Generalised Anxiety Disorder Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Our mental health specialists in London help you to overcome anxiety

When taking the courage to share how they feel with others, a lot of people with general anxiety have told us of the misinterpretation and lack of sensitivity they have received in response. We provide a safe environment free from judgement for you to share your experiences. We will listen to you and will do all we can to help you. With over 35 years of experience in treating mental health problems internationally, we are considered one of the best mental health clinics in the UK, regularly supporting patients to overcome anxiety and other common mood disorders.

Based on our many years of experience in treating anxiety disorders, we are able to help you break the cycle of fear and worry. When your anxiety is affecting your life to the extent its constant intrusion leaves you reaching out for help, we will be there for you. Our treatment and therapy day programme at Schoen Clinic Chelsea is designed to improve your insights into your feelings of anxiety and help you build skills to reduce and eliminate them.

What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the experience of regular, seemingly uncontrollable worries about numerous things in life rather than about a specific trigger. Anxiety can result in differing symptoms between people, but individuals with GAD typically feel anxious and distressed most days and find it difficult to relax.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder encompasses both physical and psychological symptoms. The severity and number of symptoms experienced vary between people.

General anxiety is one of several types of anxiety disorders. Other types of anxiety are:

We offer a specialised treatment programme for adults with these common anxiety disorders.

What causes Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Whilst there is no one definitive cause, the following factors have been found to increase the likelihood of developing GAD:

Genetic vulnerability: sometimes illustrated through family history of GAD, or other mental health disorders
Increased activity in brain areas concerned with emotions and behaviour
An imbalance of brain chemicals (serotonin and noradrenaline) that are involved in mood regulation
Experience of trauma, including abuse and bullying
History of chronic physical illness or pain condition
A history of drug (including tobacco) or alcohol misuse
Excessive caffeine consumption
Stressful or significant life event

Start your treatment journey today. For fast access to specialised private mental health treatment in London at Schoen Clinic Chelsea, you can use your health insurance or simply fund your own treatment. Call our caring team direct on +44 20 4571 6312 or email us today.

Symptoms of Anxiety

If you suffer from anxiety, you could regularly feel anxious, tense, or terrified in everyday situations. These emotions can be distressing and hard to control. They may also make ordinary tasks difficult.

Physical symptoms might also result from anxiety. Consider a period when you had anxiety. Perhaps your knees were shaking or your hands were perspiring. Your heartbeat may have accelerated. You could have experienced nausea.

Other physical symptoms of generalised anxiety could include

Dizziness
Tiredness or fatigue
Trouble sleeping
Heart palpitations: a noticeably strong, fast or irregular heartbeat
Muscle aches and tension
Trembling or shaking
Dry mouth
Sweating
Shortness of breath
Stomachache
Nausea or irritable bowel
Headaches or migraines
Pins and needles
Difficulty with sleep

Most people occasionally suffer anxiety. If anxiety lasts for a long time, causes major suffering, or affects your life in other ways, it may become serious or develop into a disorder.

Psychological symptoms of an anxiety disorder

It's not just physical symptoms you should be aware of when it comes to Generalised Anxiety Disorder. This form of anxiety can alter your behaviour as well as the way you perceive the world, leading to symptoms like:

Persistent worry
Feeling restless, unable to relax
Nervousness
Overthinking
Perfectionistic traits
Lack of confidence
Negative thinking (i.e. worst-case scenarios)
Difficulty handling change or uncertainty
Difficulty making decisions
Decreased energy
A sense of dread
A feeling of constantly being ‘on edge’
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Low self-esteem

In order to prevent experiencing anxiety and dread, your symptoms may lead you to cut off social interaction (such as visiting your family and friends).

Additionally, you could find coming to work challenging and stressful, and you might need to take time off sick. Your self-doubt and anxiety about yourself may grow as a result of these behaviours. With our mental health specialists in London here to support you, recovering from your anxiety disorder could be just around the corner.

Do you have anxiety?

Generalised Anxiety Disorder can ‘sneak up’ on you. Often you carry on with life believing you are ‘just a worrier’ when it's not truly the case. It's common for people with general anxiety to only seek professional help when they find they feel exhausted, or feel they're not coping and are regularly deprived of sleep.

You may be given medication to help you sleep without addressing the underlying condition. That's why it's really important you receive a full assessment with a specialist anxiety professional to get the treatment and help you need to reduce your symptoms. To achieve a precise diagnosis, our experts carry out a full assessment in order to understand potential causes and ongoing factors. Then they cooperatively develop your treatment goals and a programme of dedicated support to suit your unique needs.

If you are experiencing ongoing anxiety, please don't suffer in silence. Avoid attempting to tough it out alone if you feel like everything is becoming too much for you. We offer a variety of outcome-based treatments and therapies for anxiety at our leading mental health clinic in West London.

Start your treatment journey today. For fast access to specialised private mental health treatment in London at Schoen Clinic Chelsea, you can use your health insurance or simply fund your own treatment. Call our caring team direct on +44 20 4571 6312 or email us today.

We provide specialised anxiety treatment at our leading private mental health clinic in London

Generalised anxiety disorders (GAD) can be treated with a combination of treatment and therapies. Psychoeducation can support you to recognise the basis of your personal challenges and how your feelings can escalate and impact you physically. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘cycle of fear or anxiety.’

Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness help you regulate these symptoms and teach your body to change from a state of unease and tension to one of peacefulness and improved wellbeing. Psychological interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) support you to reduce negative thoughts and assist in gaining a more proportionate perspective on the things that you worry about.

