什么是广义焦虑症(GAD)?

医学评论
什么是普遍的焦虑症?GAD的概述。
躁动不安,烦躁和睡眠问题都是GAD的迹象。 罗素·约翰逊/阿拉米

Occasional worrying about health, money, relationships, and other things is natural and a normal part of life. But for people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), these worries become all-consuming.

有GAD的人即使没有明显的关注,也会担心日常事情。在某些情况下,仅考虑度过一天就会引发焦虑。

这种过度的忧虑会导致某些身体症状,并会干扰日常生活。

How Common Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

根据美国国家心理健康研究所(NIMH)的数据,普遍的焦虑症在任何给定年中影响2.7%的美国成年人口。在女性中,它比男性多50%。

Realizing you’re not alone may be one of the first steps you take toward dealing with your anxiety. “The first thing I do is tell patients that treatment is out there and it does work. And then I tell them that I’ve seen this a lot, which makes them feel better,” saysBeth Salcedo, MD, the medical director of The Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders in Washington, DC, and the past board president of the焦虑和抑郁Association of America.

有关的:5快速减轻压力的瑜伽姿势

What Are the Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

普遍的焦虑症会导致许多心理症状,包括:

  • 过度担心日常事物
  • 躁动不安和无法放松
  • 困难集中
  • Sleep issues, such as trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
  • 易怒
  • 觉得一切都会糟糕

这些问题可能伴随着许多身体症状,例如:

  • 肌肉张力和肌肉酸痛
  • 疲劳
Age may affect the kind of symptoms you experience. According to a study published in February 2018 in the北欧精神病学杂志,年龄超过65岁的焦虑症患者的睡眠困难和抑郁症比45岁以下的患者往往更多。

忧虑的种类也有所不同:老年患者担心自己的健康和家人,而年轻的患者担心自己的未来和他人的健康。

What Causes Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

普遍焦虑症的确切原因尚不清楚。GAD的危险因素可能包括:

  • 遗传学焦虑症众所周知会在家庭中奔跑。
  • 大脑结构和活性研究人员认为,根据NIMH的说法,调节压力和焦虑的领域的差异可能会导致这种疾病。

  • 创伤事件经历创伤,例如儿童虐待,可能会引发这种情况。
  • 慢性健康状况Having a chronic medical condition may increase the risk of GAD, notes Mayo Clinic.

Women who are pregnant may also experience generalized anxiety disorder — and possibly experience it at a higher rate than the general population. It’s estimated that 8.5 to 10.5 percent of women will suffer from GAD during pregnancy, and that 4.4 to 10.8 percent of women will have it postpartum, according to a study published in September 2015 in the妇女健康杂志

如果您在这段时间内觉得自己患有普遍的焦虑症,那么与医生谈论症状以及是否需要治疗非常重要。如果有必要,您的医生将讨论服用药物的风险和好处。

如何被诊断出普遍的焦虑症?

与其他焦虑症一样,没有特定的测试来诊断普遍的焦虑症。

您的医生可能会进行体格检查血液检查排除其他症状的其他可能原因。

对广义焦虑症的诊断是基于您的心理和身体症状。

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic criteria, you have GAD if you’ve had difficult-to-control, excessive worry — more often than not — for at least six months, and experienced at least three of the following six anxiety symptoms:

  • 躁动或前卫
  • 变得容易疲劳
  • 困难集中或感觉好像你的思想已经空白了
  • 易怒
  • 肌肉张力
  • 睡眠问题

Your symptoms must also be severe enough to impair your ability to go about your daily life, and must not be due to substance abuse or other disorders or health issues.

广义焦虑症的治疗方法是什么?

GAD的两种主要治疗方法是心理疗法和药物。您的医生可能会规定治疗的组合。

治疗师经常使用一种称为认知行为疗法或CBT的方法来治疗普遍的焦虑症。

根据国家心理健康联盟(NAMI)的说法,这种流行的疗法形式用于各种心理疾病,可帮助人们识别,理解和改变有助于其状况的思想和行为。

您的医生可能会首先开始抗抑郁药为了帮助您的症状,并告诉您可能需要四到六个星期才能开始感受效果。肯·达克沃思(Ken Duckworth),医学博士,NAMI的首席医疗官和波士顿哈佛医学院的精神病学助理教授。

Your doctor may also work with you to figure out whether to up your dosage or add a second medication; often, one medication can enhance the effects of the other or mitigate its side effects.

A number of different medications may be used to treat GAD, notes NAMI, including:

抗抑郁药是GAD的一线治疗方法。

苯二氮卓should only be prescribed for a short time. Unlike antidepressants, they can become addictive even after a short period of time, according to NAMI.

有关的:Which Medications Are Best for Anxiety Disorders

Salcedo博士说,您可能还可以通过基于正念的练习(例如冥想)找到一些缓解。根据国家互补和综合健康中心于2020年8月发表的一篇文章,研究表明,这些疗法可能在缓解焦虑症状中有所使用。

深呼吸练习也可能有所帮助。
锻炼在治疗和管理焦虑方面也很重要,即使焦虑可能会使您不愿意锻炼身体。vwin app美国焦虑与抑郁协会指出,根据一些研究,定期运动以及减少药物焦虑症状在某些人中。

哈佛医学院的说法,其中的好处:移动身体会减轻肌肉张力;提高心率可以改变您的大脑化学反应,从而增加抗焦虑神经化学物质的可用性;锻炼会激活负责执行功能的大脑部分,帮助控制杏仁核,杏仁核,这是大脑对恐惧的反应。

有关的:冥想如何改善您的心理健康

其他报告卡琳·鲍尔(Carlene Bauer)

编辑资料和事实检查

显示较少