Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is both a psychological as well as a chemical ailment in which the sufferer experiences great trepidation towards being in groups of people. Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD is only an extension of the fear or group of fears experienced by most people. GAD fears are overwhelming and very consuming, and stem from an untoward, irrelevant response to a stressful situation. Typical characteristics of GAD are an anxiety that is exaggerated by expectations of impending disasters and incessant worries about family, work, health, or money. This behavior makes daily life and activities hard to tolerate. At certain points, this anxiety is so overwhelming that it takes over a personality, and a person becomes immobilized with fear.

It is estimated on a yearly basis that about 4 million adult Americans suffer from GAD. Though it can begin in adulthood, it has been seen to begin in childhood or adolescence most frequently. Women suffer more than in men.

A number of factors are said to be responsible for GAD, although the exact cause is yet to be ascertained. The factors that have been proposed as the triggers are genetics, brain chemistry and environmental stresses. Research has suggested that genetics can be one major factor that passes GAD on from one generation to another. Brain chemistry is another reason. GAD people have been observed as having depleted levels of neurotransmitters, in the brain. Furthermore, it is noted that GADS gets worse during acute phases of stress. People who are happy are less likely to suffer from GAD.