Top 10 Health Hacks - Is Anxiety Genetic?

Is anxiety Genetic?

Anxiety is a feeling of worry or apprehension. While everyone feels anxious from time to time, some people have anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders usually involve intense, debilitating anxiety, even about things that don’t typically cause anxiety.

How is anxiety diagnosed?

To be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, you’ll have to speak to a mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed professional counselor (LPC), or social worker.

You’ll discuss your thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They’ll also speak to you about your symptoms and compare your symptoms to those outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

Many people ask: Is anxiety genetic? While it seems that a number of factors can put you at risk for developing anxiety disorders, research suggests that anxiety is hereditary, at least in part. What causes anxiety?

Researchers aren’t 100 percent certain what causes anxiety disorders. Each anxiety disorder has its own risk factors, but according to the National Institute of Mental Health, you’re more likely to develop an anxiety disorder if:

• you’ve had traumatic life experiences

• you have a physical condition that is linked to anxiety, such as thyroid disorders

• your biological relatives have anxiety disorders or other mental illnesses

In other words, anxiety disorders can be both genetic and caused by environmental factors.

Check out the following resources to help you with anxiety:

Yes I Have Anxiety: Deal. With. It. : https://amzn.to/3p8sG9O

Plant-based supplement: https://amzn.to/3a15l5y

Rewire your anxious brain: https://amzn.to/39ZiHPy

What does the research say?

Doctors see signs that anxiety and depression are partly hereditary from studies of twins. Identical twins have the same set of genes, while fraternal twins share only half of their genes. They’re more likely to both have anxiety or depression, compared to fraternal twins. This suggests that these conditions may be linked to certain genes, which makes them hereditary.

But no single gene has been found that causes depression or anxiety. So it’s hard to explain how either of these conditions are passed down through genes. Combinations of different genes from your parents may affect whether you’re likely to get anxiety or depression. But doctors don’t know which exact groups of genes cause these conditions.

Keep in mind that most medical conditions aren’t only driven by genetics. Your environment, lifestyle, and personal experiences are also important. Families often share those things, which can make it hard to tell what role genetics play. There may be some mix of genetic risk and other things in a person’s daily life.

Decades of research has explored the hereditary connections in anxiety. For example, a study from 2002 noted that certain chromosomal characteristics are linked to phobias and panic disorder.

- A genetic contribution to psychological traits and psychiatric disorders is not in doubt, but the nature and extent of that contribution is still unclear. Genetic epidemiology has assembled convincing evidence that anxiety and related disorders are influenced by genetic factors and that the genetic component is highly complex. While studies of the patterns of inheritance of personality indicate that various dimensions are likely to be influenced by many genes and quantitative traits, it also documents the significance of environmental factors. As the modes of inheritance of anxiety disorders are complex, it has been concluded that multiple genes of small effect, in interaction with each other and with nongenetic neurodevelopmental events, produce vulnerability to the disorder.

- Extensive genetic studies of the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) transporter (5-HTT) gene have revealed how variation in gene expression can be correlated with anxiety phenotypes. Complete genome-wide linkage scans for panic disorder (PD) susceptibility genes have suggested a locus on chromosome arm 7p, and association studies have highlighted many candidate genes. A highly significant association between phobias, panic disorder, and a duplication at chromosomal region 15q24-26 is one of the most exciting findings to date. Emerging molecular genetic technologies and the use of increasingly sophisticated animal models of anxiety provide great promise for the future of the field.

A 2015 study looked at mental illnesses and twins and found that the RBFOX1 gene may make someone more likely to develop generalized anxiety disorder.

-Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common anxiety-related diagnosis, affecting approximately 5% of the adult population. One characteristic of GAD is a high degree of anxiety sensitivity (AS), a personality trait which describes the fear of arousal-related sensations. It can present a genome-wide association study of AS using a cohort of 730 MZ and DZ female twins. The GWAS showed a significant association for a variant within the RBFOX1 gene. A heritability analysis of the same cohort also confirmed a significant genetic component with h2 of 0.42. Additionally, a subset of the cohort (25 MZ twins discordant for AS) was studied for evidence of differential expression using RNA-seq data. Significant differential expression of two exons with the ITM2B gene within the discordant MZ subset was observed, a finding that was replicated in an independent cohort. While previous research has shown that anxiety has a high comorbidity with a variety of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, this analysis suggests a novel etiology specific to AS.

