This disorder exemplifies the condition of having ongoing anxiety, with excessive worrying about a lot of different life events over a period of at least six months. You might feel restless, tense and tired, have difficulty sleeping, find it hard to concentrate, and be more irritable than usual. Many people with generalized anxiety disorder describe themselves as chronic worriers, who often become more upset by problems than the average person. The key component is not worry, but excessive worry.

Many people with generalized anxiety experience a panic attack at some point in their lives, in response to more severe stress. Eventually, the person begins to worry about worrying. That is, because you see yourself as an anxious person who can't handle stress very well, you develop additional anticipatory anxiety when you must face a stressful situation. (eg. going for a job interview, entering the hospital for a medical procedure, etc.) 

Many primary care physicians treat generalized anxiety disorder exclusively by prescribing anti-anxiety medications, especially the benzodiazepines, rather than referring the person for psychotherapy. However, these drugs are not without risk. They cause impairment of cognitive functioning, including reaction time. Many individuals experience rebound anxiety if they abruptly stop taking the medications. Research has also suggested that the benzodiazepines may produce functional changes in the central nervous system that make it difficult for people to withdraw from these drugs.

This is not a biological problem, it is a psychological problem with pronounced physical symptoms. It requires psychological treatment, most often a combination of behavioral and cognitive therapy. Dr. Franklin has used behavioral treatment effectively to teach individuals how to reduce their anxiety through relaxation exercises. Cognitive therapy techniques help change identify and change the expectations you might have that triggers anxiety. A combination of cognitive-behavioral interventions shows very positive results, without the drawbacks of medication. The development of cognitive coping strategies for managing anxiety is particularly effective for individuals with generalized anxiety disorder.

Top of Page     Anxiety Problems     Dr. Franklin's Home Page

Donald J. Franklin, Ph.D. is a NJ licensed psychologist (#2244)
with offices in Bridgewater, NJ and Flemington, NJ.
Please call for information or to make an appointment:
Bridgewater - (908) 526-8111 or Flemington- (908) 806-7344

Please Note: I do not provide online counseling or consultations
copyright, 1999 - 2008 all rights reserved