The Assignment – In a 300- to 500-word blog post written for a patient and/or caregiver audience, explain the signs and symptoms of your diagnosis, pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacolo

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent, constant, and unrealistic worry that is not concentrated on a specific object, thing, or situation (Munir et al., 2022). In troublesome circumstances, children or adolescents with a generalized anxiety disorder will be more worried than other children or adolescents. The situations or objects that children and adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder worry about include future events, academic performance, personal safety, performance in competitions such as sports, and the safety of friends and family members. Children diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder usually experience headaches, stomachache, nausea, diarrhea, shortness of breath, sweating, increased heartbeat, dry mouth, frequent urination, difficulty swallowing, trembling, and shaky feeling.

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General anxiety disorder evaluations are conducted using the DSM-5 criteria (Munir et al., 2022). The criteria include difficulty controlling worry and experiencing worry and anxiety for a significant number of days in at least six months. In children, worry and anxiety lead to sleep disturbance, fatigue, restlessness, irritability, impaired social functioning, and difficulty concentrating. The worry is not caused by underlying medical conditions, substance abuse, or other mental health conditions. Most children are naturally irritable at a certain age; therefore, a parent or guardian is allowed to highlight a child’s behavior throughout the years, including school environment, living conditions, and family stressors (Aktar et al., 2022). A physical examination might not yield any results directly related to anxiety, but it is still crucial in determining any physical illness. A thyroid-stimulating hormone level test is recommended to rule out hyperthyroidism which causes disturbances similar to generalized anxiety disorder.

Adolescents are at a crucial age where they are exposed to substances of abuse; therefore, adolescents with a differential diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder undergo a urine drug screening test (Munir et al., 2022). Several substances of abuse cause anxiety. In the case of a positive drug test, withdrawal from the substance of abuse may also lead to anxiety; therefore, parents should not worry when their adolescent children are not immediately withdrawn from the drug. A patient’s medical and medication history is important since certain pharmacological drugs such as corticosteroids cause anxiety. In cases where a child above eight years of age is screened for anxiety, it is per recommendations by The US Preventive Services Task Force.

Treatment of generalized anxiety disorder involves using medications, methods that do not involve medications, or both. Medication prescribed to children and adolescents depends on their age, weight, signs and symptoms, and FDA approval of the drug. In cases where a patient has been prescribed medication off-label, the drug has not been approved by the FDA for use in that patient. Using off-label drugs is done with consent from a parent or guardian. Parents become concerned when their children are diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, but have not been prescribed any medication. Less severe anxiety does not require medication. Medications for anxiety have several severe side effects, such as increased suicidal ideation; therefore, they are avoided if possible. Patients on medications are scheduled for regular appointments to assess their response to drugs and side effects. Parents are trained on how to identify disinhibition and activation and how to manage them.

Treatment methods like therapy involve both parents and the patient (Borza, 2022). Parents go through individual therapy since parents’ support and a stable environment is crucial for the patient’s well-being (Aktar et al., 2022). Parents are taught how to adapt to their child’s diagnosis. Patients on therapy are scheduled for sessions every three months plus booster sessions. The duration can be adjusted depending on the patient’s response and progress.

References

Aktar, E., Nikolić, M., & Bögels, S. M. (2022). Environmental transmission of generalized anxiety disorder from parents to children: worries, experiential avoidance, and intolerance of uncertainty. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience.

Borza, L. (2022). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience.