What does Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) feel like?

Michael, a fifty-three year old accountant, is constantly plagued by worry. His body is often tense and he has frequent pain and muscle spasms. He feels tired during the workday, yet he has difficulty sleeping at night. He is often irritable and quick tempered. He spends hours worrying about his job, his wife, his children, and his financial situation, though none of these things are in distress. He feels that he never has time to enjoy his life because he is always worrying about it.

Michael has Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). While it is normal to experience anxiety in reaction to dangerous, uncertain, or threatening situations, people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder experience anxiety constantly. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder experience pathological anxiety, which is excessive, chronic, and typically interferes with their ability to function in normal daily activities. Generalized or "free-floating" anxiety is not triggered by any one issue. Someone who suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder may worry about any and everything in his/her life. When left untreated, Generalized Anxiety Disorder produces a life full of fear and worry.