Why anxiety develops

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, roughly 40 million Americans live with debilitating anxiety disorders. Those afflicted suffer from weakness, nausea, dizziness, tremors, breathing difficulty, and heart palpitations. In more severe cases, those with anxiety disorders experience seizures. Many people with anxiety disorders avoid social situations for fear of being judged, embarrassed or humiliated.

Others have recurring nightmares or flashbacks related to a traumatic event in the past. Anxiety disorders are forged over years of experiences. And, despite how common they are, the specific causes of this mental illness are still unknown. What studies do show, though, is that anxiety disorders appear to run in families.

However, as with most mental illnesses, researchers believe anxiety is caused by more than just genetics. Anxiety disorders likely develop from a complex set of risk factors including brain chemistry, personality, and life events. Less commonly, medical conditions are known to cause anxiety disorders. Most anxiety disorders develop in childhood and young adulthood.

Therefore, if an anxiety disorder develops later in life, a medical condition is likely the source. Long-term stress, like one would experience in an unhealthy relationship or at a particularly stressful job, can lead to anxiety disorders. In this article, we look at the differences between anxiety and anxiety disorder, the different types of anxiety, and the available treatment options.

When an individual faces potentially harmful or worrying triggers, feelings of anxiety are not only normal but necessary for survival. Since the earliest days of humanity, the approach of predators and incoming danger sets off alarms in the body and allows evasive action. These alarms become noticeable in the form of a raised heartbeat, sweating, and increased sensitivity to surroundings.

This prepares humans to physically confront or flee any potential threats to safety. For many people, running from larger animals and imminent danger is a less pressing concern than it would have been for early humans. It can still be essential to survival — anxiety about being hit by a car when crossing the street, for example, means that a person will instinctively look both ways to avoid danger.

The duration or severity of an anxious feeling can sometimes be out of proportion to the original trigger, or stressor. Physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and nausea, may also develop. These responses move beyond anxiety into an anxiety disorder. While a number of different diagnoses constitute anxiety disorders, the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder GAD will often include the following:.

While these symptoms might be normal to experience in daily life, people with GAD will experience them to persistent or extreme levels. GAD may present as vague, unsettling worry or a more severe anxiety that disrupts day-to-day living. However, the manual now no longer groups these mental health difficulties under anxiety. Anxiety disorders now include the following diagnoses. Generalized anxiety disorder: This is a chronic disorder involving excessive, long-lasting anxiety and worries about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations.

GAD is the most common anxiety disorder, and people with the disorder are not always able to identify the cause of their anxiety. Panic disorder: Brief or sudden attacks of intense terror and apprehension characterize panic disorder. These attacks can lead to shaking, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and breathing difficulties.

Panic attacks tend to occur and escalate rapidly, peaking after 10 minutes. However, a panic attack might last for hours. Panic disorders usually occur after frightening experiences or prolonged stress but may also occur without a trigger. An individual experiencing a panic attack may misinterpret it as a life-threatening illness, and may make drastic changes in behavior to avoid future attacks.

Click here to learn more about panic disorder and panic attacks. Specific phobia: This is an irrational fear and avoidance of a particular object or situation. Phobias are not like other anxiety disorders, as they relate to a specific cause. A person with a phobia might acknowledge a fear as illogical or extreme but remain unable to control feelings anxiety around the trigger.

Triggers for a phobia range from situations and animals to everyday objects. Click here to learn more about phobias and how they develop. Agoraphobia: This is a fear and avoidance of places, events, or situations from which it may be difficult to escape or in which help would not be available if a person becomes trapped.

People often misunderstand this condition as a phobia of open spaces and the outdoors, but it is not so simple. A person with agoraphobia may have a fear of leaving home or using elevators and public transport. Click here to learn about agoraphobia, an often-misunderstood psychological disorder. Selective mutism: This is a form of anxiety that some children experience, in which they are not able to speak in certain places or contexts, such as school, even though they may have excellent verbal communication skills around familiar people.

Things that can cause feelings of anxiety in some people include:. Here, find out more about what can trigger feelings of anxiety. Many factors can increase the severity of anxiety symptoms. Some may be specific to an anxiety disorder, but risk factors overall can include the following, according to the NIMH :. Anxiety affects everyone from time to time, but if you find it does not go away or is affecting you severely, it might be time to seek help.

Here, learn more about anxiety, when to seek support, and how to find help in your area. Genetics, environment, and personal history likely play a part.

If you have symptoms of anxiety that are worrying you or are not going away, make an appointment with your doctor. They can help diagnose it and create a treatment plan to address your symptoms. They may recommend lifestyle changes, counseling, medications, or other interventions. Some medical conditions and medications can produce symptoms similar to anxiety. In these cases, your doctor will likely treat your underlying condition or adjust your medication regimen.

Is anxiety genetic? Yes and no. Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a type of anxiety disorder that causes extreme fear in social settings. It is different from…. People with dependent personality disorder DPD may require constant reassurance. We tell you the facts and how to support someone living with DPD.

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Though autism and social anxiety have similarities, the two conditions are very different. Learn why. Check out our picks for the best anxiety products and gift ideas, from books to herbal supplements. People who have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, worry uncontrollably about common situations.

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