Question

Define generalized anxiety disorder. Compare and contrast GAD with phobic disorders, noting how avoidance behavior is manifested differently in each.

Answer 1

Generalised anxiety disorder is a psychological disorder characterized by excessive or disproportionate anxiety about several aspects of life, such as work, social relationships, or financial matters. Individuals with this condition experience “free-floating” anxiety, that is, their feelings of fear and worry are not particularly linked to any object as such. Phobias, on the other hand, is a specific type of anxiety. It's an irrational, unreasonable fear of an object or situation. Individuals with phobia attempt to avoid the stimuli that is the source of phobia. For instance, a man who has a phobia of injections will avoid getting a blood test done. In case of generalised anxiety disorder, however, are intolerant of uncertainty in general and avoid all situations that they feel would not be adequately under their control.