Assignment 2: Course Project Part I: Interview And Background Research

Assignment 2: Course Project Part I: Interview and Background Research

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the institution]

[Date]

Interview and Background Research

Introduction

Getting anxious about things is a part of life and everyone experience this feeling often in their lives when they come across stressful situations. Being anxious is not always a bad thing as anxiety help us to plan many things in advance and makes us prepare for any unfortunate event to come. The problem arises when this feeling of anxiety starts occurring more than usual and the intensity increases to the point that it starts affecting physical and mental health badly. Not every person is capable of handling too much stress and this is why the pressure on them makes the situation uncontrollable for them to handle. According to DSM-5 criteria, the high level of worry which is occurring for at least six months and is hard to overcome is known as “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This mental disorder is also famously known as free-floating anxiety where the stress is unreasonable and challenging to control.

Thesis

This paper aims at exploring the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and to assess the symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment related to this mental illness. The purpose of this paper is to seek medical help for the patients of GAD and help them make aware of this common yet undiagnosed disorder. The paper will also throw some light on the recent researches conducted on this issue.

Transitions

Diagnosis

The GAD is characterized by a number of research methods. One of these pieces of evidence for the disorder contains a more modest, smaller, and perhaps a credible approach towards the understanding of GAD. The disorder consists of depression, stress, and agitation to an extreme level where it comes to a disorder. The diagnostic therefore for the disorder are major depression, underlying genetic predisposition, specific environmental experiences, and some basic personality traits. GAD is commonly coherent with some other major disorders, such as anxiety, mood swings, PTSD, social phobia, and depressive disorder. Some people who often do not have GAD as their diagnostics, experience panic attacks and such. Moreover, other use of substance abuse and other drugs can often lead to these clinical factors. Diagnostic of GAD often go through a couple of stages such as the mental health check-up. Moreover, doing a physical exam to look for any underlying medical signs for the anxiety.

Other ways of diagnostic of GAD can be found through blood or urine samples collected from the patient in a suspected medical condition. Moreover, asking detail questions about symptoms and involving other psychological questions. Other diagnosis efforts include daily life stress which may be influenced in the overall stress level. Moreover, having a difficult mental health condition can determine the right set of diagnosis to use. Worrying significantly in some condition can alter the diagnosis of GAD. Moreover, having being upset most of the times and being stressful about real-life situations can contribute towards the overall GAD. Personal life and other contributing factors can lead to GAD. So to generalize this disorder, panic attacks are most frequently found in most patients having GAD. The negative effects of the patient's life are related to their activities and the stress which is caused by physical attributes. Such an influence from external factors can cause GAD symptoms.

Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Symptoms of GAD are concerned with its diagnosis and requires seeking medical help. These symptoms of GAD can vary from muscle ache to headaches or other stomach problems. Sometimes, when people became detached with reality and more attached to materialistic things, they often adapt to depression, and alcoholism (Lader, 2015). Apart from substance addiction, patients also adapt to other emotional behaviors such as suicidal tendencies and such. These behaviors often have a huge impact on a person. Moreover, symptoms such as excessive fatigue from a workload, excessive irritability, limited sleep, can become major factors of GAD symptoms. In some cases, illnesses or disorders such as these are inherited or prolong from an ancestral line. A well assesses medical history or some kind of mental illness can also determine the symptoms of GAD. Symptoms such as the one above and the other few along with lack of concentration, restlessness, and such can be excessively found.

Symptoms of GAD can also be characterized into different stages depending on the prevalence, age, and gender factors involved. GAD is relatively a common health condition but can be repellent if proper care and attention towards psychological wellbeing are pursued. The symptoms which are found in almost 3 percent of the total population are anxiety, stress, and PTSD. If by some extent the GAD disappears, it may get replaced by another relevant anxiety disorder symptom such as a somatic symptom disorder. These are relatively characterized by health and physical symptoms and concerns (Lader, 2015). The clinical symptoms caused by GAD can be characterized as impairment in social occupation and other functional areas. Moreover, disturbance in physical attributes and common panic attacks can relatively be called as symptoms of GAD. Moreover, apprehensive occurrences of events can cause a string of GAD symptoms to occur.

