Panic Attacks

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects over 4 million adult Americans every year, and is a condition where the person feels extremely worried or anxious on a regular basis. Exaggerated feelings of worry or anxiety are normal in some situations, but for people who have generalized anxiety disorder or related conditions, the feelings are out of proportion with the situation at hand.

People with generalized anxiety disorder are unable to stop worrying about everyday events and situations, and may become overly concerned with money, work, school, health or their families. They spend their days in constant worry or anxiety over certain situations, and they often end up feeling worn out, depressed, sad, and cannot enjoy relationships or social activities.

The root cause of this disorder is still unknown to us. Based on doctors and researchers work however, there seems to be several factors that play a role in the development of generalized anxiety disorder. Number one on their list is heredity. It seems that an individual is more likely to suffer from GAD if his or her parents were constant "worriers".

The environment is another factor in the development of GAD. Highly stressful events such as abuse, divorce, death of a loved one, or losing a job can cause intense anxiety, fear or terror. These feelings can worsen or linger on if they are left unaddressed. A person may subconsciously replay these feelings whenever they are stressed, and this just leads to a cycle of anxiety. According to MedicineNet.com, a lot of people make the situation worse by relying on food, nicotine, or caffeine to deal with their negative emotions.

Lastly, brain chemicals may be another factor in the development of GAD. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain had been correlated with anxiety disorders. Neurotransmitters are responsible for sending and receiving of information in the brain and a high level of it is speculated to somehow confuse our brain's perception. If t