Anxiety is something that plagues 40 million American citizens age 18 and older. In this world of hustle and bustle, however, everyone stresses about something. Although anxiety disorders are very treatable, only one third of Americans get the treatment that they need. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by everyday worries about daily activities. These different things range from money, school, family, and work. The last requirement to be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder is to have these symptoms occur daily for at least 6 months. After this much time, the worry cycle becomes too rapid to deal with alone.
Joe is a 47 year old veteran that has suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder since he was young. Like many others with this disorder, he grew up worried about money, schooling and his parents fighting. While growing up, his anxiety got so bad that he would break out in a sweat just thinking about what he had on his agenda. Skipping social events and parties was normal, because the anxiety was too high to even go. Anxiety was rapidly taking control of Joe's life. .
After high school, Joe joined the Army. After joining the Army, Joe's anxiety started to go away on its own. He was surrounded by positive people who were confident people, so he started to feel the same way. Also, the Army made almost all of his decisions for him so there wasn't a lot to worry about. He still had the pressure to perform well and do a good job but rid himself of the everyday worries he used to have. At 45, however, Joe decided to leave the Army and his anxiety flared up again. .
Joe's anxiety was once again focused on his work and family. Because he just returned home, he had worries about finding a job and missing his family. Among these were also insecurities that he would not be able to provide for his family because of his inability to find a job. After dealing with this problem for years, his wife finally told him that his anxiety was plaguing his family with depression.
