Everyone gets nervous from time to time. Most of the time, anxiety is about something specific, like flying on an airplane, or giving a speech, or looking over the edge of a canyon and seeing how far down the bottom is. And there is also a moment of release. When that plane lands or your speech is done, you feel better and the anxiety goes away.
But for some people (an estimated seven million American adults per year according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America), anxiety begins and it doesn’t end. Worry and fear pervade their lives, making it hard to function normally in social, work and personal life.
When that happens, psychologists call it generalized anxiety. And if the fear sticks around long enough, it’s called Generalized Anxiety Disorder. These are the foci of this edition of HealthConnections. Host Brandon Hollingsworth is joined by HealthConnections creator Dr. Carole Myers.