Symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder

Symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder can be both physical or mental and associated with the following:

• Restlessness or being on edge
• Heart palpitations
• Increased sweating
• Easily fatigued
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating or your mind going blank
• Muscle pain and tension
• Increased need to go to the toilet
• Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or restless sleep that doesn’t feel rejuvenating.

It may also:

• Include excessive anxiety or worry for at least several months about a number of situations or activities.
• Be difficult to control.
• Not be explained by another mental disorder, for example by traumatic events in post-traumatic stress disorder, contamination or rumination in obsessive compulsive disorder, etc.
• Not be attributed to substance use, medication, or another medical condition such as hyperthyroidism.

You may not have all these symptoms, but if you are experiencing some of them and they are impacting on your life, you should speak to your GP to access the support available.