GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Fear, anxiety, excitement, embarrassment, love, happiness… These are all emotions experienced by human beings; they contribute to personal growth and help individuals understand themselves. For example, fear protects, anxiety motivates action, excitement increases motivation, love strengthens bonds, embarrassment provides an opportunity for self-improvement, and guilt helps us recognize our limits. However, when these emotions become too intense and cannot be controlled, they may begin to cause harm.
Anxiety and fear are different concepts. Anxiety is the fear experienced when a person perceives a threat or danger related to the future; its object is uncertain, and it is a natural response to a stressful situation. The source of anxiety lies within the inner world; for example, worrying about experiencing financial difficulties if one loses their job. The source of fear, on the other hand, is external, and its object is specific—for example, being afraid of dogs or heights.
When anxiety exceeds what a person can control, certain psychological disorders may arise. According to DSM-5, these include:
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Agoraphobia
Social phobia (social anxiety)
Specific phobia
Separation anxiety disorder
Selective mutism
GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER:
It is a mental disorder characterized by persistent anxiety, as if something bad is going to happen at any moment, without a specific reason. Individuals who have difficulty controlling their anxiety may also experience complaints such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances due to their constant state of worry.
In treatment, cognitive therapy—where distorted cognitive processes (i.e., faulty thoughts) are addressed—and behavioral therapy—where deep muscle relaxation is taught while imagining anxiety-triggering stimuli—are applied.
The essence of cognitive behavioral therapy is to help the individual recognize the connection, or even the mismatch, between situations and their faulty thoughts. The anxiety seen in generalized anxiety disorder arises from persistent distorted (faulty) thoughts about oneself, others, and the future. In these faulty interpretations, perceiving threats or dangers in a catastrophic way further increases anxiety. For example, if a mother thinks that the school bus bringing her child home 10 minutes late has had an accident and that her child has been taken to the hospital, instead of considering that it may simply be delayed due to traffic, this reflects a catastrophic thinking style. Therapy helps dismantle the belief systems underlying these distorted thoughts. Patients learn to recognize these automatic distorted thoughts and challenge them.
When symptoms impair the individual’s functioning, the psychiatrist conducting the therapy may need to add medication to cognitive behavioral therapy.
I received my cognitive behavioral therapy training from the Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies Association under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sungur. I hold the title of “Cognitive Behavioral Therapist” approved by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT).
Psychiatrist Dr. Arzu Dalmış
