ARE YOU ANXIOUS?
If you're feeling symptoms of anxiety and have done for an extended period of time, you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a common mental health condition that impacts a growing number of people every year. In the US, 1 in 5 working adults experience anxiety.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a long-term condition that can make you feel acute worry and distress in areas of your daily life, including school, work and social scenarios. These may be feelings that are triggered by a known source or arise unexpectedly. Common triggers may be linked to your job, finances, health, family, or relationships, or perhaps they are minor concerns such as household chores which feel like a lot to process and manage at the moment. Your anxieties are often an accumulation of different triggers and may not be simple to pinpoint alone.
Often, those who suffer from anxiety struggle to take their mind off these intrusive thoughts, making it difficult to concentrate, relax, sleep or undertake basic tasks. It may be that you don’t feel in control of your emotions, and instead feel restless, fearful, irritable, or in an erratic state of mind.
The GAD-7 test is a free online self-assessed patient questionnaire, used as a tool to measure the severity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). By filling out the online form, participants can establish a baseline understanding of the severity of their symptoms. The GAD-7 score is calculated by assigning scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3, to the response categories of 'not at all', 'several days', 'more than half the days', and nearly every day', respectively, and adding together the scores for the seven questions.
I recommend taking the GAD test alongside seeking professional support from your practitioner/ therapist.
Have you taken the GAD-7 test yet?
Miyume McKinley LCSW is a Psychotherapist based in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from XULA, Miyume founded her inclusive practice Epiphany Counselling. She is also the host of Epiphany Radio and founder of The Healing & Hope Foundation.