Essay - Generalized Anxiety Disorder Abstract Ever Since Mick Jagger Wrote About...

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

Ever since Mick Jagger wrote about "mother's little helpers,' much of the population has viewed medications as ***** instant cure for such modern-day maladies as Generalized ***** Disorder. It is undeniable that the prevalence of GAD is expanding as the world becomes more complex, global, difficult to comprehend and, one might argue, more mechanistic and less humanistic. Recent studies have shown *****, despite ***** current overwhelming allegiance to medication, cognitive-behavioral interventions are more effective for GAD. Several major investigations and a recent small empirical study confirm that ***** counseling works better ***** more rapidly than medication intervention without attendant therapy.

Introduction

***** National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) shows that anxiety disorders ***** the most common mental illnesses in the United States, with more than 23 million people affected each year (Public Health Reports 2005). Within this population, several varieties of anxiety disorder appear, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). NIMH defines as "chronic or exaggerated worry ***** tension; almost always anticipating disaster even though nothing seems to provoke it. Worrying is often accompanied by physical symptoms, like trembling, muscle tension, headache and nausea" (Public Health ***** 2005). Th***** is an adequate definition for the current study.

NIMH also notes that there are several forms of effective treatment for ***** d*****order, among them medication, specific forms of psychotherapy known as behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral *****, or a combination of ***** and the non-medication *****rapies.

Medication, f***** the purposes o***** this study, will be taken to mean "any psychotropic drug used to treat anxiety or any drug developed f***** other ***** that h***** been found useful in **********g some psychiatric conditions, ***** as the antihistamines that ***** been ***** useful for some generalized anxiety disorder patients.

*****: In Maverick County, generalized anxiety ***** patients function better without medication than with it, if medication is the only or main *****pect of *****.

In order to prove the valid*****y of this assertion, two groups were studied. One group was provided with appropriate medication and minimal therapy of any sort; the second group ***** provided with no medication but did participate in a well-tested ***** regiment based on the Rational-Emotive therapy of Dr. Albert Ellis, as found ***** his book (which they ***** asked to read), A Guide to Rational Living.

Procedure/Method

To ascertain the relative value of medication combined with traditional group therapy vs. cognitive therapies al***** in treating gener*****ized anxiety disorder, ***** groups ***** young to middle-aged groups were initiated. Each group began with four members, drawn from clients of an Employee Assistance Program; all had developed generalized anxiety disorder after being transferred or otherwise coming under the supervision ***** various types of ineffective, antisocial, overbearing ***** micromanaging bosses. All of ***** participants were looking for other employment, but all had ***** cope with the situation as is in the meantime; ***** a soft job market, none expected to be able to wait it out w*****hout help and also, many