QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
What do they mean that there is no cure for GAD, but it is treatable? Aren’t you cured if you can treat GAD? I know someone who had GAD for 3 months and treated herself, without medication or therapy, within 3 months. She has been cured for 4 years now and states that she can’t cause any anxiety anymore no matter how hard she tries. She even had her dad pass away in her arms, and the anxiety disorder never came back. I want to know if GAD could also be a neurotic disorder not just a psychotic. No one in my family ever had any emotional disorders. My mom worries a lot (but that’s like most parents), but she has no disorder.
Please Reply ASAP.
Thanks
ANSWER:
The vast majority of people with the GAD, particularly those with the cognitive component, have a genetic disorder where the 5HT1A receptor is overactive. These people made great “cave guarders” thousands of years ago. Cognitive GAD means having persistent worry or the mind never shutting off.
There are many causes of anxiety, and I suspect the person you knew didn’t have the GAD, but was experiencing situational anxiety.
The GAD is considered a neurotic disorder, not a psychotic disorder.