Overview

It's normal to feel anxious from time to time, especially if your life is stressful. However, excessive, ongoing anxiety and worry that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities may be a sign of generalized anxiety disorder.

It's possible to develop generalized anxiety disorder as a child or an adult. Generalized anxiety disorder has symptoms that are similar to panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other types of anxiety, but they're all different conditions.

Living with generalized anxiety disorder can be a long-term challenge. In many cases, it occurs along with other anxiety or mood disorders. In most cases, generalized anxiety disorder improves with psychotherapy or medications. Making lifestyle changes, learning coping skills and using relaxation techniques also can help.

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Symptoms

Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms can vary. They may include:

Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events

Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes

Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren't

Difficulty handling uncertainty

Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision

Inability to set aside or let go of a worry

Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge

Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind "goes blank"

Physical signs and symptoms may include:

Fatigue

Trouble sleeping

Muscle tension or muscle aches

Trembling, feeling twitchy

Nervousness or being easily startled

Sweating

Nausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome

Irritability

There may be times when your worries don't completely consume you, but you still feel anxious even when there's no apparent reason. For example, you may feel intense worry about your safety or that of your loved ones, or you may have a general sense that something bad is about to happen.

Your anxiety, worry or physical symptoms cause you significant distress in social, work or other areas of your life. Worries can shift from one concern to another and may change with time and age.

Symptoms in children and teenagers

Children and teenagers may have similar worries to adults, but also may have excessive worries about:

Performance at school or sporting events

Family members' safety

Being on time (punctuality)

Earthquakes, nuclear war or other catastrophic events

A child or teen with excessive worry may:

Feel overly anxious to fit in

Be a perfectionist

Redo tasks because they aren't perfect the first time

Spend excessive time doing homework

Lack confidence

Strive for approval

Require a lot of reassurance about performance

Have frequent stomachaches or other physical complaints

Avoid going to school or avoid social situations

When to see a doctor

Some anxiety is normal, but see your doctor if:

You feel like you're worrying too much, and it's interfering with your work, relationships or other parts of your life

You feel depressed or irritable, have trouble with drinking or drugs, or you have other mental health concerns along with anxiety

You have suicidal thoughts or behaviors — seek emergency treatment immediately

Your worries are unlikely to simply go away on their own, and they may actually get worse over time. Try to seek professional help before your anxiety becomes severe — it may be easier to treat early on.

Causes

As with many mental health conditions, the cause of generalized anxiety disorder likely arises from a complex interaction of biological and environmental factors, which may include:

Differences in brain chemistry and function

Genetics

Differences in the way threats are perceived

Development and personality

Risk factors

Women are diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder somewhat more often than men are. The following factors may increase the risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder:

Personality. A person whose temperament is timid or negative or who avoids anything dangerous may be more prone to generalized anxiety disorder than others are.

A person whose temperament is timid or negative or who avoids anything dangerous may be more prone to generalized anxiety disorder than others are. Genetics. Generalized anxiety disorder may run in families.

Generalized anxiety disorder may run in families. Experiences. People with generalized anxiety disorder may have a history of significant life changes, traumatic or negative experiences during childhood, or a recent traumatic or negative event. Chronic medical illnesses or other mental health disorders may increase risk.

Complications

Having generalized anxiety disorder can be disabling. It can:

Impair your ability to perform tasks quickly and efficiently because you have trouble concentrating

Take your time and focus from other activities

Sap your energy

Increase your risk of depression

Generalized anxiety disorder can also lead to or worsen other physical health conditions, such as:

Digestive or bowel problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome or ulcers

Headaches and migraines

Chronic pain and illness

Sleep problems and insomnia

Heart-health issues

Generalized anxiety disorder often occurs along with other mental health problems, which can make diagnosis and treatment more challenging. Some mental health disorders that commonly occur with generalized anxiety disorder include:

Phobias

Panic disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Depression

Suicidal thoughts or suicide

Substance abuse

Prevention

There's no way to predict for certain what will cause someone to develop generalized anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you experience anxiety: