatly impact their overall well-being. Proper diagnoses and treatment are key to keep oneself
healthy and happy.
People who are diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder worry excessively over
things that do not require or have a reason to be worried about. This is a crucial part of the
diagnosis, because this general symptom must occur every day for six months before a person
can officially be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (NIMH, GAD). However it is very
difficult to diagnosis this disease because it is often found in conjunction with other diseases
(Gliatto, 2000). There is no exact cause for generalized anxiety disorder. At this point,
researchers know is that there is some genetic link, because it runs in families, and that parts of
the brain are involved, but there is no other pertinent information about the disorder (NIMH,
GAD). Researchers have also found that generalized anxiety disorder is more commonly found
in women versus men (Gliatto, 2000). Some symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder include
the inability to relax, fatigue, headaches, trouble sleeping, muscle aches, and hot flashes. These
are just some of the many symptoms that people with generalized anxiety disorder suffer from.
There are two general options for treating generalized anxiety disorder. The first treatment option
is the use of medication, which would either be an anti-anxiety medication or an antidepressant
(NIMH, GAD). Usually, the use benzodiazepines are used for short term purposes, however they
may have to be taken long term due to the fact that generalized anxiety disorder is usually

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chronic. Another drug class that may be used for treatment is buspirone. Drug levels will need to
be monitored to find the correct therapeutic level for each individual person, as well as
monitoring how the body tolerates the medications (Gliatto, 2000). The second type of treatment
is psychotherapy, which would involve seeing a counselor and discussing ones thoughts and
feelings. These treatments can help a person affected by generalized anxiety disorder live a
normal life. However, this all depends on if the person wants help and if they use the right
treatment plan for them. It is a trial and error when it comes to finding the right treatment
combination, and individuals need to be patient until they find the right treatment plan that suits
them the best (NIMH, GAD). It should also be noted that these treatments do not guarantee
‘anxiety-free’ living. Many people living with generalized anxiety disorder have ‘flare-ups’ of
their anxiety, which could be triggered by numerous things (Hunt, Slade, & Andrews, 2004).
Generalized anxiety disorder affects all aspects of wellness including physical, mental,
emotional, and social. In a recent research article done on generalized anxiety disorder, it was
found that six days out of every month, a person with this disorder is unable to engage in their
usual daily activities (Hunt, Slade, & Andrews, 2004). That is seventy-two days every year that a
person cannot do their daily activities because of this disorder. This can greatly affect someone’s
overall well-being and self-esteem. For one, if they cannot do their daily activities, more than
likely they are not going to have the motivation to exercise. Also, physically their body is going
to be exhausted so even if they wanted to exercise they probably could not. Next, is the aspect of
social interactions, in which they are missing opportunities to be around others. In fact, they may
even miss family events or common social gatherings (such as birthday parties) because of their
disorder. It is also important to note that because someone is diagnosed with generalized anxiety
disorder, they are at an increased risk of developing depression. Actually, in most cases of

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generalized anxiety disorder, the person also has a comorbidity of depression (Hunt, Slade, &
Andrews, 2004). This significantly affects a person’s emotional and mental well-being.
Basically, they get a double dose of feeling overwhelmed, sad, tired, and stressed. Many times,
people with these combined disorders push away relationships because they do not know how to
properly deal with their emotions. In one case, a woman became very distant from her husband,
feeling nervous talking to him, being afraid of upsetting him, and feeling that she could not be
honest with him (Newman, 2000). All of this was due to her anxiety and her inability to cope
with the disorder. Not only does it affect all of these things, but it can also interfere with school
and/or work. As seen in this case study, the woman’s scholastic performance began to suffer due
to her anxiety (Newman, 2000). This can cause not only a mental strain, but an emotional and
social strain as well. Finally, one of the biggest problems that affects one’s overall wellness is the
fact that people with generalized anxiety disorder avoid situations which may trigger there
anxiety (Newman, 2000). If someone has a social anxiety, what are the chances they want to be
in a gym full of people they do not know? In fact, what are the chances they will want to be in
any social situation that they see as intimidating? Generalized anxiety disorder really takes a toll
on one’s whole body. Often people feel physical exhausted, emotionally drained, socially
inadequate, and mentally overwhelmed. Anxiety is not just a mental illness, it is an illness that
affects one’s entire well-being.
I, myself, suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, and I know first-hand how much it
affects your entire self. Personally, I feel overwhelmed when I am in a place by myself so I will
not go to the gym by myself. This has really impacted me physically, because it is very hard to
find someone with a similar schedule to go to the gym with. Honestly, I would rather be
unhealthy physically then to go to the gym by myself. Also, I find that I am tired all the time.

