Anxiety disorders are varied and include things like social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias. Millions of people around the world are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during their lifetimes, and so many are looking for answers as to what has caused this medical condition, which can be quite serious.
The title here may be misleading because there really is no one cause of anxiety disorders. You may have an anxiety disorder for any number of reasons or a combination of reasons. In order to learn more about your condition and try to pinpoint its cause, here are a few of the things that play into the development of an anxiety disorder.
First and foremost, many people want to know if anxiety disorders are genetic and can be passed on to future generations. Studies show that this may be the case. If a parent has an anxiety disorder, there is a chance that you may get this disorder as well. However, family factors may play a role in this as well. When you are raised in a household in which someone has an anxiety disorder, you are essentially taught these panic behaviors as well. Phobias are especially common to be passed to other family members. Ensure relationships with parents may also cause anxiety disorders later in life. In short, this may be partially due to genetics, but also has something to do with your childhood environment as well.
Other environmental experiences outside of your childhood living conditions play into the development of anxiety disorders as well. If you have a traumatizing event as a child, or even as an adult, that even could either stay with you, causing post-traumatic stress disorder or could affect your thinking, causing other types of anxiety disorders. Social pressures and culture may play a role in this as well, teaching people to become anxious at certain times or fearful of certain things.
An anxiety disorder may also be the result of health factors not related to genetics. Phobias and other anxiety disorders sometimes develop due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, especially with the chemical serotonin, which also affects depression in some people. Evolution comes into play because you automatically have a fight-or-flight system built into our brains. The foods we eat, the amount we exercise, and sleep we get every night all to play roles in how our brain functions.
Lastly, anxiety disorders may develop due to stress. When you are stressed about something, you may find that you slowly start to wear out. While our bodies are built to handle certain amounts of stress, over time, this simply breaks down and we give in to anxiety, which can develop into an anxiety disorder. No matter what the reason, however, it is simply important that you ask for help dealing with your condition.
I totally agree with the line which says, "Other environmental experiences outside of your childhood living conditions play into the development of anxiety disorders as well". Nicely written article