Generalised anxiety

Arif is the finance director of a garments group, and he worries for a living. Lately it does not stop at six. He checks the shipment tracker at midnight, his father’s blood pressure readings at one, and the fog forecast for his sister’s January flight from Toronto, though nobody has asked him to. His family calls him a worrier. He has started to believe it is simply his nature.

An illustration drawn from common experience. The person is invented; the pattern is not.

Understanding generalised anxiety

Some worry is useful; it gets the bills paid. Generalised anxiety disorder is different in size and stickiness: worry that runs most of the day, jumps from one subject to the next, and will not switch off, for months at a time. The body joins in, with tight shoulders, a churning stomach, headaches and broken sleep.

Over time people start avoiding whatever sets the worry off, and life narrows without anyone deciding it should.

How common is generalised anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the world. WHO counted 470 million people living with an anxiety disorder of any kind in 2023, of which generalised anxiety is one.

In Bangladesh, the 2018–19 national survey found an anxiety disorder of any kind in 4.7% of adults.

Signs and symptoms of generalised anxiety

• Worry that is hard to control, on most days, for several months
• Restlessness, feeling keyed up or on edge
• Tiring easily, poor concentration, irritability
• Muscle tension, headaches, trouble falling or staying asleep
• A sense that something bad is about to happen

Treatment for generalised anxiety

Anxiety often responds well to treatment. Cognitive behavioural therapy teaches people to notice the loops that keep worry running and to answer them differently, and some people benefit from medication alongside it.

Because the body is involved, the assessment is medical too. An overactive thyroid, too much caffeine, some medicines and some heart rhythms can all feel like anxiety, and a doctor checks for them before calling it anything else.

What getting better can look like

For Arif, getting better means the worry gets smaller and quieter, and keeps office hours. The fog over the airport in Poush is still the airport’s problem. He sleeps.

Common questions about generalised anxiety

Can anxiety cause headaches, stomach upset and poor sleep?

Yes. In generalised anxiety the body joins in, often with tight shoulders, a churning stomach, headaches and broken sleep. Because an overactive thyroid, too much caffeine, some medicines and some heart rhythms can feel the same, a doctor checks for them before calling it anxiety.

When does worrying become an anxiety disorder?

Some worry is useful, and everyone has it. Generalised anxiety disorder is worry that is hard to control, runs most of the day, jumps from one subject to the next and lasts for months, while affecting sleep, work or relationships. An assessment can say whether that is what is happening, and anxiety responds well to treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

When to see a psychiatrist

If worry is shaping your sleep, your work or your relationships, you do not need to wait until it becomes unbearable.

Care here is personal: built around your history, your health and what you want to change, and reviewed with you as it goes.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

Sources

• World Health Organization, “Mental disorders” and “Anxiety disorders” fact sheets, September 2026
• Alam et al., Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 2023 (PMID 38199203), from the National Mental Health Survey of Bangladesh 2018–19