Generalized Anxiety Disorder Research Paper

Everybody has experienced feelings of anxiety from time to time; and sometimes people get so overwhelmed, they go into a state panic. Anxiety is actually a normal human reaction to stress. However, in severe cases, anxiety and panic can become disabling and interfere with everyday living. For an adolescent, life is already stressful enough. How does an adolescent, then, live day to day with one or both of these conditions? This paper will take an in depth look at what anxiety, specifically generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder are, signs and symptoms that show severe anxiety and/or panic disorder is present in an adolescent, treatment methods for both GAD and panic disorder, and two websites offering advice
Before we can discuss any aspects of GAD or panic disorder, we have to understand exactly what these two metal disorders are. Anxiety is the less severe disorder of the two. In general, anxiety is present in every human being. Feeling anxious is a normal circumstance in everyone’s life and, at times, can be beneficial in certain situations. Anxiety refers to the brain’s natural response to danger (Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders). To most people, this is referred to as our “fight or flight” response. When an adolescent is diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, the anxiety has been occurring at abnormal levels for at least six months. The anxiety has no apparent trigger, is difficult to control, and hinders normal everyday living (Generalized Anxiety in
While there is no known cure for GAD and panic disorder, they can be managed with psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of the two. One of the more popular psychotherapies is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in which the individual works with a trained mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologists, or counselor. CBT has two components. The cognitive component helps the adolescent change the way they perceive their fears while the behavioral component helps the adolescent change the way they react to situations that trigger anxiety symptoms. The adolescent learns coping methods that reduce anxiety levels, replace negative thoughts with positive ones, and determine if the anxiety they are feeling is realistic or non-realistic. However, sometimes CBT methods alone are not enough to control the symptoms of GAD and panic