Self Assessment Test for Anxiety
Assessment of anxiety symptoms

  
11-27-09
Lisabeth Wotherspoon, LICSW

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.

People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health issues, money, family problems, or difficulties at work. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety.

GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. People with GAD can’t seem to get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They can’t relax, startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating. Often they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes.

Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder:

Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least 6 months.
You find it difficult to control the worry.
The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms:

	restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge.
	being easily fatigued.
	difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
	irritability
	muscle tension
	sleep disturbance

If you are struggling with unmanagable anxiety, help is available now.  Call 603-994-0114