Worrisome thoughts go from one disaster to another, very very quickly. Worry can be about everything and anything, they feel out of control & people have often called me a worrier.
What is Generalised Anxiety?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is frequently referred to as the ‘worry’ or ‘what if disease’. People experiencing this challenging problem often worry excessively about a number of events in their lives, and find it difficult to tolerate any degree of uncertainty. In addition to worrying about events they also worry that their worries are becoming ‘out of control’. Though it is usual for most of us to worry some of the time, people suffering from generalised anxiety disorder will experience chronic worry, that is difficult to interrupt and distract from and that they cannot turn off.
What are the common features of Generalised Anxiety?
The defining feature of Generalised Anxiety Disorder is worry. Worries can jump from one to another, with individuals predicting one disaster after another. People often have positive and negative beliefs about the function of worry (i.e. ‘worrying helps me to prevent bad things happening’ – positive belief about worry – ‘worrying is driving me mad’ – negative belief about worry).
Related physical symptoms for those experiencing symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder include: insomnia, nausea, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, aches and pains, difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness and hopelessness.
Further consequences of continued worry can be chronic anxiety, depression in response to the chronic nature of worry, with reduced effectiveness at work, and reduced daily enjoyment in living.
Can CBT Therapy be used for Generalised Anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice for Generalised Anxiety and if symptoms are severe then CBT has a greater effect when combined with medication.
Guidelines produced by National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as the effective psychological treatment to overcome Generalised Anxiety, and it is why CBT is now a recommended choice of treatment by GP’s and Health Practitioners . According to ‘best evidence’ cognitive behavioural therapy not only has the best outcomes for the treatment of Generalised Anxiety but in follow up studies it has the best record for maintaining the gains in cognitive behavioural treatment in the long-term too.
We are a pure cognitive behavioural therapy service based in Nottingham and all our CBT Experts are highly skilled and have helped 100’s of clients overcome Generalised Anxiety. So don’t suffer in silence, call us and start making the changes today!
