Anxiety disorders remain the most common diagnosis in Wichita, and the most common disorder under the anxiety umbrella is Generalized Anxiety Disorder, often known as GAD. GAD as a singular disorder, is estimated to affect over 3% of the population, an estimated 12,000 people just in Wichita alone, every year, with women being twice as likely as men to be directly affected. Though why there is a gender disparity remains unknown.
GAD is characterized by excessive, persistent, and unrealistic worrying about everyday things such as health, family, finances, or the future. The result is that the fight-or-flight responses that tax their brains and bodies so commonly, leave them feeling overwhelmed, on edge, or hyper-alert, with elevated blood pressure, cold hands and feet due to constriction of their peripheral blood vessels, and chronic difficulties with digestive, immune, and reproductive systems. GAD tends to co-occur with substance use disorders which may temporarily calm the symptoms, as well as with depression because of shared genetic risk factors, brain mechanisms, and psychological processes, such as heightened negative thinking and a tendency toward worry.
Fortunately, anxiety disorders are also very treatable, especially when diagnosed early. If you notice symptoms in someone you love, please suggest the idea of an annual mental health checkup. Catching GAD before substance use or depression sets in makes them easier to treat with talk therapy and makes a dramatic difference in quality of life.
