Individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder experience higher levels of anxiety every day, even if stressful situations are not present (Sue, Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2013). The disorder is usually accompanied by psychological and physical symptoms that can vary (insomnia, loss of consternation, tension, etc.) To diagnose the patient with GAD, the symptoms are to be present for at least three months during the most days; physical and psychological symptoms also need to be present. The individuals with GAD believe that worrying will help prevent the event they are worried about (Sue et al., 2013). Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to control the worry.
The person with GAD that I will treat is a female adolescent, 14 years old, who has just moved to a new town and entered a new school. She has reoccurring nightmares every two or three days where she misses the plane to the new town, and her parents leave without her. She believes that she is going to fail the exams at the new school, as she is “not capable of anything”, and “teachers do not really like” her. According to her, she was abused by her classmates in the previous school. She has also been suffering from insomnia and indigestion for more than eight months.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy was proven helpful in children and adolescents with GAD (James, James, Cowdrey, Soler, & Choke, 2013). James et al. (2013) have reviewed different methods of treating GAD; one of them included psycho-education, realistic thinking, and development of social skills through group sessions. Four-weekend social events were used to avoid relapse. There were also two individual sessions included (James et al., 2013). When the cognitive-behavioral therapy demonstrates results, it is possible to engage the teenager in social activities. Buspirone can be prescribed to the patient to treat anxiety, as it does not lead to dependence (Sue et al., 2013). At last, relaxation techniques such as meditation or art therapy can be used too.
References
James, A. C., James, G., Cowdrey, F. A., Soler, A., & Choke, A. (2013). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sue, D., Sue, D. W., Sue, S., & Sue, D. M. (2013). Understanding abnormal behavior. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.