GAD?

I'm sure multiple people ask this question in this forum, but I'm wondering whether I have anxiety or just depression (which has been diagnosed). People close to me have been telling me that I worry excessively, and it's made me wonder. I've started to obsessively worry about whether I have GAD, lol. I have tried to read up about the symptoms online, but it just confuses me, because it seems like every website describes it differently, or uses words like "abnormal worrying". How the hell am I supposed to know what's normal and what isn't?

I know I need to get a diagnosis from a doctor, but since I have to pay out of pocket I need to know if it's worth it. For those of you who have GAD, can you let me know what it's like for you? What tipped you off to the fact that you have a problem? What are some warning signs or whatever that I can look for to let me know if this is anxiety vs. just depression or normal worrying? Or, alternatively...do you know any good books or websites that describe generalized anxiety well?

I've been diagnosed with GAD, and it's frustrating when the description is abnormal worrying, but that's just what I do. I used to be diagnosed with Social Anxiety because most of my excessive worry was related to social situations and how people were seeing and thinking about me, but I am much more secure with myself now and don't worry enough for that diagnosis. It was changed to GAD because I still have worries that are out of preportion with the situation. Like, sometimes I get panicky about going to someone's house if I'm unsure if they want me to use the front door or the back door. No big deal, right, and the other person isn't going to care or hate me if I don't use the door they're expecting, but in my mind it's a life or death question and sometimes leads me to avoiding the situation all together.

I also have quite a lot of health anxiety. It makes it extremely difficult to sleep, because I worry of having a major health event overnight and no one will be around to help me. I dread bedtime. Since sleep is very important to maintaining balance with my comorbid bipolar disorder, I often have to take something in order to sleep.

So I guess what I'm saying is, do you worry excessively AND does it severely impact your life?

I told pdoc I couldn't sleep, that all I did all night was lay there and worry. He stated that's normal, people with insomnia often worry how they will get through the next day while they are unable to sleep, or worry about finances or health or children, etc.

I asked him if this sounds "normal" to him. At 1:30 am the internet just died. No big deal, I should have been sleeping anyway. But no, I'm in the main room resetting the router, numerous times, to no avail. I'm looking for a phone bill to get a number to call customer service, but I'm on paperless billing, and need the internet to see my bill. Then I began to think "I'm sure I paid the bill" but "maybe I forgot?" So I needed to check my bank account to be sure I paid the bill, but I NEED the internet to do that too!! This is roughly 3 am, I'm getting dressed to drive 6 miles to the ATM to see if I paid my damn phone bill. I walk outside to see pitch black night, realize WTH I'm doing, and turn around to go back inside. I finally fell asleep around 4am, need to get up at 6.

He just stared at me. Nope, not normal, you're right. I got a diagnosis, prescription for Buspar for anxiety, and trazadone to help me sleep.

Does your worrying look anything like that?

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Thanks for the replies, that does give me some insight. It's hard for me to say whether my anxieties significantly affect my life because I have found ways to deal with them, even if that means turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms or, simply getting out of commitments for awhile. I don't feel like my anxieties are as significant as yours are...then again, the things you mentioned doing (stressing about the internet going out at 2 am, or fretting about not knowing which door to use at a friend's house) are certainly things I can see myself doing. The other day I was incredibly stressed out at work, to the point where I could barely concentrate, because of something that now seems minor. We have an online check in system at work, and we can post when we need our shifts covered due to absence and then sign up online to cover open shifts. I signed up to cover a shift and then my co-worker signed up right after me, apparently not noticing that I had already said I would cover it. I spent the whole day worrying about how I would approach her about this and fretting about the worst possible scenarios. I even thought about just leaving work early to avoid the inevitable confrontation, or just relinquishing the shift to her (but I really wanted and needed to work that extra shift). In the end she noticed the double coverage on her own and there was no confrontation. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal if we had just talked about it, but I feel like a lot of my co-workers see me as a "shift hog". That shouldn't even bother me. I don't know why it does.

Thank kind of worry definitely sounds familiar to me. Most of the requirements for the DSM include the caveat that they must impact functioning OR cause significant distress, and you sound significantly distressed. Seeking a diagnosis might be a good next step. Maybe we can help you come up with a list of symptoms or scenarios that really bother you, to take to your doctor so that the appointment will be really worth it.

Do your "unhealthy coping mechanisms" affect your quality of life? Mention those at the pdoc appt. My go-to stress buster for over 20 years was smoking (over a pack a day sometimes) and when I quit smoking I really began the long slide downhill.

I'm sorry you're suffering. Some antidepressants also work on anxiety but ask your doc. Good luck to you!

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Honestly, I never had a psych evaluation, but my ex therapist said that I had anxiety.

I find the best way to describe anxiety would be fear. Do you feel fearful at little things that shouldn't be scary? I'm scared on public transit when someone looks my way randomly and then I'm just scared. Like how someone might feel if there just happened to be a tarantula crawling towards them.

Good luck with your anxiety~