But more and more people seem to be unable to cope with it and their emotions and their minds run away with them like an avalanche charging down a mountainside.
What to do:
Well here is a little guidance from the good Dr Dave in response to a reader in need.
"Dr Dave I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). I live pretty stressful life and I was wondering how to tell the difference between stress and GAD.
Also, do you have any recommendations on how to treat this problem with natural agents rather than drugs? I read what you said about Xanax a few days ago and lo and behold that is exactly what my doctor wants me to take.
Help!
Sara J."
Sara, I can understand your problem both from your point of view and that of your doctor.
I would be lying if I told you that I did not ever prescribe Xanax. I did not, however, just "fire and forget" the prescription. I noticed how well it worked, what happened when it didn't and what the side effects were.
The main thing I learned about Xanax from prescribing it was that after a very short period of time, it was hard to get people off it.
That being said please remember that no one but your own doctor can make actual recommendations about how to treat you because no one but your doctor has examined you or understands your history.
I can only speak generally about the results we have had with supplements and about GAD vs. stress.
So here goes.
A simple definition of GAD is that the person who suffers from it cannot shut off their mind. They are constantly provoked by little things and sometimes nothing and are burdened by a sense of dread or doom, constant and excessive fear, worry and tension.
The key thing that differentiates this from simple stress is that stress usually has a readily identifiable cause and gets better when that cause is removed.
If stress is present for too long and there is not a good answer for the problem, it often spills over in to the generalized anxiety state.
Normal, if there is such a thing, means that your definition of stress would be accepted by most people as something that would cause them stress as well.
People with GAD really spin off on a bad direction on the tiniest things or, as I said before, nothing.
Here are some other things that can be present with GAD
1) Irritability, restlessness, sweating, hot flashes, disturbed sleep (this is a biggie) and of course the need to go to the bathroom frequently. Notice how this looks and feels a lot like you might feel before taking an important test. But when the test is over, so are your symptoms
2) GAD does affect women twice as often as men but it is pretty common so a lot of men out there have it. It can strike at any age young or old but is most common in middle age (when so many of our problems seem to begin!).
3) GAD keeps company with other mental illnesses such as phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders, panic disorder and social phobias. Sleep issues are present in all of these things. The use of drugs legal and illegal and alcohol is common in GAD as in these others.
The way I look at it, Sara, is that everyone's brain is different. There are genetic factors, life experience factors (including trauma) but it all ultimately boils down to brain chemistry.
Because sleep is such a big issue in mental health you might expect the typical medical practitioner to resort to the same bunch of drugs as described in my blog "Now I lay me down to Sleep",
From the supplement standpoint I would recommend 2 things, fish oil and Sleep Wizard as the ingredients in both have been shown to improve serotonin levels and levels of other critical brain transmitters involved in keeping a positive and upbeat mood.
I used them often by themselves and of course along side other medications when needed to stabilize and improve people's moods, outlooks and the way they dealt with their stress.
Frankly, I personally use them all the time in myself just because I don't want to get to the point where the everyday stresses of life ever become more than just that, the everyday stresses of life.
We all have stuff to deal with, I can make it easier.
Fish oil and Sleep Wizard a magical combination for your brain.
All the best, Doc
P.S. Remember, don't stop or change your medicines without your own doctors permission! The statements made in this blog are not FDA approved nor are they FDA evaluated. The FDA is too busy approving drugs like Vioxx, Bextra and Paxil!
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