Generalized Anxiety Disorder

by Daneisha Carter
My name is Daneisha and I'm an African American woman who suffers from severe anxiety and stress. I was around 18 years old when I had my first panic attack. I couldn't breathe and it felt like I was going to die.
by Carmen M. Tumialan Lynas, PhD
Most would agree that treating invasive cancer when it is still just the size of a mustard seed has a much better prognosis than waiting and treating it when it metastasizes into a larger, less curable disease. My cancer experience makes me more resolute about treating anxiety early. 
As we are experiencing heat domes across the planet, there is emerging evidence from recent publications that heat, among effects on many other human activities, can also have profound effects on mental health. - Martin Paulus, PhD

Respiratory Training (CGRI) vs Interoceptive Exposure in the Treatment of Transdiagnostic Pathological Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Eligibility Criteria

1. Clinically elevated anxiety

2. Meets DSM-5 criteria for one or more of the following anxiety or trauma-related disorders as their “primary” mental disorder:

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Panic Disorder
  • Health Anxiety
  • Agoraphobia
  • Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Acute Stress Disorder
  • Adjustment Disorder with primary anxious mood
  • Anxiety Disorder not otherwise specified

3. No current use of psychotropic medications or stable on current medications for at least 6 weeks

4. Age 18+

5. Able to arrange transportation to our laboratory for study appointments

6. English speaking

Exclusion Criteria

1. No history of medical conditions that would contraindicate participation in fear-provocation or respiratory challenges, including:

  • Cardiovascular or respiratory disorders
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • Epilepsy
  • Strokes
  • Seizures
  • Pregnant or lactating

2. Not currently receiving other psychological treatment for anxiety.

3. No history of a suicide attempt within the past 6 months.

4. No history of psychosis within the past 6 months.

5. No history of moderate to severe alcohol or substance use disorder (with the exception of nicotine) within the past 3 months.

6. Does not endorse COVID-19 symptoms during the screening phase.

State
Texas

Have you been struggling with anxiety symptoms?

The Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas at Austin is conducting an intervention study examining how three interventions may be helpful in reducing anxiety symptoms among individuals with anxiety or trauma-related disorders. Participants will be required to come to UT Austin’s campus. Participants who complete all study requirements will be eligible to receive $50 in compensation.

by Gary Hirsch
I draw small robot figures on the backs of domino tiles and give them to people. I also encourage others to draw their own Bots, as they are called, and name them as a creative way to connect community. For me, the Bots and all my artwork are a way to help myself, but also a way to recognize, support and celebrate others.
by Min Jung
As I made connections between Buddhism and neuroscience, I realized they both shared a common insight: the need to retrain our brains and ourselves to value inner peace over fleeting pleasure, to find joy amidst challenges, and to discover happiness in the very process of living.
by Geralyn Ritter
To me, a survivor of trauma was someone who had been in a gruesome war or was violently abused or someone who was trafficked. I was just in a really bad accident, no one intended to hurt me. I should be happy that I survived when others didn’t and yes I was in pain all the time and I felt lousy, but I was one of the lucky ones. How could I be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? 
by Ian Chew
At the core of all this social anxiety was the shame of not being good enough. Not being successful enough. Not being smart enough. Not being perfect enough.  Shame drove anxiety, which then drove perfectionism.
In collaboration with The Reach Institute, Dr. Wallace explains how parents can decrease the impact of anxiety on children and teens to help them function their best and find more joy in their lives.
Shame is “just” a feeling, but it can become very big and very painful. If it feels very big, it doesn’t mean there is something even worse about you, but rather that there are layers to it. We can make it smaller and more manageable by talking about it and listening to it. When you understand it and the feeling is smaller, it will be easier for you to work with it.