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3 Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a physiological disorder is exhibited by extreme anxiety caused by normal disputes that reflects in functional deterioration in the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system of the brain plays a major role in controlling and regulating fundamental emotions of a person via neural channels among the amygdala, dosolateral prefrontal crigulate cortex, ventromedial anterior complex, and hippocampus areas of the brain (Preston, 2017). These regions are linked to acquired anxiety and expression.
3 Anxiety disorders may be posed by a complicated set of threats including; genetic, biochemical composition, behavioral, and life situations. 3 These disorders are psychopathological and are defined by extreme risks, and worry associated with physical, shared, and mental responses. Individuals who suffer this disorder show excessive unrealistic feelings that interfere with their physiology, behavior, and cognition (Preston, 2017). Suzy is no exception to this situation as through her life she experiences trauma of her parents differences, her mother overdosing and this condition complexes I her adulthood. She is enraged by anxiety and worry to an extent of indulging in alcoholism.
3 Abnormality in function of specific neurochemicals and abnormal chemoreceptors reactivity causes anxiety. The neurotransmitters involved in anxiety can either be inhibitory or excitatory (Lichtblau, 2011). They include; serotonin, glutamate, gamma-amino butyric acid, cholecytokinin, and adenosine among others. They function to modulate the circuit of neural system attached to anxiety, up regulation of amygdala activity, or reduced activity of the limbic system. 3 They react by either suppressing the inhibition of transmission, raising excitatory neurotransmission, increase in monoamine neurotransmitters, and hyperactivity to opioid and neuropeptide activity in amygdala linked paths.
Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) is the major neurotransmitter involved in anxiety. It controls emotional states in the brain. Neuronal activity level of the brain is normalized by the equilibrium by emotional participation majorly glutarmatergic and GABAergic inhibitory mechanism. 3 Shift in equilibrium to GABA results in sedation, ataxia, and amnesia, while mild condition leads to restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, arousal, and inflated reactivity. Studies have shown dysregulation of GABA; particularly GABA A variant has been connected in elevation of amygdala activity in the brain responsible for generalized anxiety disorder (Litchblau, 2011).
Various drugs have been administered for GAD treatment. 1 According to the National Institute of Mental Health, (2016), they include; benzodiazepines, gabapentin, and pregabalin. Benzodiazepines are the common like diazepam, manages this disorder, these drugs enhance the GABAergic inhibition through GABA-A receptors resulting in an allosteric change in the receptor complex thereby increasing GABA efficiency. This enables the GABAergic circuits to generate more inhibition. 3 Gabapentin is a formulated analog of GABA it effectively alters the symptoms of anxiety and phobia. Progabalin also a GABA analog acts by increasing total GABA content in the brain reducing GD symptoms and phobia. Long term substance abuse of tobacco and caffeine by Suzy would have contributed to her condition as they elevate anxiety levels.
3 I would recommend awareness of the right drugs to administer in treatment of mental health clients. This will help clinicians in developing a wise plan of medication, the correct prescription to be administered and due duration of positive effect in a client, beware the clients of the side effects of drugs and how they are managed, and reduced cases of drug failure in clients. These can be applied too to Suzy’s condition and that of her mother to help her recover from this condition.