Reference no: EM134022230

Question

I personally have struggled with generalized anxiety disorder most of my life. Generalized anxiety disorder is defined as chronic excessive and uncontrollable worry about everyday events for at least 6 months. DSM 5 criteria that must be met for diagnosis include: Significant distress in social or occupational functioning Cannot be due to substances or other medical conditions Excessive and uncontrollable worry present for at least 6 months 3 or more symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration issues, irritability, muscle tension or sleep disturbances The symptoms I experience that meet DSM 5 criteria include all of the above (haha). Being socially active and setting time aside for self care have proven to help patients regulate care and I've found them very beneficial. Anxiety has been a big part of my life and learning skills to cope with it in therapy have been so beneficial. When anyone I know has anxiety, one of my biggest recommendations outside of medication is coping skills that are learned in therapy. The reality is that there will always be anxiety inducing events in life. If skills to cope aren't learned, there really isn't a hope of getting better because it's rare that there will be a time in life where everything is "perfect".