Generalized Anxiety Disorder According to the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH): Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18
to 54 - or about 18 percent of people in this age group - in a
given year, have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders include
panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-
traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD),
and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
Many anxiety disorders are accompanied by substance abuse,
eating disorders, and depression. Many people experience more
than one anxiety disorder at one time. Generalized anxiety
disorder (GAD) causes its sufferers chronic and exaggerated
worry and tension that seem to have no substantial cause.
Persons with generalized anxiety disorder often worry
excessively about health, money, family, or work, and
continually anticipate disaster. Although GAD may be accompanied
by depression, substance abuse, or another anxiety dis