About 3% to 8% of people in the United States have generalized anxiety disorder. Women have the problem twice as often as men. The average adult patient first seeks medical attention between the ages of 20 and 30. However, the illness can occur at any age. Generalized anxiety disorder also has been diagnosed in young children, teenagers and elderly people. The illness is the most common anxiety disorder affecting people age 65 and older.
Of all psychiatric illnesses, generalized anxiety disorder is the least likely to occur alone. Between 50% and 90% of people with the disorder also have at least one other problem, usually panic disorder, a phobia, depression, dysthymia (a less severe form of depression), alcoholism or some other form of substance abuse.
Symptoms
In generalized anxiety disorder, the person has persistent worry or anxiety that lasts for at least six months. This worry or anxiety is excessive, troubling and hard to control, and it often interferes with a person's ability to function at home, at work or in social situations.
To be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, a person has to have at least three of the following symptoms:
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Feeling restless or keyed up
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Becoming tired very easily
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Having difficulty concentrating or remembering (your mind goes blank)
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Feeling irritable, crabby or grouchy
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Having tense muscles
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Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or not feeling rested after sleep
People with generalized anxiety disorder also may have a wide range of anxiety-related physical symptoms that may seem like symptoms of heart disease, respiratory illness, digestive diseases and other medical illnesses. These symptoms can include:
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Chest pains, palpitations, abnormally rapid pulse, abnormally rapid breathing, shortness of breath, a smothering sensation
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Abdominal pains, abdominal gas, indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, frequent urination
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Abnormal or irregular menstrual bleeding
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Problems in sexual function
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Tingling in the arms and legs, chills, sweating, hot flashes, itching skin