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Sleep does not come easy for me because I often spend nights worrying about ridiculous things.
That is one of the worst parts about having anxiety, I know that the things I am worrying about
are silly but yet I cannot stop myself from worrying about them. Seriously, I worry about things
like what kind of clothes I will pack from Thanksgiving break. Like why should that matter, but
it literally keeps me up at night. Not only am I physically exhausted, but I am usually
emotionally exhausted. The smallest things could cause me to cry or have an anxiety attack, and
they take so much out of you. Usually after I have an anxiety attack I will sleep for hours
because I am both physically and mentally wiped out. Another one of my big problems with my
anxiety is that I stress eat, and I do not eat healthy foods. When I am super stressed I usually eat
anything with chocolate or peanut butter (preferably both). It is something that I struggle with
because I want to be healthy and fit, but sometimes my anxiety makes it so hard. I think that is
something people without anxiety do not understand. We totally get that we are being irrational,
and maybe a little bit crazy, but there is not a whole lot to do about it. I know for myself I am
still going through the trial and error stage of finding the right treatment for me. In the past two
years I have upped my dosage twice, and soon may have to add an additional medication if this
dosage does not work. Personally, I do not see a counselor because the idea of going and telling a
complete stranger all of my problems actually gives me more anxiety. I am very fortunate in the
fact that my best friend also suffers from anxiety, because I can talk to her about everything and
she one hundred percent understands how I am feeling. I am also very lucky because I have an
extremely close relationship with my mother, and can talk to her when I am feeling
overwhelmed. At this point in my life I can honestly say that sometimes my anxiety gets the best
of me, but I never let it get me down. I will continue to push through and do whatever I need to
be happy and healthy.

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Research on anxiety is extremely important for the future. Generalized anxiety disorder is
the most common anxiety disorder that affects over six point eight million people (3.1%) alone
in the United States (Anxiety & Depression Association of America, 2014). If just one person
has six days every month that they are unable to engage in their usual activities, (Hunt, Slade, &
Andrews, 2004) imagine how that would affect the entire United States with six point eight
million people not being able to work every year. This research now could help researchers in
the future find a more reliable treatment option for people suffering from generalized anxiety
disorder, as well as help decrease the number of people diagnosed. More research needs to be
done on ways to prevent generalized anxiety disorder in childhood and teen years, which may
lead to a decreased prevalence in adults. Workplaces need to be aware of the risks and ways to
help reduce anxiety among the workplace to further benefit all of their employees. Also, greater
teaching needs to be done on generalized anxiety disorder to help decrease the stigma that is
attached to any/all mental health diseases/disorders.
Generalized anxiety disorder does not just affect someone’s mental well-being. It also
affects their physical, emotional, and social wellness. With the use of proper diagnoses and
treatment, people with this disorder can live a fairly normal life. However, it is very common for
people suffering from this disorder to have ‘flare-up’ days, where it seems that their anxiety has
gotten the best of them. Further research needs to be done to help find better treatment options,
as well as ways to prevent generalized anxiety disorder in general.

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References
Facts & Statistics. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-
statistics
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Retrieved from file:///E:/anxiety%204.htm
Gliatto, M. F. (2000). Generalized anxiety disorder. American Family Physician, 62(7).
Retrieved from file:///E:/anxiety%203.htm
Hunt, C., Slade, T., & Andrews, G. (2004). Generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive
disorder comorbidity in the national survey of mental health and well-being. Depression
& Anxiety, 20(1), 23-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.20019
Newman, M. (2000). Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In Effective Brief Therapies: A Clinician's
Guide (pp. 158-163). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.