Fear of everything. Is this GAD?

[Nerdling2]

So, my GP said after questioning that I'm Severe level high-functioning anxiety and referred me for online CBT (well, for EMDR actually but i couldnt get the time off work so they have me online CBT instead). But she didn't give me any formal label or diagnosis at all.

From reading your posts, the best 'fit' for me seems to be GAD but I really don't know.

I've always always had a sense of doom and that things just weren't right - in fact, as a child my most used word was 'doom'...it became a bit of a joke, except I wasn't laughing. I was obsessed with death, illness, war from about age 4 and it grew in intensity as I got older. I cannot pinpoint reasons.

Today, in my 30s, I don't know if it counts as phobias or just something much more generalised because I am literally scared of everything, all the time. There is very little time that I don't feel something is very wrong.

If I had to list specific fears and major stressors, they'd include:
Terrorism (big one)
Wars
group social situations
Motorway driving
Air travel (I think this one really is a phobia)
Cancer
Something bad happening to my pets or children
Minor details around the house not being right eg chipped paint or the fridge packed in the wrong order
People coming to my house
Mess
Mould
public transport

1 or more if them is constantly in my mind; they just layer on top of each other. Sometimes there are more layers than other times and then it gets worse.

Is this how it is for you?

Another key aspect for me is being 'locked in '...i can't put into words what I'm feeling, no matter how hard I try, with my husband or friends in person. Even if I desperately want to - I try, my mind locks down, nothing comes out of my mouth. It is soul destroying and causing issues in my marriage. I'd like to create another thread about that aspect but not sure if I'm allowed multiple threads so have put it here for now.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, my GP never gave me a formal diagnosis other than "chronic anxiety" which just means long term anxiety. Eventually he starting writing GAD on everything but to this day is yet to include the OCD the therapist he referred me to picked up in the first session.

There is a description for GAD which is useful but also I think you have to look to see if your other issues align with other anxiety disorders in order to rule them out. However, WHO advise doctors to only make multiple codings (diagnostic term for the labels they give) where diagnosis warrants it. If something isn't sufficient enough to require a diagnosis, despite behaviours being present, they are not necessarily required to include it other than it may get a mention (often you many here "OCD tendencies" or "OCD traits").

GAD also has a lot of overlap with other disorders. It can overlap with Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, etc so that you go through some of what they do too but the central point to it all is the GAD still. I found that with mine.

[Nerdling2]

Thank you that's helpful to know. I think my GP really likes to avoid labels in general, which is fine - I just wondered whether unless labelled it isn't officially anything more than myself and Dr Google.

The overlapping is interesting. My last therapist thought I had PTSD which nobody else has said before. I'm not so sure about that but maybe it's just 'tendencies' overlapping with the more general constant anxiety

[Phuzella]

I've never had a proper diagnosis. Doctors have only ever said I have anxiety. Over the years, I'd say I've experienced virtually every symptom I've read about on here.
Depression is my thing at the moment, I'm off to the doc on Wednesday so we'll see.

[MyNameIsTerry]

To be honest, I doubt many GP's are trained enough in mental health to make an accurate diagnosis and perhaps that's why they stick to more general terms (that the patient may understand) until someone like a therapist gets involved.

PTSD is supposed to be an under diagnosed disorder. Therapists have more time to dig into our cases so it's possible. That might mean varying the treatment so it would be useful to ask about that e.g. there is a more specific form of CBT for PTSD, EMDR treatment, etc.

---------- Post added at 02:21 ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 ----------

Some useful worksheets about PTSD and CBT for it:

https://psychologytools.com/understanding-ptsd.html
https://psychologytools.com/what-is-tf-cbt.html
https://psychologytools.com/reactions-to-trauma.html

[hanshan]

Hi Nerdling2 - I'd have to say that it seems to be something like GAD, with some OCD thrown in for good measure.

Specifically, mess, and paint chips out of order (if I've got you right) sound a bit like OCD.

Also, some of those anxieties sound like big issues outside your daily sphere, whereas GAD focuses on daily issues like relationships, health, financial problems, work - all the things ordinary people worry about, but to the max.

But in the end, it's all anxiety - that is the real problem.