🧭 What Is Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition where a person experiences long-term, excessive worry about everyday life.
👉 The worry is:
- Persistent
- Difficult to control
- Out of proportion to the situation
📌 It usually lasts 6 months or more
🧠 Key Features
💭 Emotional and Cognitive Symptoms
- Constant worry about many things (health, money, family, work)
- Expecting the worst to happen
- Feeling “on edge” or unable to relax
- Difficulty concentrating
🧍 Physical Symptoms
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Muscle tension or aches
- Headaches
- Trembling or shaking
- Sweating
- Irritability
- Sleep problems (insomnia or poor sleep)
👶 Children and Young People
- Excessive worry about:
- School performance
- Safety
- Being on time or doing things “perfectly”
🧬 Causes and Risk Factors
GAD is caused by a combination of factors:
🧠 Brain Chemistry
- Differences in brain areas that control fear and emotion
🧬 Genetics
- Anxiety can run in families
🌍 Life Experiences
- Stressful life events
- Trauma
- Ongoing pressure or stress
👤 Risk Factors
- More common in women
- Chronic illness
- High-stress environments
- History of trauma
🧭 Impact on Daily Life
GAD can affect:
- Work or school performance
- Relationships
- Sleep and energy levels
👉 People may feel:
- Constantly “wired” or tense
- Mentally exhausted
- Unable to switch off worries
🔍 Diagnosis
A healthcare professional may diagnose GAD when:
- Excessive worry occurs most days for 6+ months
- At least 3 physical or cognitive symptoms are present
📊 Screening Tools
- GAD-7 scale (used to measure severity)
🛠️ Treatment
🗣️ Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Helps change thinking patterns
- Builds coping strategies
💊 Medication
- Antidepressants
- Anti-anxiety medication (e.g. buspirone)
🌱 Self-Help Strategies
- Relaxation techniques
- Breathing exercises
- Exercise and sleep routines
- Stress management
📊 Key Takeaways
✔ GAD is a long-term anxiety condition
✔ It involves constant, uncontrollable worry
✔ It affects both mind and body
✔ Treatment is available and effective
⚠️ Important Note
This information is for educational purposes only.
Always consult a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment.
🧠 Teaching Tip
To support learners:
- Use a “worry thermometer” scale
- Compare normal worry vs GAD
- Include real-life scenarios (school/work stress)
- Teach grounding and breathing techniques
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