Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Treatment Sydney

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We Offer Expert Evidence-Based GAD Treatment in Sydney

Angus Munro psychology offers highly effective evidence-based treatments for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in Sydney area. Our team of expert psychologists can give you a safe place to confront your fears and develop new healthier ways of thinking. If you are tired of worry and the effect it is having on your life, contact Angus Munro and his highly trained team and together let’s eliminate anxiety from your life.

It is natural and normal to worry some of the time. Life stresses and sudden changes can produce fear and anxiety in the most well-adjusted individuals. However, in Generalized Anxiety Disorder this is taken to an extreme degree. GAD is diagnosed where levels of anxiety are both excessive (i.e. out of proportion) and hard to control. As opposed to specific phobias and anxiety about specific situations, in GAD worry tends to be about a range of everyday matters rather than an individual issue. GAD can have a big impact on your ability to cope with the stresses of life, and it is rare for the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety to remit without therapeutic intervention.

 

Generalised Anxiety Disorder can Include Excessive Worry About:

  • Work and/or school
  • Finances
  • Health
  • Minor matters such as being late for an appointment
  • Interpersonal issues
  • World events
  • Safety issues

People suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder often form a worry chain. That is, each worrying thought cascades into a new one punctuated by “what if?” questions. These thoughts then escalate until even everyday problems lead to catastrophic thoughts about the future. For example:

  • What if I don’t get this report done in time? (I might get fired)
  • If I get fired what will I do? (I probably won’t be able to get another job)
  • If I can’t get another job what will happen to my family? (We will have no money for the mortage and we will be evicted)
  • If we are evicted what will happen (My wife will probably leave me and I’ll be alone)

Associated with such worries are often ongoing physical feelings of tension, irritability, sleep problems, concentration problems, and agitation.

 

How Do You Feel About Worry?

One challenge with people suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder is that they often have opposing beliefs about worry. One the one hand they may think:

  • Worry will destroy my health
  • I will go crazy with all this worry
  • Worrying helps to find solutions to problems
  • Worrying increases motivation to get things done
  • Worrying about something in advance can decrease one’s negative reaction should the event actually occur
  • Worrying, in and of itself, can prevent bad things from happening (this has been referred to as magical thinking or thought-action fusion)
  • Worrying shows that one is a responsible and caring person.

 

Our Treatment Clinic in Sydney can Help You Overcome GAD

Many people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder state that they have “always been a worrier” as long as they remember. However, Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be successfully treated with evidence based anxiety treatment.

Our expert team of psychologists can assist you in identifying and breaking your chains of escalating worry through evidence-based cognitive techniques. We can help you with recognising the effect worry is having on you and resolve your conflicting feelings about its value.

GAD treatment in Sydney can also help you learn effective relaxation techniques and give you the tools and skills to face stresses in life without feeling anxious. After successful treatment you will feel less anxiety and be more in control of your life and your decisions. You will also have a restored ability to sleep and will find that your feelings of tension and irritability have been reduced.

Start reducing your worries and increase behavioural flexibility by consulting our General Anxiety Disorder specialists in Sydney, Australia.

 

Our Clinic Address:

2 Warwick Avenue, Cammeray,

Sydney, NSW (2062)

Email: Send your message via the contact form

Frequently Asked Questions about Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Worry

The two conditions may feel similar to the person experiencing them. Psychologists usually consider worry to be one of the components of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. Sometimes the two terms can be used interchangeably.

GAD is a chronic condition that is characterized by two main characteristics: excessive worry and physical tension.

Yes, to a point. Psychologists consider worry to be the mind’s way of reminding ourselves to be vigilant to danger. It points us toward possible negative outcomes of our past, present, or future actions.

We all have periods of understandable worry, and it can often benefit us: normal worry gives us foresight to plan for future events, or take precautions to stay healthy and safe.

Worry becomes excessive when it pervades our lives, even when we know rationally that a situation or problem will most likely resolve itself. If you tend to ruminate repeatedly on past or future events, or your mind automatically turns to the worst outcome of a situation, you may be a chronic worrier.

Worry is like a switch that, when working normally, turns on and off according to our circumstances. It becomes a problem when the switch is nearly always on. Excessive worry often has the opposite effect of normal worry: instead of propelling us toward action, it can paralyze us. You must opt for a proper treatment therapy to cure this disorder.

Fortunately, when worry is chronic or excessive, Generalized Anxiety Disorder treatment can be extremely effective—worry is like a habit that can, with some time and assistance, be unlearned, and our Sydney-based practice has many proven treatments for GAD symptoms.

Generally, worry is considered excessive when it is repetitive (it cycles through your mind over and over again without being resolved); when it is out of control (despite all your efforts and attempts to reason with yourself); when it is out of proportion (even the smallest things cause your mind to ruminate); or when it dominates your thinking and you are unable to relax or enjoy yourself.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is considered by psychologists to be defined by two core GAD symptoms: excessive worry as well as physical tension.

Physical GAD symptoms includes muscle tension, but can also include feeling irritable or on edge, insomnia, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating.

GAD and worry often feed upon each other, and this spiral can become so intense that physical tension and mental rumination become the default mode in one’s mind.

Seeing a psychologist is the best way to determine what you are suffering from. However, what matters more than your official diagnosis is: What symptoms are you experiencing, and to what degree?

For instance, many GAD symptoms are similar to those of other conditions. Worrying constantly about one’s health might casually be labeled as hypochondria; worry that leads to repeatedly checking locked doors or to excessive handwashing could be OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; worry about making even the smallest mistakes might be described as perfectionism; and worry about safety issue such as plane crashes could reach the level where it is considered a phobia.

At Angus Munro Psychology in Sydney, the initial consultation can be extremely valuable in determining which of these symptoms you may be experiencing, and whether they constitute GAD or not.

Psychologists tend to agree that many factors can contribute to GAD, including personality type, genetics, brain chemistry, and environmental factors both past and present.

These factors are often interconnected, and it can be difficult to point to one or two definitive causes.

GAD is one of the most common psychological disorders seen today, but it is treatable. At Angus Munro Psychology in Sydney, we specialise in anxiety treatments, and there are a number of Generalized Anxiety Disorder treatments that have proven to be extremely effective.

There are both long- and short-term therapies that have had excellent results. We provide such modalities as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Schema Therapy, among others.

Our practice is well regarded for its cutting edge psychological treatments and its ability to combine elements from several methods according to what each client will naturally respond to.

If you notice that your anxiety or worry prevents you from experiencing pleasure, keeps you from pursuing your interests, or is so present in your mind that you have little room for other thoughts, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with a psychologist, who will be able to determine whether you could benefit from treatment.

We at Angus Munro Psychology warmly welcome anyone in the Sydney area to visit us for GAD treatment. We also offer treatment therapy for social anxiety.