Treatment options available

Treatment of GAD is linked with seeking medical help as being anxious out of control and excessively requires a health practitioner attention. Treatment in terms of medicinal and support from a health practitioner is essential. Treatment and exponential care are extensively required for a patient with GAD symptoms as the goal is to help the patient to act normally in life while doing every function (Watson & Greenberg, 2017). A combination of cognitive medical therapy (CBT) and medications are provided to the patient so that it can be helpful to some extent. Although medications are a key part of any treatment within a selected disorder, it is also required that other useful approaches are implemented (Plummer, Manea, Trepel & McMillan, 2016). Depending on the severity of the GAD case, the health practitioner always provides the best medication method to the patient. Moreover, other preventative methods are always useful for treatment effectiveness. Preventing alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and such can be helpful in preventing the GAD.

Recent Research on GAD

There has been a lot of research based on GAD. The researches which have been emphasized include the psychological causal factors, such as the uncontrollability and unpredictability of the disorder (Grillon, Connell, Lieberman, & Ernst, 2017). Moreover, the positive functions and negative consequences linked with the disorder (Khazanov, Ruscio & Swendsen, 2018). Lastly, the biological causal factors which are characterized through genetic, neuro-hormonal abnormalities, and cognitive behavioral therapies (Kim, 2018). These researchers have shown useful techniques that can be helpful in reducing distortive cognitions and information processing biases. The nature of GAD has been evolving the researches have been trying to understand and its proper diagnostics. Positive functions are linked with the nature of the disorder, whereas the negative consequences are linked with the catastrophic outcomes. Latest studies in the field of mental disorders have also suggested emotion-focused therapy for the GAD (Watson & Greenberg, 2017). Research has shown that anxiety occurs as a functional deficiency promotes maintenance and thus a new neurotransmitter is evolved.

Conclusion

Worries derived from generalized anxiety disorder do not disappear on their own - on the contrary, they only tend to worsen. Therefore, medical treatment and support are essential. Seeking medical help before anxiety becomes a major problem is also crucial to avoid complications. Feeling anxious is normal, but when it becomes persistent and out of person’s control, it is good to make a medical appointment. Especially when there is an excessive concern, to the point of interfering in work, relationships in other parts of the life. There are dangers of depression, alcoholism, or drug dependence and the suicidal thoughts that can damage the mental capability of the person who is having this mental disorder.

Interview Questions for GAD

When did the symptoms start?

How is your routine? How much stress do you usually face in your daily life?

Do you feel constantly tired, irritable and having trouble concentrating on day to day tasks?

Have you had thoughts or behaviors associated with suicide?

Have you taken any steps to relieve the symptoms? And it worked?

How often do you feel anxious?

Do you feel that anxiety is affecting your quality of life?

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.

Grillon, C., O’Connell, K., Lieberman, L., Alvarez, G., Geraci, M., Pine, D. S., & Ernst, M. (2017). Distinct responses to predictable and unpredictable threat in anxiety pathologies: effect of panic attack. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2(7), 575-581.

Khazanov, G. K., Ruscio, A. M., & Swendsen, J. (2018). The “Brightening” Effect: Reactions to Positive Events in the Daily Lives of Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Behavior Therapy.

Kim, Y. K. (Ed.). (2018). Treatment Resistance in Psychiatry: Risk Factors, Biology, and Management.

Lader, M. (2015). Generalized anxiety disorder. In Encyclopedia of psychopharmacology (pp. 699-702). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Plummer, F., Manea, L., Trepel, D., & McMillan, D. (2016). Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: a systematic review and diagnostic meta-analysis. General hospital psychiatry, 39, 24-31.

Watson, J. C., & Greenberg, L. S. (2017). Emotion-focused therapy for generalized anxiety. American Psychological Association.