Generalized Anxiety Disorder is exactly what the name suggests: anxiety that isn't tied to one specific trigger, but spreads across many areas of life — work, health, relationships, finances, and things that haven't even happened yet.
What distinguishes GAD from everyday worry.
Everyone worries about real problems sometimes. GAD involves excessive worry that's difficult to control, occurs more days than not for at least six months, and comes with physical symptoms — restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, and sleep disturbance.
The worry often feels productive — even though it isn't.
Many people with GAD believe, on some level, that worrying is what's keeping bad things from happening, or that it's a form of preparation. In reality, the worry rarely leads to better outcomes — it mostly just costs energy, sleep, and peace of mind, without actually reducing risk.
GAD responds well to treatment.
Non-controlled medications, primarily SSRIs, are effective for GAD and can meaningfully reduce both the mental and physical symptoms. Therapy focused on identifying and challenging worry patterns adds significant additional benefit, especially alongside medication.
Here's what we can do at Affordable Psych:
We'll take a full picture of how your worry shows up across different areas of your life, discuss medication options and realistic timelines, and help you understand what's driving the pattern — not just manage the symptoms on the surface.
The bottom line:
If your mind is rarely, if ever, quiet — always moving to the next worry — that's GAD, and it's genuinely treatable. Constant worry isn't a personality trait you have to live with.