![]() Sadly, the advice “just choose not to worry” from my friends, family, and peers who didn’t have experience with any form of anxiety was much easier said than done. I internally repeated this type of thinking often, in an attempt to lessen my anxiety and the associated obsessions I would feel. Maybe if I just worried less…cared less…planned more, I wouldn’t feel this way. I’m sure anyone with anxiety has been told this well-intentioned statement of reassurance from the people around them, only to find it not quite as helpful as the thought behind it. Just don’t be anxious, everything is fine. – Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, restless, or unsatisfying sleep) ![]() – Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank – Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)is listed in the DSM-5 and defined as excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities such as work or school, you may find it difficult to control the worry, and is associated with some of the below symptoms: – The obsessions or compulsions are time consuming (e.g., take more than 1 hour per day) or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. However, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive. – The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation. – Repetitive behaviors that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to the rules that must be applied rigidly. – The individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (by performing a compulsion) – Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time, during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and is defined by the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. Gaining an understanding of these conditions provided much-needed clarification and validation for my experiences, which helped immensely in my management and overall treatment. It took time, treatment in therapy, and a lot of self-reflection to come to terms with the understanding that I struggled with both Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. While most people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) don’t have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it may be common for individuals with OCD to also have GAD. Learning that both OCD and GAD can occur together can be a powerful and validating tool. I didn’t understand the obsessive thoughts and compulsions I was experiencing, especially when those symptoms didn’t fit in with my diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and what I understood that to be. When this misdiagnosis happened to me, I felt unheard. It is also common for individuals struggling with OCD to be diagnosed with or assume they have Generalized Anxiety Disorder instead, which can be a frequent misdiagnosis. Kristen Taylor-Ladd, MA, AMFT, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, discusses the differences between, and often co-occurring, afflictions of OCD and GAD, as well as shares her personal experience with and way to recovery from both of these conditions.īoth Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can often exist together simultaneously.
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