General Anxiety Disorder

Description and Causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Virginia J. Duffy PhD Psychiatric NP

GAD is what most people are referring to when they talk about anxiety. The exact causes of generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, are unknown. Like many other psychiatric diagnosis it is believed that a combination of genetic and stress factors are involved. GAD tends to run in families, which may be the result of inheritance of a gene or environmental influences. Most researchers think it is a combination of both of these factors. The same neurotransmitters thought to be one cause of depression (dopamine and serotonin), are believed to regulate mood and behavior. Depression and/or other anxiety disorders can occur in persons with GAD.

In people who develop GAD, anxiety symptoms may start in childhood or adolescence. GAD occurs twice as often in women. It affects people of all ages. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 19 million Americans suffer from depression and 4 million from GAD each year.

Find more about this common problem in the articles below.

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