GAD (the Worry Program)

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common condition that affects around 400 000 Australian adults. When people have GAD they worry excessively about many things. For example, they may worry excessively about their health, the health of family and friends, finances, upcoming events, and about things that may happen.  Often people with GAD experience physical symptoms of anxiety, including physical tension, headaches, upset stomach and bowels, fatigue, sleep problems, neck pain, and similar symptoms.  Essentially, people with GAD worry so much that they are anxious, tense, and jumpy much of the time, they rarely relax, and often feel depressed or distressed about their symptoms.

 

What are the Symptoms of GAD?

The main symptoms of GAD include:
  1. Excessive anxiety and worry for at least 6 months about several different things.
  2. The person finds it very difficult to control the worry.
  3. The level of worry is out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the things the person is excessively worried about.
  4. The person experiences physical symptoms, such as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and disturbed sleep. 

GAD vs. Normal worry

GAD is more than worry. Most people worry about things from time to time. But, people with GAD find that it affects their everyday life. So, they may try to control their worry by doing things like visiting doctors frequently, asking for reassurance, overpreparing for any potential event, reminding others continuously about things, avoiding doing new things, or taking on new challenges or opportunities, because of their fear.



Treatment for GAD

GAD is treatable! The best treatments involve learning about your symptoms, learning how to control those symptoms, and slowly (and gradually) practicing going into situations you fear (to teach yourself, slowly and gradually, that you can manage those situations). You can talk to your General Practitioner about getting a referral to a Clinical Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or another mental health professional to learn to manage your worry. Or, you can try our Worry Program.


What is the Worry Program?

The Worry Program is designed to teach people with GAD about their symptoms, and to show them ways of managing their symptoms, all done over the Internet. We developed Worry because most people with GAD never seek treatment, but many have access to the Internet. By providing good education and information via the Worry Program we hope that you will get better control over your symptoms, and improve your confidence and mood.

The Worry Program includes six online lessons, 6 homework assignments, and lots of additional resources that are designed to provide you with the information that you would normally receive from high quality face to face treatment. Please note: Learning to overcome GAD takes determination and commitment. We expect that during the Program you will have to invest up to 4 hours each week reading the materials and practicing the skills described in those materials. It is hard work and we don't expect that the Worry Program will "cure" people overnight. But, our first group has now completed the Worry Program, and most report that it was very helpful and that they would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend with GAD.

 

The Next Trial of the Worry Program

We are currently updating the existing Worry Program, and hope to test a self-guided version in mid 2010. In the meantime, you may want to consider applying for the Anxiety or Wellbeing Programs (which also aim to treat GAD). Please see the "About Our Treatment" link above for more information about our next trial.

 

Page Last Updated: 16 February 2010, by Dr Nickolai Titov

 
St Vincent's Hospital