Over half of the people in this world experience anxiety at one point in their life. This anxiety may arise from watching the news or in personal everyday life (Generalized anxiety disorder, 2011). Occasionally, though, that anxiety can linger into a more tantalizing and solemn problem diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder. This condition can be of great significance in many scenarios where a nurse must provide treatment for a patient, but may not be able to progress without addressing the anxiety first. In these cases it is well known that the physician prescribes pharmaceuticals to the patient, and may even have referrals for the patient. The nurse; however, will be the one interrelating …show more content…
Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized as having symptoms for at least six months where the symptoms persist a vast majority of those days during that time frame (Are your daily, 2014). The symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder coincide with what many people will experience on a regular day and they include having slumbering complications, draining easily, restlessness or a sensation of being on edge, muscle tension, having struggle focusing on the tasks at hand, or even irritability (Generalized anxiety disorder, 2011). One other symptom may be having a persistent worry about a variety of matters, again it must have persisted for a minimum of six months or more. These symptoms, in a person with GAD, present themselves in the patient’s life which interfere with a day to day life basis and their activities (Are your daily, 2014). A key factor when it comes to these symptoms though, is to remember that the person be assessed so that other underlying conditions can be ruled out as being the primary reason for them happening such as a side effect of prescribed or non-prescribed prescription or a medical circumstance (McGrandles & McCaig, …show more content…
Another layer to add to that knowledge is to know that there are certain risk factors that will heighten the probabilities of having this disorder. Some of those risk factors include but are not limited to: being ages 35 to 54, marital status of separated or divorced, smokers, low socioeconomic status, having existing social problems, living as a one person family or being a single parent (McGrandles & McCaig, 2010). The best time for a nurse to be able to assess a patient is on initial assessment. During this phase the nurse can ask copious or an assortment of questions that can help detect whether or not a patient has a generalized anxiety disorder, if not already declared in their history. Also, during this time the nurse is able to establish a therapeutic and trusting relationship with the patient, which will make for a better base to carry out nursing implications or interventions, which then in turn would result in better outcomes by the patient. A therapeutic relationship with the patient or client is vital for the nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and