A generalized anxiety disorder may occur in children or adults. Treatment can be a long-term process for many people because the topic of worries often changes over time. However, successful treatment helps reduce anxiety by enhancing mental and physical wellbeing.
It also increases engagement with people, places, and situations that previously caused anxiety. Medication and psychotherapy are often used together to treat or improve the symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder.
Medication Management
At Talkiatry, our psychiatrists focus on long-term success in GAD treatment. Therefore, anti-anxiety medications that provide temporary relief are only recommended as a short-term measure to alleviate symptoms when starting the treatment process.
We instead utilize medications that have demonstrated long-term success in treating GAD symptoms, including SSRIs, SNRIs, and tricyclic antidepressants.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is often emphasized in treating anxiety disorders such as GAD. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that is commonly used to treat GAD.
It is usually a short-term, structured treatment that focuses on the interplay between the conscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that perpetuate anxiety. Psychotherapy helps patients recognize and control their anxious thoughts while changing their behavior and thinking.
Broad topics discussed during therapy sessions include in-depth analysis of the anxious thoughts, learning coping skills, relaxation techniques imagined exposure to worries, modification of behaviors that have resulted from the worries, and problem-solving.