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.1
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.1
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, 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.2
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 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.3
Your 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 (when you can feel your heart beating too fast). Some scientists think that this system may work less well in people with anxiety disorder.2 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.1
- 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. In: New Oxford textbook of psychiatry. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK; 2000.
- Hidalgo RB, Davidson JR. Generalized anxiety disorder: an important clinical concern. Medical Clinics of North America. 2001; 85: 691-710.
- Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R. The Anxiety Disorders. 1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.
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This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved. |
