Doctors call this illness generalized anxiety disorder. We're calling it anxiety disorder for short.

No one knows why some people get anxiety disorder, but researchers are studying several different things that may be linked to this illness.

Scientists think that to become a healthy adult, a young child needs to feel secure and confident while growing up. That sense of security and confidence depends a lot on the attitude of the child's parents. Some scientists think that if your parents were unable to express warmth toward you when you were young, or if they were overprotective, you may become anxious and unsure of yourself. This may lead to anxiety disorder later in life.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Spiegel DA, Barlow DH.
Generalized anxiety disorders.
In: Gelder MG, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Andreasen NC (editors). New Oxford textbook of psychiatry. 1st edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

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If you've been through a very stressful or unpleasant experience, you may be more likely to get anxiety disorder. Even just one important stressful event can make it three times more likely that you'll get anxiety disorder.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Spiegel DA, Barlow DH.
Generalized anxiety disorders.
In: Gelder MG, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Andreasen NC (editors). New Oxford textbook of psychiatry. 1st edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

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The types of stressful events that may cause anxiety disorder include the early death of a parent, very bad marital or family relationships, and traumatic experiences such as rape.

Your brain contains many chemicals, called

 

 

 

 

 

neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help to carry messages between nerve cells. Serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline are all neurotransmitters.

 

 

 

 

 

neurotransmitters, that carry messages between brain cells. The amounts of different chemicals in your brain can affect your mood and the way you think. People with anxiety disorder may have too much or too little of some of these chemicals.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hidalgo RB, Davidson JR.
Generalized anxiety disorder: an important clinical concern.
Medical Clinics of North America. 2001; 85: 691-710.

 

 

 

 

 

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This doesn't necessarily mean that a certain mix of chemicals in your brain causes anxiety disorder. It may be that other things, such as stress, upset the balance of chemicals, and this in turn affects your feelings, making you more anxious.

To read more, see Your brain's chemical messengers.

 

 

 

 

 

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

 

 

 

 

 

Hormones are chemicals that carry messages around your body in your bloodstream. If you have anxiety disorder, your body may produce more or less of certain hormones.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R.
The Anxiety Disorders.
1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

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Your

 

 

 

 

 

autonomic nervous system
Your nervous system includes your brain, your spinal cord and your nerves. Your autonomic nervous system is the part of your nervous system that controls the things that happen in your body without you thinking about them. It also senses what is going on in the outside world. And it allows you to react to things. For example, your autonomic nervous system makes your heart beat faster and stronger when you are frightened.

 

 

 

 

 

autonomic nervous system is a network of nerves that control automatic processes in your body, such as heart rate and body temperature. If you are anxious, this system may not work properly, giving you symptoms such as sweating and

 

 

 

 

 

palpitations
A palpitation is when you feel like your heart is beating very fast.

 

 

 

 

 

palpitations (when you can feel your heart beating too fast). Some scientists think that this system may work less well in people with anxiety disorder.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hidalgo RB, Davidson JR.
Generalized anxiety disorder: an important clinical concern.
Medical Clinics of North America. 2001; 85: 691-710.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R.
The Anxiety Disorders.
1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

³

Feelings such as anxiety and fear come from certain sections of your brain. We don't know enough about these parts of the brain to say what happens to them in anxiety disorder.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Spiegel DA, Barlow DH.
Generalized anxiety disorders.
In: Gelder MG, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Andreasen NC (editors). New Oxford textbook of psychiatry. 1st edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

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