We offer a specialised treatment programme for adults with common anxiety & mood disorders.

Some of our therapies for treating anxiety in London

We provide the following therapies and interventions. These may be delivered on a 1:1 or group basis by members of the multidisciplinary team.

Psychoeducation
Relapse prevention
Peer led support
Applied relaxation
Social issues
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Self-esteem/Building resilience
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Art/Drama
Family therapy
Mindfulness
Movement
Food preparation/cooking
Interpersonal therapy
Schema

Private 1:1 therapy for anxiety in London

Individual programmes are tailor-made to each patient’s needs and progress. The following provides a guide to the typical building blocks of our day treatment programmes, all of which include a number of 1:1 weekly sessions with members of the multidisciplinary team.

Start your treatment journey today. For fast access to specialised private mental health treatment in London at Schoen Clinic Chelsea, you can use your health insurance or simply fund your own treatment. Call our caring team direct on +44 20 4571 6312 or email us today.

LEADING PRIVATE MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT IN LONDON

Specialised treatment programme for adults with anxiety & mood disorders

At our renowned London mental health clinic, we provide highly specialised help, support and treatment for common mental health disorders.

Adults suffering from disorders like depression, anxiety, panic attacks, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), stress, low mood, emotional trauma, low self-esteem, or bipolar disorder can access a variety of therapeutic treatments through our specialised treatment programme.

Find out more today. Scan the QR code or visit the link below.

LEADING PRIVATE ANXIETY TREATMENT IN LONDON

Why choose Schoen Clinic Chelsea for your private anxiety treatment?

Schoen Clinic Chelsea is one of the leading mental health clinics in London. Part of an international hospital group treating 300,000 patients each year, we've been helping people recover from mental health problems for over 35 years.

At Schoen Clinic, we design your treatment based on the current recommendations of the experts in the field of anxiety and mood disorders. We utilise evidence-based practice that has been tried and tested to provide the best opportunity for recovery and relapse prevention.

Our personalised approach means we design the programme of treatment around your needs and symptoms and we will frequently review your programme as a multidisciplinary team. Our multidisciplinary team consists of consultant psychiatrists, nurses, psychotherapists/psychologists, family therapists and occupational therapists. They will apply a consistent and empathic approach to working with you and ensure they support you in all aspects of your life.

Get in touch with the team today.

Tel: +44 20 4571 3259
Email: CHE-enquiries@schoen-clinic.co.uk

Start your treatment journey today. For fast access to specialised private mental health treatment in London at Schoen Clinic Chelsea, you can use your health insurance or simply fund your own treatment. Call our caring team direct on +44 20 4571 6312 or email us today.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Frequently asked questions

Anxiety FAQs

If you're experiencing a moment of anxiety, take a moment to pause. Breathe deeply. Slowly inhale and exhale. Slowly count up to 10. Repeat as necessary, counting to 20.
Take a break when you need to. Try yoga, music, meditation, massages, yoga, or learning relaxation methods. Taking a step back from the issue might help you think more clearly.
Eat meals that are balanced and have wholesome, energising foods on hand.
Find out what makes you anxious. Do you know if it's related to job, family, school, or anything else?
Keep a diary. When you're experiencing stress or anxiety, write in a journal and search for patterns.
Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine since these might amplify anxiety and cause panic attacks.
Ensure you get a good amount of exercise each day to help you release energy and maintain good physical health.
Get adequate rest. Your body needs sleep and rest, especially while you're under stress.
Instead of trying to achieve perfection, which is impossible, just do your best and celebrate yourself for your progress, no matter how big or small.
Recognize that there are things you cannot control. Consider whether your stress is actually as severe as you believe it to be.
Try to keep an optimistic outlook and aim to think of good thoughts instead of negative ones.
Volunteering or finding another method to become involved in your community might help you build a support system and take a break from the stress of everyday life.
Speak with someone. Inform your loved ones that you're feeling overburdened and let them know how they may support you.

Nearly 30% of individuals have an anxiety disorder at some point in their life, making it the most prevalent of all mental illnesses.

However, there are a variety of efficient therapies for anxiety disorders. Most people who get treatment can live regular, fulfilling lives.

Childhood, adolescence, or adulthood traumatic events are frequently the start of anxiety disorders. Being subjected to stress and trauma when you're very young is probably going to have a significant effect.

Abuse, either physically or emotionally, is one experience that might set off anxiety issues.

Excessive anxiety may be brought on by a major incident or a combination of lesser stressful life circumstances. A loss in the family, work stress, or persistent financial worries can all be factors.
Personality types. Anxiety disorders are more likely to affect some personality types than others.
Other associated mental health problems.

A physical examination, questions about your symptoms, and a blood test are all steps in the diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. This allows the doctor to rule out other conditions, such hypothyroidism, that could be contributing to your symptoms.

Your doctor could inquire about any drugs you are currently taking.

Psychotherapy and medications are the two common approaches to treating anxiety disorders.

A combination of the two could work best together for you.

Although the median age of onset is 30, the variation of age at the time of onset is fairly wide.

Patients who claim that their GAD symptoms appeared later in life frequently state that a substantial stressful event in their lives was the cause of their symptoms.

For treating anxiety disorders, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is considered to be the most effective type of psychotherapy.

CBT, which is often a short-term therapy, focuses on teaching you specific techniques to reduce your symptoms and eventually resume the things you've put off due to worry.