Anxiety Disorders: Biological Factors

Biological, psychological, and social factors interact in the environmental context to create anxiety and anxiety disorders. Biological factors may include genetic influences, neurobiological factors, neuroendocrine influences, and neurotransmitter systems that interact with factors in the environment that make a person more or less susceptible to developing anxiety. This entry covers the biological factors of panic, anxiety, and anxiety disorders.

Genetic Influences

Increasing evidence supports a genetic contribution for anxiety pathology. However, it is unlikely a single gene or group of genes is at the root of anxiety development. This has encouraged researchers to use a number of methodologies to elucidate how genetic factors contribute to the etiology of anxiety disorders. More than a dozen controlled family studies have shown that the risk for developing an anxiety ...

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