Wednesday, 19 July 2023

16:41

What causes anxiety?

 Environmental factors
 Life stressors
 Genetic factors
 Medical factors
 Recreational drugs
 Anxiety disorders
 Diagnosis
 Summary
Anxiety involves a person feeling disproportionate
and sustained distress, worry, or fear in response to
an emotional trigger. Anxiety can have a wide
range of causes. These can include environmental,
genetic, and medical factors.

A variety of factors can increase the likelihood of feeling anxious. These

factors may be internal, involving genetics, for example, or external, involving
racial inequity or ecological concerns.
Feelings of anxiety and anxiety disorders are not the same. Anxiety is an
emotion characterized by tension, worried thoughts, and physical
characteristics, such as increased blood pressure. An anxiety disorder involves
recurring, intrusive thoughts or concerns and other specific criteria that lead to
a diagnosis.

This article explores several causes of anxiety.

Environmental factors

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A 2020 reviewTrusted Source defines anxiety as “a future-oriented mood state

that consists of a complex cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioral
response system associated with preparation for the anticipated events or
circumstances perceived as threatening.”

A variety of environmental factors can increase the likelihood of anxiety. For

example, a person’s family composition, their cultural and religious upbringing,
and many other childhood experiences can influence anxiety levels, according
to a 2018 review.
Other studiesTrusted Source have confirmed links between childhood traumas
and an increased likelihood of having anxiety symptoms later in life.

Life stressors
People may feel anxiety as a result of various life stressors. These are not
universal and can affect different people in different ways.

Social situations
Social situations may cause anxiety if a person believes that they might act in a
way that could be negatively perceived.

A person might experience anxiety when required to perform publicly or in any

situation where there is a real or perceived threat of scrutiny.

The effects of this anxiety can vary. For example, a 2014 review suggested that
feelings of social anxiety may exacerbate stuttering and lead to a disabling
experience for adults who stutter. However, fully understanding the
relationship between between social anxiety and stuttering, especially among
children and adolescents, will require further research, the study’s authors
concluded.

Learn more about how COVID-19 affects people with social anxiety.

Anxiety, gender, and sexuality

Concerns relating to gender and sexual identities and stigmatization can cause
anxiety for many people.
A survey-based 2016 studyTrusted Source found that non-heterosexual
respondents were more likely to report feelings of anxiety than heterosexual
respondents.

In addition, bisexual people may experience anxiety at a higher rate than gay
and lesbian people, according to a 2015 surveyTrusted Source of students in the
northeastern United States. The researchers suggested that exclusion from
heterosexual and homosexual social groups may be the underlying cause.

For transgender people, gender dysphoria can be a cause of anxiety — as can

systemic stigma and marginalization.

An online sample surveyTrusted Source in the U.S., for example, found

disproportionately high rates of anxiety, depression, and overall psychological
distress in transgender respondents, compared with heterosexual respondents.

Anxiety and race

Systemic racism leads to psychological distress. The American Psychological
Association (APA) lists socioeconomic deprivation and racial discrimination as
two major components of this.

A 2014 studyTrusted Source investigated the effects of aggressive policing on

the mental health of young men in New York City and found an association
between increased police contact and higher levels of anxiety. The respondents
were aged 18–26 years, and 80% were non-white. On average, they had been
stopped by police more than eight times in their lives. Respondents who had
been stopped more than five times reported sharp increases in anxiety.
A 2015 reviewTrusted Source of studies concerning mental health and race
found consistent associations between exposure to discrimination and anxiety,
as well as a wide range of other mental health conditions.

Learn about racism in mental healthcare here.

Eco-anxiety
Worry about the state of the environment can also cause anxiety, and this is
sometimes called “eco-anxiety.” The APA describes eco-anxiety as “a chronic
fear of environmental doom.”

Eco-anxiety is not yet a diagnosable condition. While its prevalence is still

unknown, a survey-based 2018 study found that 70% of respondents in the U.S.
are worried about climate change, and around 51% feel “helpless” about the
current situation.

Learn more about eco-anxiety.

Genetic factors
A range of genetic factors may influence a person’s tendency to feel anxious.
These may vary among age groups, demographics, and genders.

However, a 2020 analysisTrusted Source found that general feelings of anxiety

are more likely to be caused by environmental than genetic factors.

Medical factors
Many things related to health can cause anxiety. For example, anxiety may
stem from an underlying medical condition or a side effect of a medication.

These factors may not directly cause the changes that characterize specific
anxiety disorders, but they can cause situations or require lifestyle adjustments
that trigger feelings of anxiety.

Recreational drugs
Recreational drug use can cause feelings of anxiety. However, the relationship
between drug use and anxiety is complex.

For example, a 2018 studyTrusted Source found links between cocaine self-
administration and anxiety-like behavior in rats. Staying with the example
of cocaine use, other studiesTrusted Source have found that anxiety can be both
a cause and a consequence of it.

Anxiety disorders
A person who has persistent, severe anxiety may receive a diagnosis of an
anxiety disorder. First, a medical professional does a physical assessment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3.6% of the global
population had an anxiety disorder in 2015. This percentage is typically higher
among women. In the Americas, as many as 7.7% of women have an anxiety
disorder, compared with 3.6% of men, the WHO reports.

Diagnosis
There are several anxiety disorders, including general anxiety disorder and
social anxiety disorder. These differ from general feelings of anxiety in their
frequency, severity, and impact on the quality of life.

An anxiety disorder can be difficult to distinguish from other mental health

conditions. Before making a diagnosis, a mental health professional reviews a
person’s history and performs a detailed assessment. They may also
recommend or provide treatment.

Also, a physician may perform a physical exam and order lab tests. This is to
rule out other conditions that might be causing the symptoms.

Summary
Anxiety is a natural, necessary emotion, and it has many causes, such as stress,
fear of negative responses in social situations, environmental concerns, and
systemic marginalization.

Anxiety and anxiety disorders are not the same. A mental health professional
will take into account the frequency and severity of anxiety and the results of
various detailed assessments before diagnosing an anxiety disorder.

From <https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323456>