Assigning a specific cause for any mental health disorder is a tricky proposition. There are always so many factors at play. It’s easy, of course, to chalk everything up to genetics. But that wouldn’t be an honest or accurate appraisal. So, when pondering the genetic influences that can result in an anxiety disorder, it is always best to proceed with caution.
The short answer is that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the presence of an anxiety disorder. Having someone in your family with anxiety increases your risk. But plenty of folks have anxiety disorders without any such family history.
What is an Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety is a normal and usually useful emotion. It alerts us to risks and threats at all levels. When we feel anxiety, our bodies kick into high alert to prepare us for potential danger. For someone with an anxiety disorder, this system is short-circuited. You perceive threats everywhere and can remain in a state of fight-or-flight. Your body is preparing for trouble even though no trouble is present.
Common symptoms include:
Physical
Digestive disturbances
Headaches and unexplained muscles aches
Increased heart rate, palpitations
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Tremors and twitches
Emotional
Tense, easily startled
Restlessness
Irritability
Feeling apprehensive
Expecting the worst to happen
This cycle can alter your brain. The amygdala—which processes threatening input—grows in size and prominence. It overshadows other parts of the brain—e.g., the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex—to derail rational thought and decision-making. In other words, an anxiety disorder leaves you stuck in hypervigilance. This has many negative outcomes for us, both emotionally and physically.
What Causes an Anxiety Disorder?
Now that you know a little about the mechanics of an anxiety disorder, you are likely wondering why some people struggle and others don’t. After all, anxiety is the most common mental health condition on the planet. What causes it, and can we prevent it?
Let’s start with the question in this post’s title. Yes, research has found evidence that such disorders can run in families. On top of that, researchers have identified genes that are associated with anxiety. And this is where it gets tricky again. Your family provides you with those genes. They also provide you with the environment in which you grow up. How do we differentiate between the influences of these two factors? Is that even possible?
So, factoring all this in, here are some of the agreed-upon reasons why some people get anxiety disorders, and others don’t:
They endured traumatic events in their life (especially in childhood)
They have a timid personality
Hormone levels
Members of their family have struggled with anxiety
The home environment when they were growing up did not make them feel safe
So, What Does This Mean?
Like so many aspects of growth, life, and development, there are so many potential influences. In the case of anxiety disorders, yes, they can happen to anyone—under some specific circumstances. But a genetic component is at work. Imagine two people exposed to very similar environmental stimuli. If one of them has a long family history of anxiety, they are at greater risk of this disorder. As research continues, we hope to discover much more about this risk.
How Does This Affect Me?
If you have anxiety disorder symptoms, you should get assessed as soon as possible. Your therapist will take a history and factor in all that evidence before making a diagnosis. The treatment plan will be individualized based on this evidence. In other words, inherited or not, anxiety requires treatment, and it can be effectively managed. Let’s talk soon about all of this.
Learn more about Anxiety Therapy.