While the majority of people do at some time or another worry about something in their life whether major or trivial, there are some people who worry constantly on a day-to-day basis, week in and week out. If you are one of these people then you have what is classed as a generalized anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder is classed in those who feel anxious or fearful on the majority of days. The feelings they have with the fear are varied and the depth at which they feel the feelings can be different from one day to the next. The feelings associated with generalized anxiety disorder are the same as those anyone who suffers any anxiety disorder feels. The most common are a fast heart rate or beat, palpitations of the heart, a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach or stomachache, sweating, a dry mouth, chest pain and a feeling of not being able to get enough breathe.

These symptoms are all caused by what is called "the fight or flight' response or simply the buildup of adrenaline within the body. The flight or fight response is a normal reaction when there is a sign of danger and normally we take no notice of it and it comes and leaves when the danger passes. Adrenaline pumps through the body at a faster rate than normal and the organs such as the nerve endings are stimulated. This feeling can be felt at such times as before an exam or interview.

However, for some these feelings are there on a constant basis and are felt continually on most days, attacks can come as frequently as every few minutes throughout the course of a couple of hours or so or just one attack a day can occur. While some anxiety is quite normal it is considered to be classified as suffering from a generalized anxiety disorder if the following conditions apply; the feelings are out of proportion to the situation, and the feelings persist when there is no apparent reason or the feelings persist once the situation causing the anxiety has passed.

Diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder can be hard to tell from normal everyday stress and worry. In order to determine if you have the disorder your Doctor will give a very thorough examination; generally if the anxiety persists over a long term then it can be safe to say that you have generalized anxiety disorder. Feelings of restlessness, irritability and feeling on edge all the time are all signs of the disorder, as does difficulty on concentrating for any length of time and not being able to settle to tasks you once enjoyed such as a hobby or pastime.

It is thought that about 1 in 50 people will suffer from the anxiety disorder at sometime during their life although it is most common for the onset to begin in your 20`s. Doctors aren't quite sure if the disorder stems from anything in particular or if it is just random, some cases have been known to have suffered abuse or been through a traumatic experience just before the onset of generalized anxiety disorder while in others it seems to just appear out of no-where.