The Difference Between Normal Anxiety and GAD

Differentiating between normal everyday anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) can be tricky. How do you know, especially if you are a little more anxious than others, whether or not your anxiety is significant enough to qualify as a disorder?

Overview

Many people feel anxious from time to time, especially during times of stress. However, when you worry excessively, so much so that it interferes with day-to-day activities, you might have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Some people develop GAD as a child while others do not see symptoms until they are an adult. Either way, living with GAD can last a long time. In many cases, it occurs along with other anxiety or mood disorders. GAD is around twice as common in women as in men. Because anxiety affects women at a greater rate, experts recommend routine anxiety screening for women and girls aged 13 and older.

Symptoms of GAD

GAD symptoms can include:

• Carrying every option in a situation all the way out to its possible negative conclusion
• Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind "goes blank"
• Difficulty handling uncertainty or indecisiveness
• Distress about making decisions for fear of making the wrong decision
• Inability to relax, restlessness, and feeling keyed up or on edge
• Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
• Persistent worrying or obsession with small or large concerns that's out of proportion to the impact of the event
• Worrying about excessively worrying

Physical signs and symptoms may include:

• Being easily startled
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Memory problems
• Muscle tension or muscle aches
• Nausea, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome
• Sweating
• Trembling, feeling twitchy
• Trouble sleeping

Do You Have an Anxiety Disorder?

The following is a brief guide to determining whether generalized anxiety disorder may be something that you are struggling with.

1. Anxiety Is Severe

Although at times the anxiety that all people experience can be somewhat severe, a characteristic of GAD is that this anxiety is usually more intense and long-lasting. If you have more severe anxiety than most other people you know, then it may be more than "normal" anxiety.

2. Anxiety Is Disproportionate

The experience of anxiety for most people is proportionate to the intensity of the situation. For example, if there was a minor anxiety-provoking situation, then the experience of anxiety is typically minor as well.

People with GAD, on the other hand, tend to become more anxious than the situation appears to warrant. If you are someone who has more severe anxiety over “things that shouldn’t be a big deal,” it may be more than normal anxiety.

3. You Are Anxious About Everything

When people experience normal anxiety, they tend to worry about things related to the anxiety-provoking situation or several other things that make them fearful. People with GAD tend to be described as "worrying about everything all the time.” If that describes you, it may be more than normal anxiety.

4. You Have No Control Over Anxiety

Most people can reduce and control their anxiety through a variety of coping techniques and have the ability to calm themselves. However, people with GAD have significant difficulty finding relaxation, calm, and time away from their worries. If you have more difficulty than other people you know in controlling your anxiety, it may be more than normal anxiety.