Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

• Feeling of restlessness or keyed up or on the edge

• Getting easily fatigued

• Difficulty in concentrating or mind blanking

• Irritability

• Muscle tension

• Problems with sleep (difficulty in falling or staying asleep or having restless or unsatisfying sleep)

The people with GAD feels worried more than expected, even for unexpected things and feels difficult to control it. Thus, GAD is different from the general worry seen in everyones life, which is limited to a particular stress factor, affects a person for a smaller period of time or till the event lasts.

• Pain: This is the commonest somatic symptom. They may have unexplained headaches, pain in abdomen, neck pain, backaches, or nagging pains.

• Muscle pain or muscle tension

• Feeling tired all the time or getting easily tired

• Nausea

• Diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome

• Feeling dizzy or light headed

• Sweating more than usual and feel breathless

• Tremble or twitching

• Feeling of more often going to bathroom

Psychological/mental symptoms may include:

• Persistent anxiety or worry about a number of things including day to day to activities or task.

• Worrying for a thing out of proportion to its real significance and impact.

• Thinking of worst outcome for even simplest of the situations.

• Preparing and planing for the perceived threats and outcomes.

• Difficulty in taking decisions and fear of making wrong decisions.

• Knowing that they worry too much and inability to overcome it.

• Difficulty in relaxing and falling asleep or sustain sleep. Feeling tired due to poor sleep.

• Feeling of restlessness, living on edge or keyed up (feeling excited or nervous for an upcoming event).

• Problem in concentrating or mind blanking.

Objects for worry and anxiety:

In adults, the worry could be for day to day activities or events and basic concerns like:

• Money and finances

• Performance at work and job security

• Health of their own and relatives

• Health and well-being of their children

• Timeline or being late

• Household chores and other works

When GAD is seen in children and teenagers

They generally present with following:

• Excessive worry for their performance in academics or sports.

• Strive for approval or feel worried to fit in.

• Lack of confidence

• Try to things with perfection and may redo things

• Frequent abdominal pain or headache

• Avoiding social situations and school

• Worries about having catastrophic events like, earthquakes, floods, mob or wars.

These intensity and number of symptoms may fluctuate with time getting better or worse. The symptoms often gets worse during times of physical or mental stress, such as seen in physical illness, upcoming stressful events like exams, or during family or relationship issues or breakage.

The object of worry may also change with time and age.

• Constant fear about relationships or losing someone.

• Irritability and low confidence may hurt a relationship and develop stress.

• Avoidance of social interaction and fear of meeting people may affect the social life and relationships.

These issues can directly or indirectly affect a persons ability to earn money, manage finance and their lives better bringing in more stress which in turn adds up to worsening of symptoms.