What do you know about Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
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Check out this link for useful information/web addresses etc: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=28\n\nHope you're feeling better soon.
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Hey,\nI suffer from generalised anxiety disorder as well. I am not an overachiever though, but I might have some tips for you anyway. First of all, if you're not allready in therapy, try it! It can help a lot by giving you usefull tips on how to control your anxiety.Since you are allready on medication, I won't give any advice to that. What might help, is making schedules. For example, weekly schedules of all the work you have to do that week, then divide it into days, then into hours. Also schedule in some time to relax. This is very important, since it is hard to relax when you have anxiety disorder and a heavy courseload. What works wonders for me is to go jogging every other day. Not only does it clear my head, it also seems to prevent some of the panic attacks from happening. Also, when you make those schedules, make sure you set goals that are achievable, maybe even below what you could do. That way, you reach your goals easier, making you feel better about yourself. Device a little 'rewardsystem', for example, if I work through 7 pages every hour, I can go shopping for an hour after 4 hours of work. It sounds over-simple and a bit silly, but I assure you it works! It also makes the amount of work you have to do a little more manageable; it doesn't seem like one giant heap anymore, but like small, bite-sized chunks you can handle. This really takes the pressure of and thereby helps you to relax more and get the better of your anxiety.\nGood luck, I really hope this helps (if only a little), because I know how horrible such a disorder is.\nlove
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Tell your doctor. You may be experiencing low-grade anxiety.
122014
Symptoms of anxiety\n\nThe physical symptoms of anxiety are caused by the brain sending messages to parts of the body to prepare for the "fight or flight" response. The heart, lungs and other parts of the body work faster. The brain also releases stress hormones, including adrenaline. The following symptoms can occur as a result:\n\n    * abdominal discomfort\n    * diarrhoea\n    * dry mouth\n    * rapid heartbeat or palpitations\n    * tightness or pain in chest\n    * shortness of breath\n    * dizziness\n    * frequent urination\n    * difficulty swallowing\n\nPsychological symptoms can include:\n\n    * insomnia\n    * irritability or anger\n    * inability to concentrate\n    * fear of madness\n    * feeling unreal and not in control of your actions (depersonalisation)
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If you really want to talk about it, you can E-mail me. I've been suffering with anxiety and panic attacks since I was 20 yrs. old.\nTherefore I know alot about it. jaymeadowjay@yahoo
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Hi There\n\nThis explains it well.\n\nAnxiety\n\nSymptoms\nAnxiety is an emotion that may feature excessive worry, sleep disturbances, shakiness, ritualistic behavior, fear of being alone or in public places, impatience, easy distraction, and great apprehension concerning the welfare of loved ones. Associated physical symptoms include racing pulse, heart palpitations, shortness or rapidity of breath, sweating, dry mouth, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet or cold/clammy hands, lightheadedness or dizziness, fatigue, trembling, indigestion, and diarrhea. \n\nCause\nAnxiety disorders occur in people of all ages, but appear to be more common among women. The occurrence of an anxiety or panic attack is often unpredictable, but it may be associated with certain situations such as driving a car. The exact cause is complex, involving constitutional factors, emotional stress, biochemical imbalances, and environmental triggers. In women, hormone imbalances can cause anxiety. Therefore, hormone assessment is essential. Amino and fatty acid imbalances can also play an important role in triggering anxiety attacks. \n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nNatural Cures\n\nDiet: Assess your diet to reduce excessive consumption of stressor foods such as refined sugars, honey, maple syrup, or cow`s milk products. Consume vegetable soups, broths, and a wide variety of green and yellow vegetables. Add more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts. \n\nFlower Essences: Flower essences can prove very helpful in managing and helping to eliminate anxiety. Use Aspen for apprehension, foreboding, and fear of unknown origin while Mimulus is for fear of known things, shyness, and timidity. Red chestnut is used for excessive anxiety and over caring for others. Rescue Remedy® (combination formula) is for general stress from anxiety, and Rock Rose is helpful for coping with terror and panic from known fear. \n\nHerbs: Panax ginseng has a tonic effect on the adrenal glands, improving blood flow to the brain and reducing the stress associated with mental/emotional issues. Valerian root, an herbal tranquilizer and muscle relaxant, is another good agent for calming the nervous system. It helps balance mood swings and is not habit forming. Valerian-hops combination formulas are good daytime sedatives because they don`t interfere with reflex actions. Passionflower is another mild sedative that helps reduce anxiety, high blood pressure, nervous tension, and muscle tension, and encourages deep, restful sleep. St. John's wort, a highly popular remedy for depression, has proven effective for anxiety and mood swings as well. \n\nHomeopathy: Aconite, Actaea rac., Drosera, Calc carb., and Sulfur are all useful homeopathic remedies for dealing with anxiety. \n\nHypnotherapy: Self-hypnosis helps to impart to the mind imagery designed to bring about deep levels of relaxation. \n\nMeditation: Develops the mind`s ability to stop anxiety at its source. \n\nNutritional Supplementation: The following supplements have all been shown to help reduce feelings of anxiety by calming the nervous system: calcium, magnesium, vitamin B complex, 5-HTP, pantothenic acid, and adrenal and kidney glandulars. