NURSES' PERFORMANCE IN THE FACE OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

Abstract

Introduction: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by chronic anxiety, and is also accompanied by physiological and psychological symptoms, especially excessive and frequent worries, making it difficult to control. The mental health nursing professional should develop his/her functions in relation to initial mental health care, and should be aware of the signs and symptoms of individuals with mental disorders or in psychological distress. It is important to act in the treatment of stabilized psychiatric conditions, always seeking prevention and promotion of mental health. Objective: to identify in the literature the role of nurses in the face of generalized anxiety disorder. Methodology: this study is an integrative review of the literature, based on the following guiding question: what is the role of nurses in the face of generalized anxiety disorder? Data collection took place between July and August of this year, through the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases, using the descriptors in health sciences (Decs): performance, nurse and generalized anxiety disorder. The following inclusion criteria were adopted: articles published between 2020 and 2024, articles available in Portuguese, free of charge, that addressed the topic and were available in full; duplicate articles were excluded, i.e., those present in more than one database, articles in Spanish, monographs, incomplete articles, dissertations, and those that deviated from the study proposal. The data collected were analyzed qualitatively and compared with the relevant literature. Results and discussions: It is important to emphasize that generalized anxiety disorder affects people of all ages, being more frequent in older adults due to very busy routines. The nurse is seen as a reference for the user and for the nursing team and is always present in the activities developed in relation to direct care to the user and family. Conclusion: Therefore, the role of the nurse in the face of generalized anxiety disorder is of fundamental importance, as long as the professional mentioned is able to carry out his/her work with competence, humanization, and ethics, thus making his/her practice extremely important.