DEFINITION:
The phrase “generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)” refers to a mental illness characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry, fear, or anxiety.
ETYMOLOGY:
The phrase GAD officially entered the medical lexicon in 1980 with the publication of the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses (DSM-III).
Prior to that, generalized, persistent, and free-floating anxiety was first described as a distinct pathological syndrome by Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) in 1894 in a journal article entitled “Die Abwehr-Neuropsychosen” [The Defense Neuro-psychoses].
The English adjective “generalized” is attested from the nineteenth century, while the associated verb “to generalize” is a century older. Both words were formed from the adjective “general,” which is attested from the fourteenth century. “General,” in turn, derives, via Middle English and Middle French, from the Classical Latin adjective generālis, which is associated with the noun genus, generis, meaning “birth,” “descent,” “”origin,” “class,” or “kind.”
The English word “anxiety” is attested from the sixteenth century. It derives from the Classical Latin noun anxietas, anxietatis, meaning “anxiety,” as well as the related adjective anxius, meaning “anxious” or “uneasy.”
For the etymology of the term “disorder,” see the Glossary entry, borderline personality disorder.
DISCUSSION:
Patients with GAD suffer from a degree of fear and worry that interferes with their daily functioning. Symptoms may be both mental and physical, including serious worry, restlessness, Bny insomnia, exhaustion, irritability, sweating, and trembling.
The severity of these symptoms may vary greatly. Intense but relatively brief episodes of the above-mentioned symptoms—especially the physical ones—may be referred to as “panic attacks.”
To be diagnosed with GAD, patients must have experienced symptoms for at least six months and must be continuing to do so at the time of diagnosis.
By definition, GAD patients suffer from a generalized feeling of fear or anxiety.
From time to time, psychologically healthy individuals may fear specific persons, events, or entities that threaten them. In and of itself, fear is normal and adaptive.
The problem is that GAD patients’ fears are unfocused and excessive—and to that extent irrational—in relation to any threats such individuals are in fact likely to face. GAD sufferers may also exhibit fear and anxiety regarding such ordinary problems of everyday life as illness, financial difficulties, employment issues, and conflict in personal relationships.
GAD patients often suffer from other physical and mental disorders, as well, including obesity, major depression, and substance abuse.
The etiology of GAD is believed to encompass episodes of trauma, whether experienced in childhood or as an adult, as well as a family history of GAD—indicating there is likely a genetic component to susceptibility to the disease.
Treatment of GAD may include both psychotropic medication and various psychotherapeutic interventions, such as “cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).”