Fear and anxiety are essential functions that occur in the brain that allow people to respond to stimuli appropriately. These feelings, as normal as they are, can cause problems and in 3.1 percent of adult Americans, approximately 6.8 million people do (“Generalized Anxiety Disorder,” 2014). A problem can arise when people have too much fear and anxiety; a problem is evident when it interferes with their lives and their ability to do things. This is called general anxiety disorder (GAD). When a person has generalized anxiety disorder, they normally experience excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about normal life events that give no clear reason to worry (“Generalized Anxiety Disorder” , 2014). This disorder can be debilitating and can rule people's lives if it is severe. A better understanding of the disorder can be obtained by reviewing historical views, current views, causes and symptoms, case studies, differential diagnostic considerations, and treatment. The history of psychology is short compared to other fields of medicine, because things considered to fall into psychology today have been placed in other categories throughout history. They have been presented as other illnesses or labeled as nerves or stress (Tracy, 2013). Anxiety disorders were considered a problem reserved for women and unimportant. This is a misconception, however, as both men and women suffer from anxiety disorders (Tracy, 2013). Over time, many things have been tried and most have failed due to insufficient or no understanding of the cause. Many early treatments involved bloodletting, hydropathy, herbs and balms, bathing in very cold rivers or streams, and spas (Tracy, 2013). The a...... middle of paper ......=90152116-522c-4817-bf1f-1cec13d11c80@sessionmgr4003&vid=19&hid=4213Pollack, M. H. (2006). case study: “I can’t stop my head”. Medscape Psychiatry, retrieved from http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/527758_4 Sandberg, L., Busch, F., Milrod, B., Caligor, E., Schneier, F., & Gerber, A. (2012). Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy in a woman with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 20, 5, 268-276. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=21&sid=90152116-522c-4817-bf1f-1cec13d11c80%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4213The History of Psychology. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/history/history_nonflash.html Tracy, N. (2013, May 8). History of anxiety disorders. Retrieved from http://www.healthyplace.com/anxiety-panic/articles/history-of-anxiety-disorders/