GAD vs. Normal Stress Response

[TheOthermed]

Does a person really have GAD if their symptoms occur alongside very stressful life events?

Some people obviously handle stress and uncertainty better than others. But I wonder how many people label themselves as having GAD when really they're just under a lot of stress.

I guess what I'm asking is where do you draw the line between legitimate reactions to stress and GAD?

I feel like with GAD in particular it can be difficult to distinguish between a person who has the disorder and an anxious person who just has a lot of uncertainty in their life and worries a bit more than they should.

I think it's important for us to remember that anxiety occurs along a continuum. Meaning that everyone has some degree of it, just some more than others. And that a lot of the treatments that help to relieve anxiety are beneficial for people who may not meet the criteria for a full anxiety disorder.

A diagnosis can be good because it gives you a better understanding of what you're going through. But also remember that just because you have a lot of anxiety or even some of the symptoms of a disorder, doesn't mean you have something like GAD.

Anxiety should be managed even at the sub-threshold level when you don't fully meet the criteria for a disorder.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, if you're out there suffering from anxiety, keep in mind that it's not all black and white.

Don't cling to a diagnosis like it's some terminal disease and think there's something horribly wrong with you compared to everyone else. Because there are people suffering from anxiety all along the continuum.

And lastly, I would say it's important to remember how stressful life events can aggravate anxiety. Of course sometimes the anxiety isn't connected to any life stress, which may indicate that there's a problem.

I'm just saying to keep in mind that having a lot of anxiety about stressful life events is normal and doesn't mean you have a disorder.

[John22]

I think doctors like to put names on tendencies people have so it's easier to prescribe medication that, while it's sometimes necessary, is not always needed. As a kid i was diagnosed with ADD, and I just thought I was a little distracted. After all, I played a lot of video games and watched a lot of action movies. Hard to stay focused when you're used to that fast sensory input. They put me on Aderall. Yeah it made me focus, but I started to feel like a speed freak after a while.

Then I grow a bit older and start feeling stress in school, and then at work. So much stress sometimes I can't concentrate on much else. So now the doctors say I have GAD. Only I'm not touching the medication. I'm starting to do yoga, eat better and take some key supplements. I think natural is the way to go, at least for me.

[TheOthermed]

(Not to get too off topic here) But...

The situation with ADHD is an even better example. ADHD is a very real disorder. If you've ever encountered a person with severe ADHD the dysfunction is extremely obvious. That being said, stimulants like Adderall help everyone to concentrate better, even people who wouldn't get diagnosed with ADHD. Anyone in college these days probably knows about how many students use Adderall in order to concentrate so they can pull all-nighters, etc. Basically, attention runs along a continuum in the same way. Medication helps virtually everyone to focus better, and there's a kind of arbitrary line between people who have slight attention problems and people who wouldn't get diagnosed as having ADHD. Also, it's worth mentioning that behavior treatments for ADHD are far more effective than just using medication.

Anyone who says that ADHD isn't real or GAD isn't real doesn't know what they're talking about. But it's all on a continuum. And sometimes the excessive labeling does bother me. I think this is why a lot of people can meet the criteria for multiple anxiety disorders, because it's not a case of either having it or not having it, it's all anxiety and it just depends how much of it you have. There are people at the far end of the spectrum who have a lot of dysfunction and need a lot of help and then there are those right on the edge of having it or not having it that might get prescribed medication they don't need.

Certainly everything does not exist on a continuum. But in my experience, attention and anxiety both seem to be characteristics that can be looked at this way.

(Sorry for going off topic)