Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common type of anxiety disorder diagnosed in older adults.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is believed to be the most common anxiety disorder among older adults. People who have GAD find themselves constantly worrying about many things. They fear the worst in every situation, even if that fear is unfounded.
Anxiety in older adults may be linked to several important risk factors. These include, among others: Chronic medical conditions (especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], cardiovascular disease including arrhythmias and angina, thyroid disease, and diabetes) Overall feelings of poor health.
Antidepressants are the first-line medications in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Anxiolytics may be used for a brief duration, but only if needed while an antidepressant is being initiated and titrated up.
Dr. Krishnaswami, an academic medical associate specializing in controlling common symptoms of anxiety, discusses the best tips and tricks including the Three R's (Recognize, Regroup, Redirect).
Look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm. Whenever you feel your brain going 100 miles per hour, this mental trick can help center your mind, bringing you back to the present moment, Chansky says.
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
What are the first-line medications to treat anxiety in older adults? Anxiety among older adults is a common health concern, but there are medications that may help to ease the symptoms. These can include duloxetine, escitalopram, buspirone, venlafaxine, and sertraline.
Symptoms of Anxiety in Older Adults
Shakiness and panicky feeling. Difficulty breathing, sweating, and nausea. Dizziness or feeling lightheaded. Digestion problems and chest pain.
Many people may worry about things such as health, money, or family problems. But people with GAD feel extremely worried or nervous more frequently about these and other things—even when there is little or no reason to worry about them.
The following are some of the most common causes of increased anxiety in seniors: Stress from being dependent on others. Cost of living expenses or medical expenses. Bereavement.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Among those with the disorder, onset occurs in late life (after age 55) for about 25% (1). The objects of excessive worry, the hallmark of GAD, most often include health, disability of self or spouse, and finances (8).
This technique asks you to find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Using this with someone who feels anxious will help to calm them down and reduce their feelings of anxiety.
Relaxing coping strategies:
Listen to calming music. Take some deep breaths (deep breathing). Think of a calm, happy place (guided imagery). Tense and relax your muscles (progressive muscle relaxation).
Exposure therapy (ET), which follows the Pavlovian extinction model, is regarded as the gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD).
A second therapeutic candidate, LYT-310 (oral cannabidiol), is expected to enter the clinic in Q4 of 2023.
SSRIs considered to have the best safety profile in the elderly are citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline. [16] These have the lowest potential for drug-drug interactions based on their cytochrome P-450 interactions.
In patients with dementia, anxiety is a very common symptom, and this may be manifested as a various mental and physical symptoms.
gently let them know that you think they might be having a panic attack and that you are there for them. encourage them to breathe slowly and deeply – it can help to do something structured or repetitive they can focus on, such as counting out loud, or asking them to watch while you gently raise your arm up and down.