A 2016 study showed that social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder are all linked to specific genes.

- Genes related to peptide and hormone signaling have been suggested for anxiety-related phenotypes, e.g., the NPSR1 gene, which has been associated predominantly with panic disorder in women, and shown to interact with environmental factors and to influence psychometric, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging correlates of anxiety. Similar multi-level results have been reported for genetic and epigenetic variation in the OXTR gene, especially in social anxiety disorder (SAD), and for CRHR1 gene variation in women with panic disorder. Variants in RGS2 and ASIC1 genes were linked to panic disorder, with the latter also being implicated in SAD treatment response. Finally, monoaminergic 'risk' genes (SLC6A4, MAOA, HTR1A) were related to SAD, generalized anxiety disorder and women with panic disorder, anxiety traits and response to psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. Converging evidence for potential genetic and epigenetic risk markers has been gathered and future studies call for independent replications and multi-level integration of dimensional approaches, environmental factors, and biological readouts, while considering sex-specific substratification. Particularly, epigenetic variation appears promising for disease course and treatment response predictions

More recently, a 2017 study concluded that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) can be inherited, with GAD and associated conditions being linked to a number of different genes.

- We inspect clinical genetic evidence for the familialityl heritability of GAD and cross-disorder phenotypes based on family and twin studies. Recent advances of linkage studies, genome-wide association studies, and candidate gene studies (eg, 5-HTT, 5-HT1A, MAOA, BDNF) are outlined. Functional and structural neuroimaging and neurophysiological readouts relating to peripheral stress markers and psychophysiology are further integrated, building a multilevel disease framework. We explore etiologic factors in gene-environment interaction approaches investigating childhood trauma, environmental adversity, and stressful life events in relation to selected candidate genes (5-HTT, NPSR1, COMT, MAOA, CRHR1, RGS2), Additionally, the pharmacogenetics of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor treatment are summarized (5-HTT, 5-HT2A, COMT, CRHR1). Finally, GAD and trait anxiety research challenges and perspectives in the field of genetics.

Most researchers conclude that anxiety is genetic but can also be influenced by environmental factors. In other words, it’s possible to have anxiety without it running in your family. There is a lot about the link between genes and anxiety disorders that we don’t understand, and more research is needed. What are the symptoms of anxiety disorders?

However, General Anxiety disorder has been implicated with genetic causes.As with many other mental health conditions, the exact cause of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is unknown but may be linked to Genetic Factors: GAD may run in families. Just as a child can inherit parent’s brown hair, green eyes and nearsightedness, a child can also inherit that parent’s tendency toward excessive anxiety. Current research suggests that 1/3 of the risk of experienced GAD is genetic.

Anxiety itself is a feeling and not a mental illness, but there are many conditions classified as anxiety disorders. These include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): chronic anxiety about common, everyday experiences and situations

• Panic disorder: frequent, recurring panic attacks

• Phobias: intense fear of a specific thing or situation

• Social anxiety disorder: an intense fear and anxiety about social situations.

• Separation anxiety disorder: an intense fear of losing the people you love or important people in your life.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, there are other mental health conditions that, while not technically anxiety disorders, still include anxiety as a symptom, such as:

• obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• acute stress disorder

• adjustment disorder

What is the treatment for anxiety?

Therapy

Therapy can be helpful for those who have anxiety disorders. Therapy can teach you useful tools and insights, help you explore your feelings, and help you understand the impact of experiences you may have had.

One of the most common treatments for anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves talking to your psychologist or psychiatrist about your experiences. Through CBT, you learn to notice and change thought and behavioral patterns.

According to the American Psychological Assocation, about 75 percent of people who try talk therapy find it beneficial in some way.

Medication

Anxiety can also be treated by medication, which your doctor may prescribe to you. There are many types of anxiety medication, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Medication isn’t always necessary for anxiety, but it can be helpful to alleviate some symptoms.

Lifestyle

Certain lifestyle changes can also help you manage anxiety. These changes include:

• getting more exercise

• reducing your intake of caffeine

• avoiding recreational drugs and alcohol

• eating a balanced diet

• getting adequate sleep

• using relaxation techniques, such as yoga and meditation

• managing your time to reduce stress

• socializing and talking to supportive people about your anxiety

• keeping a journal so that you can express and understand your feelings

See a doctor or therapist if you feel that your anxiety is unmanageable or if it prevents you from functioning in your daily life.