Can you tell me about Generalised Anxiety Disorder please?

[Armadale]

How is it different to depression?

Will treating for depression help the symptoms or does it need completely different treatment?

If you suspect someone has this, what can you do for them?

{Background if it is useful: DH an I are alarmed at how his father is.

He is treated for depression with Citralopram. He has always been very depressive in his outlook, but has definitely got worse recently as his physical health means he isn't able to pursue his interests any more which means there isn't any distraction from his thoughts if that makes sense.

The last few weeks or so, it is almost as if he is having a panic attack all the time. The smallest things send him into a completely disproportionate tail spin e.g. bins being collected early, hairdresser changing appointment time, he thinks they are the end of the world.

Once you do manage to reassure him it is OK, he has relief for a few minutes (maybe 5) before going into another tailspin...and in between it is almost as if he is looking for the next thing to panic over- not in an attention seeking way, more as though he is secretly convinced everything is utterly terrible and he is looking for evidence.

He keeps saying 'I wish I was dead', 'I wish I hadn't woken up this morning' etc but seems very much linked with the fact that being so anxious is making things unendurable for him, rather than depression- of course my understanding of the two things might not be right.

According to MIL he pretends everything is much better than it when he goes to the docs to conceal the truth. We feel for her sake as much as his something has to change.

Added to this is a family dynamic (mystifying to me) that everyone panders to FIL and never challenges him which is an added problem but one I feel I could probably broach if I had a clearer idea of what to do}

Can anyone advise?

I have GAD and am being treated with citalopram. Citalopram is an AD that is used to treat GAD, it is generally used more for anxiety than depression. The thing is, depression and anxiety tend to go hand in hand.

How long has he been taking the citalopram? If he is having suicidal thoughts it is imperative that he talks to his doctor about this as this is a known side effect, especially when you first start taking them - i constantly fantasised about walking in front of a train, it was terrifying. It did settle down though. He absolutely needs to be honest with his doctor as he can be given other medication to help with the acute anxiety. He may well just need his dosage upped.

I can totally relate to him looking for things to be anxious, its horrible, you wake up scared and in a "flight or flight mode" with adrenalin pumping and you literally can't function. People tend to have triggers, mine are receiving letters, making phone calls, anything money orientated. I usedd to have terrible health anxiety but i manage to keep a lid on that now.

He sounds quite unwell if you can only keep him calm for five minutes and he needs to see a doctor, if only to get his meds reviewed.

How old is he? has he had tests for thyroid function? how is his memory?

GAD is shit - but it is treatable

It might be that the citalopram isn't working for him - either it never did or he's just been on it too long. I found that SSRIs stopped working after a couple of years and I would swap to a new one. I also found that none of the SSRIs actually helped with my anxiety a huge amount even though they are supposed to. Everyone's different and pyschoanalysis was what worked for me in the end. I agree with LEMisafucker that your DH's dad should go back to the doctor for a review.

I suffer from GAD and have done for over 27 years on and off current situation 2 years now. As said depression/anxiety generally do go together.

As you fil just started with GAD ?

If he as just started on citalopram, suicide is a known SE of most antidepressant but should pass within a few weeks but everyone is different as stated mine was more like couple months. If he as just gone on them maybe he needs a short course of diazepam to get him into them and help with the symptoms.

It is truly one of the worse illness I detest it! It's so frightening @ 56 I am frightened! The symptoms I get fuelled adrenaline that builds up and takes time for you to be calm and relax again.

I truly feel for him and would not wish this illness on my worse enemy because you can't see anything is wrong like you can say a broken leg.

I do feel for the OP/family etc as it's not easy to be around but at the same time the person with the illness is a nervous wreck inside and can't help there outburst or the way they are.

I do feel he needs to be honest with the dr but it is probably his pride and embarrassment of having this horrible illness.

Thank you so much for the replies, LEM and Sister.

It is so interesting that Citalopram is used for anxiety- I think it really can not be working as it is hard to imagine he could be more anxious.

He has been on it for 2-3 years, the panic attack type state seems to have come on since the summer.

I think thryoid etc all checked as he has a physical condition that he is given meds for that mean they have to keep a close eye on his physicals..
He is early 80's.

I am aware that he thinks he has altzeihemers, and that is why he is struggling but I think the whole 'i'm losing my mind' thing is part of the anxiety. The GP tested him and does not think he has it, and he went to A+E in September after a bad reaction to a wasp sting and DH mentioned it to the doc there, who also did some standard test on him and did not think it was the case.

So interesting what you say about phonecalls, post and money being triggers- this is exactly right for him. Also visitors, even from us or D an BIL. Recently he told us that he was so worried about having so little money, and when DH did his tax return for him it turned out he had more cash in his current account than our London flat is worth, so there is absolutely no relation between the anxiety about things and reality in such matters, but the panic is no less real to him.

DH wonders if perhaps he needs to go to the gp either with him or on his behalf (very tricky as he isn't willing) but at least then the GP would have a clear pic of what it is actually like, the idea of upping the dose possibly having an effect is certainly worth suggesting to him.

clio 27 years is a long time. Broken leg analogy really helpful, thanks.