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), an amino acid, can also affect mood by increasing levels of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin (a mood regulator). \n\nAlternative Professional Care \nIf your symptoms persist despite the above measures, seek the help of a qualified health professional. The following professional care therapies have all been shown to be useful for treating and relieving the symptoms of anxiety: Acupressure, Biofeedback Training, Bodywork (especially Massage Therapy), Environmental Medicine, Guided Imagery, Hypnotherapy, Magnetic Field Therapy, Naturopathic Medicine, Orthomolecular Medicine (for a self-care approach, we recommend the book The Mood Cure by Julia Ross), Qigong, Traditio
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One of the most frightening things you may find yourself experiencing is a "Panic attack" and it is very difficult to fully explain how it feels unless you have experienced one. The very first Panic attack often seems to come completely "out of the blue" and occurs whilst you are doing something that you do every day like driving to work, shopping, walking the dog, watching TV, cooking  etc. Suddenly you are struck by a barrage of frightening and uncomfortable symptoms and you are convinced that something terrible is going to happen to you there and then. \n\nPanic attacks can start for many reasons such as stress, overworking, bereavement, family, an accident, childbirth, following surgery and so on but at the time panic strikes for the first time you think you are doing fine and there seems to be no apparent reason at all. If you have subsequent panic attacks they too may seem to be unpredictable and random. There is now emerging evidence that anxiety and panic may have a genetic link.\n\nPeople that have never had a Panic attack assume that that it is just a feeling of nervousness or anxiety, but in reality the attacks are far more frightening and overwhelming. If nervousness is a 3 on a scale of 1-10, then a full blown panic attack is 11. \n\nWhat often happens next is that you begin to associate the Panic attack with the activity or place you were at the time so you start to avoid that situation. This is where the problems begin as each time you are forced into the situation that caused the attack, you automatically assume that it will happen again and start to re-live the feelings and this leads to agoraphobia and limiting of activities and leading a normal life.\n\n\nPanic disorder can be frightening, disabling, and frustrating both to recover from and  to live with someone with it. \n\nGetting appropriate and quick medical help is not easy and the slide from anxiety to panic and then to agoraphobia can progress quickly without intervention and support.\n\nOften the sufferer will not go out as they say they 'know' they are going to faint or 'have a heart attack'. See the "Symptoms" section for explanations of these feelings and the reasons for them. Please read the "Help yourself" section for some really useful information on how to cope.\n\nAs Panic can strike very quickly and often the trigger is not apparant, there is usually little warning that it is about to happen. It is not surprising, therefore, that many sufferers avoid situations that they think or 'know' might cause the panic attacks to happen. This leads to fears of situations or places that last caused anxiety and so the sufferer avoids them at all costs! This is agoraphobia. The problem here is that it can take months, even years, to re-educate the individual that it is their thoughts and assumptions that are to blame for these attacks and not the place at all but it still takes a long time to return to such places.\n\nTalking from experience, I avoid public transport because of several incidents in taxis where I was terrified and therefore starting associating any Public Transport with 'fear' and 'panic'. The problem then 'spread' to include trains, buses and eventually I was unable to get in the car with someone else driving. This is still a problem today. I do drive myself but the problems do not stop there!\n\nI was once told that if you 'sit a Panic attack out' to see how bad it can actually get it will reach a point where it can't get any worse and you 'automatically' start to calm down. \n\nIf you suffer from severe anxiety or panic attacks, but don't know it, then you can end up going to numerous doctors/ A+E departments with a variety of symptoms and self diagnosis only to be told that there is nothing medically wrong with you and you are not given any help, information or solutions. This leads you to the conclusion that you may have som
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I'm 24 and been diagnosed with depression, waiting to see a psychiatrist pretty sure I have some kind of anxiety problem too. I didn't realise that they go together well before I went.\n\nIf you want a chat I'm here as I hardly get out much lol
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It actually sounds like you may be having generalized anxiety accompanied by panic attacks.  I'd see a doctor.
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I suggest that a GP is not the doctor you need to see.  You need to see a psychiatrist.  You are agoraphobic, and anxiety is the least of your problems.
