Patient handout
Generalized anxiety
You have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. This page explains what that means, how it is treated, and what you can do now.
What it is
Generalized anxiety disorder is persistent, hard-to-control worry about many things, most days, for months, along with physical tension. It is one of the most common and most treatable conditions we see. The worry is real, but the alarm it sets off in the body is a false one, and both the worry and the alarm respond to treatment.
Common signs
- Worry that jumps from topic to topic and is hard to switch off
- Feeling keyed up, on edge, or unable to relax
- Muscle tension, headaches, stomach upset
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Tiredness, irritability, trouble concentrating
- Needing reassurance, over-preparing, avoiding uncertainty
Why it happens
Anxiety runs in families and is shaped by stress, temperament, and habit. The brain's threat system becomes oversensitive and treats everyday uncertainty as danger. Avoidance and reassurance bring short relief but teach the brain that the threat was real, which keeps the cycle going.
How it is treated
- Medication: SSRIs and SNRIs are first-line, taken daily. They take two to six weeks to work and are not habit-forming. Buspirone or hydroxyzine are options in specific situations. Benzodiazepines are not used for daily or long-term treatment at this practice.
- Therapy: cognitive behavioral therapy teaches you to tolerate uncertainty and stop feeding the cycle. Combined with medication it works better than either alone.
- Supportive therapy is part of every visit here, and a referral to a dedicated therapist can be arranged.
- Follow-up: every one to two weeks at first, then monthly, then every three months once stable.
What you can do now
- Cut caffeine, especially after noon. It mimics and feeds anxiety.
- Move your body most days; even a twenty-minute walk lowers baseline tension.
- Set a fifteen-minute worry window each day and postpone worries to it.
- Protect sleep with a regular wake time.
- Notice reassurance-seeking and checking, and practice waiting it out.
Get help right away if
- A sudden surge of fear with chest pain, trouble breathing, or feeling faint that is new for you (get checked medically to rule out a heart or lung cause)
- Anxiety so severe you cannot work, care for yourself, or leave the house
- New or worsening thoughts of hurting yourself, especially in the first weeks of a new medication
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or not wanting to be here: call or text 988 any time, or go to the nearest emergency room
Good to know
- Early medication side effects, such as nausea or feeling more keyed up, usually fade within one to two weeks. Improvement comes after that, not before.
- Alcohol relieves anxiety for an hour and worsens it the next day. Keep it light.
- Progress is measured at each visit with a short questionnaire, so you can see it move.
Questions about your diagnosis or treatment?
Alice Tran Psychiatric Care · 3060 Williams Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22031
Call: (703) 791-9099 · Text: (703) 791-9031 · info@alicetrannp.com · alicetrannp.com
This handout is for education and is not a substitute for the instructions you received at your visit. Follow the dose on your prescription label. If anything here differs from what you were told, call the office. In an emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.