Like many mental disorders, the exact cause of anxiety disorder is not understood. While it may develop after a very stressful and traumatic event in some people, it may also occur without any reason in some people.
Risk factors that may cause anxiety disorders include; Environmental stress factors, genetic predispositions, complications due to other diseases, irregularities in brain chemistry, that is, neurobiological factors, experiences, especially traumatic experiences, personality characteristics and temperament of the individual.
Why Anxiety Disorder? It is possible? What are the causes of anxiety? What is its Real Source?
The answer to these questions is; It is not known exactly what the real cause of anxiety disorder is. Anxiety can occur for many different reasons, but in general it occurs when more than one stressor (stressor) comes together. The scientific world focuses on two possible reasons. The first is genetic predisposition, the second is traumatic life events. At the same time, research conducted; It reveals that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in anxiety disorders that occur in childhood. Researchers state that traumatic events, especially those experienced at an early age, cause sensitivity in individuals' fear processing mechanisms, causing them to become hypersensitive to stress triggers.
Anxiety; It generally tries to imprison the individual in a vicious circle with lies that the individual cannot realize or has difficulty in realizing, and I regret to say that anxiety can achieve this without any difficulty. Especially if the individual has a genetic predisposition; Any traumatic event experienced reveals this predisposition. If the relevant traumatic event makes the individual believe that the world is not a safe place, then anxiety begins.
Although anxiety is not defined as a hereditary disease, genetic predisposition is a risk factor, as I mentioned above. are among the factors. Of course, individuals' genetic predisposition does not necessarily mean anxiety disorder. This does not and should not mean that they will improve. When we look at it from this perspective, the impact of environmental factors, which is another factor, is undeniable. In anxiety disorders, it has been determined by research that if any individual in the family has an anxiety disorder, the rate of impact on the development of similar disorders in other members of the family is between 30-67%. Studies have shown that even very small changes in individuals' gene structures increase their susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Some of these genes are related to stress hormone regulation.
Again, research explains another cause of anxiety disorder as follows. If there are some medical problems in the individual's biology or metabolism, these are among the causes of anxiety or contribute to the formation of anxiety. So these medical problems; It serves as a building block in the formation of some scenarios in the subcognition of the individual. In particular, the main messages of the scenarios are as follows. The first is the "world is not a safe place" scenario, which is one of the indispensable scenarios of anxiety. The second is; It's a "something bad could happen to me at any moment" scenario. If you pay attention, these are both thoughts, not emotions.
What are the medical conditions that may cause anxiety?
If the individual;
-Heart diseases,
-Depression,
-Diabetes,
-Sleeping problems,
-Eating problems,
-Chronic pains ,
-Dependence or withdrawal,
-Breathing problems such as asthma,
-Thyroid problems such as hyperthyroidism,
-Cancer etc.,
if you have problems; The individual experiences anxiety more easily than other people. In their sub-cognitions, a scenario like this may occur; "I've had such and such a disease before, what if I experience the same disease again?" With such a thought, the individual can enter the spiral of anxiety step by step. At the same time, the individual's chronic stress If she has a chronic health problem, menopause, or has had a serious illness similar to the above, and has cared for a patient at home for a long time, these can also cause anxiety. If there is an existing physical illness or complaint rather than a past experience, these can also cause anxiety. For this, such disorders must be detected and eliminated. Otherwise, anxiety and physical discomfort can trigger each other and turn into a situation that is really difficult to get out of.
Is anxiety disorder more common in women or men?
Anxiety disorder risk factors It is possible to show being a "woman" among them. Because according to statistics, anxiety disorders are more common in women than in men. Being divorced or widowed is also a risk factor for both genders.
What are the Environmental Risk Factors in Anxiety?
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Having limited economic resources,
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Problems in school, workplace, family and social environment,
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Relationship problems,
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Domestic conflict and disharmony,
Which Individuals Are More Prone to Anxiety?
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Those who were raised by anxious, overprotective, controlling and critical parents,
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Those who have shyness, timidity and negative emotional tendencies that started in childhood and their behavior is blocked ,
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Those who have been exposed to stressful life events since childhood,
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Those who experienced childhood trauma,
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Those who experienced chronic stress in childhood,
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Those who are subjected to sexual, physical or emotional abuse,
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Exposed to situations such as loss of parents at an early age or early separation/abandonment with parents Those who remain,
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People who always receive negative reactions from their environment and are intimidated,
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Those who are afraid of strangers, withdraw themselves, do not communicate,
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Those who have negative thoughts such as lack of self-confidence and being ridiculed ,
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Individuals who feel under pressure,
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Those who feel worthless,
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Those who experience natural disasters,
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Big Those who have experienced a major accident,
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Those who lost a loved one,
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Those who do not feel the feeling of being loved,
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Those who have experienced exam anxiety in the past,
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Those who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event,
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Those who have undergone a serious surgery,
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Those who think excessively about the health of themselves and their loved ones can be listed as
. If you pay attention, almost all of them are related to traumatic experiences. However, it should also be noted that; It is not possible to say that all individuals with these characteristics will experience anxiety disorder. There is only a predisposition in such individuals. Perhaps this predisposition will remain as it is in the person and will not be revealed for a lifetime. Therefore, there is no definitive rule that people with these characteristics will experience anxiety.
NOTE: This is my third article about anxiety. My previous first article was an article about what anxiety means. My second article was about what the symptoms of anxiety disorder are. Before this article, I definitely recommend you to read my other two articles.
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