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Anxiety and Depression are the most common psychiatric disorders.\nYour symptoms are suggestive of Panic Attacks, discrete periods of fear or\ndiscomfort with characteristic symptoms that develope abruptly and reach a\npeak within 10 minutes.\nThe characteristic symptoms of Panic Attack are pounding heart rate,\nsweating, trembling, sensation of shortness of breath, chest pain,\nnausea, dizziness, fear of losing control and fear of dying.\nDepression may be secondary to the attacks or may worsen the attacks,\nThe symptoms of depression maybe depressed mood, disturbance of sleep or appetite, decreased interest, feelings of worthlesssness or hopelessnes.\nAn MRI would not aid in the diagnosis of depression or anxiety.\nI recommend an evaluation by a psychiatrist.\nhttp://www.aafp.org/afp/20050215/733.html\n\nDevelopment of Panic Disorder\n\nHow do panic symptoms develop? A phobia of internal sensations is thought to drive the patient's avoidance behavior. In addition to neurochemical and genetic models for the disorder, some researchers have proposed a cognitive model, in which patients learn to misinterpret thoughts and emotions as physical symptoms. For example, a woman who is afraid of being left alone when her husband leaves for work may experience that fear physiologically (e.g., shortness of breath, sweating), which in turn makes her feel more anxious ("What is wrong with me?"), deepening the spiral and leading to more symptoms. Another theory is that patients escalate otherwise benign body sensations into panic attacks (the behavioral model). For example, a man whose heart rate accelerates when he becomes angry may escalate that sensation and the resulting anxiety into the chest pain of a "heart attack." Both examples demonstrate the patient's phobia of internal sensations.\n\nTreatment\n\nPatients with panic disorder have several treatment options. Determining which treatment is best for a given patient is done through a shared decision-making process between the patient and physician. A suggested approach to treatment is outlined in Figure 1.\n\nFigure 1\nhttp://www.aafp.org/afp/20050215/733.html\nTreating Patients with Panic Disorder\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n \n  \n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nFigure 1. Algorithm for the treatment of panic disorder. (DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed.; CBT = cognitive behavior therapy.)\n \n\nantidepressants\n\nAntidepressant medications have been shown to reduce panic severity, eliminate attacks, and improve overall quality-of-life measures in patients with panic disorder.3 Two recent meta-analyses9,10 found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are equally effective in reducing panic severity and the number of attacks. In these studies, 61 percent of patients were panic-free after six to 12 weeks of treatment, compared with 41 percent of control patients. These studies differ on whether SSRIs are better tolerated than TCAs. An earlier meta-analysis11 found SSRIs to be superior to TCAs. However, the benefits of SSRIs may have been overstated in the latter study because of its failure to account for publication bias (i.e., the greater likelihood that small studies finding no difference between treatments will not be published). \n\nTable 212 lists dosing and cost information for the antidepressants that have been proved in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder. The choice of antidepressant should be based on side effect profiles and patient preferences. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors also are effective in the treatment of panic disorder, but their use is limited by safety concerns.\n\ncognitive behavior therapy\n\nCognitive behavior therapy includes applied relaxation, exposure in vivo, exposure through imager
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Social Anxiety. \n\nIt is VERY common.
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If you have Anxiety/Panic Disorder, yes this is normal....BUT you must see a Doctor/Psychiatrist (if you are not already) to get this under control.  I also have this problem but there are different levels of Anxiety Disorder.  You need to discuss this with your Doctor so he can determine treatment/medication for you.  I take medication which helps me tremendously.  You can also try meditating when you feel the anxiety coming on.  Good luck and God Bless!\n\nhttp://www.thehealthcenter.info/\nhttp://www.how-to-meditate.org/
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Alcohol or Drug Abuse: you may be tempted to turn to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate, although this will likely make treatment more difficult. The National Mental Health Association reports that “about 30% of people with panic disorder use alcohol and 17% use drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana, in unsuccessful attempts to alleviate the anguish and distress caused by their condition.”\n\nGood starting points for reducing the frequency of future panic attacks include:\n\neducating yourself about anxiety symptoms, causes, and treatments\nmaintaining a healthy lifestyle\nlearning how to reduce your anxiety\nworking with a counselor or therapist to address your fears and anxieties\nassessing and modifying your general attitudes towards life\nlimiting triggers like caffeine, alcohol, and smoking\ntalking with your doctor if your symptoms have recurred or worsened
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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected and recurring panic attacks, also called anxiety attacks. Panic attacks are episodes of intense terror or fear which strike suddenly and without warning. It is important to note that if you have experienced a panic attack, this does not necessarily mean that you have or will develop panic disorder. Many people have experienced singular attacks without recurrence, and do not have panic disorder.\n\nref: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/panic_disorder_anxiety_attack_symptom_treatment.htm
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I also suffer with some of the same problems as you.Don't be afraid to go to the specialist. Let him know about your anxiety disorder. If you are still frightened,ask a close friend to go with you to the doctors. It is important to make an appointment as soon as you can, and you will get all the answers from the doctors. Good luck!
210720
yes it is true,   definitely consult a psychologist / psychiatrist, get diagnosed  with anxiety  disorder,  keep seeing a therapist, to document   your  continuing  treatment,  keep a  log   consisting of how your anxiety disorder affects your daily life not just at work ,  everywhere....consult a disability lawyer ( your gonna need one) and apply for disability.