Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives, from the very young to the very old. In school, students may get nervous during a fire drill, before a test or presentation, or when saying goodbye to their families in the morning. It is normal and common for students to get anxious in situations like these. When a student’s anxiety starts to creep out of specific situations and into their everyday life, they might have an anxiety disorder.
General Anxiety Disorder verses Anxiety
Anxiety is defined as chronic and/or generalized worry, fear, or nervousness that students express a lot of the time. In other words, the student’s anxiety is not driven by specific situations. They often feel anxious, regardless of what is happening in their life. In these cases, anxiety noticeably impacts a student’s behavior in school and at home, their ability to participate in class, their learning, and/or their ability to perform assigned tasks.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about many different things. People with GAD may anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. Individuals with GAD find it difficult to control their worry. They may worry more than seems warranted about actual events or expect the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern.
GAD is diagnosed when a person finds it difficult to control worry on more days than not for at least six months and has three or more symptoms. This differentiates GAD from worry that may be specific to a set stressor or for a more limited period.
Signs and Symptoms of GAD
- Feeling nervous, irritable, or on edge
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation), sweating, and/or trembling
- Feeling weak or tired
- Difficulty concentrating
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
Diagnosis and Cause
The disorder occurs gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and adulthood. Although the exact cause of GAD is unknown, there is evidence that biological factors, family background, and life experiences, particularly stressful ones, play a role.
Sometimes, just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety. People with GAD don’t know how to stop the worry cycle and feel it is beyond their control, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. All anxiety disorders may relate to difficulty tolerating uncertainty, and therefore, many people with GAD try to plan or control situations. Many people believe worry prevents bad things from happening, so they consider giving up worry risky. At times, people can struggle with physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches.
Living with GAD
When their anxiety level is mild to moderate or with treatment, people with GAD can function socially, have full and meaningful lives, and be gainfully employed. Many with GAD may avoid situations because they have the disorder, or they may not take advantage of opportunities due to their worry (social situations, travel, promotions, etc.). Some people can have difficulty carrying out the simplest daily activities when their anxiety is severe. While less common, some individuals with anxiety disorders may experience anhedonia, especially if they also have a comorbid depressive disorder.
