IntroductionAs one of the most common mental disorders in America; generalized anxiety disorder – or GAD – is an important diagnostic consideration for many professionals (Fricchione, 2004). GAD has been called “worry for no reason” (Wehrenberg & Prinz, 2007, p. 116) and can affect different age groups. Children can develop GAD and suffer from it for the rest of their lives. Adults can also develop it and it is common among older adults and women. This may also be a result of social pressure on men not to admit symptoms (Wehrenberg & Prinz, 2007). Unlike other phobias or related panic disorders, this is a constant, almost relentless anxiety about events that are unlikely to occur. Symptoms that indicate GAD are restlessness, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances, among others (American PsychiatricAssociation, 2000). It is helpful to study this disorder not only to learn to look for symptoms, but also to learn how to communicate and identify dysfunction in others suffering from some form of anxiety disorder or even severe stress. DevelopmentThe development of GAD can occur in several ways. It is very likely that in many cases there is a hereditary predisposition to this disorder. Additionally, the way a child is raised can greatly increase or decrease the amount of stress a person experiences or puts on themselves throughout their life. Particularly intelligent children are more likely to struggle with anxiety, in part because, not only are expectations higher, but understanding the threat of certain situations is more difficult than it would be for a more experienced teenager or adult ( Verduin & Kendall, 2009). Environmental stressors are also a contributing factor. Life-changing events or...... half of article ......n Medical Association Journal, 183(7), 824.Fricchione, G. (2004). Generalized anxiety disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(7),675-682. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp022342Hayes, J. F. (2011). Generalized anxiety disorder. Innovait, 4(12), 685-690.Harrison, R. (2012). Anxiety disorder. Annals of The American Psychotherapy Association, 15(2), 48-57.McGrandles, A., & Duffy, T. (2012). Evaluation and treatment of patients with anxiety. NursingStandard, 26(35), 48-56.Verduin, T., & Kendall, P. (2003). Differential presence of comorbidity in childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, AmericanPsychological Association, Division 53, 32(2), 290-295. Wehrenberg, M., & Prinz, S. (2007). The anxious brain: the neurobiological basis of anxiety disorders and how to effectively treat them. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.