Environmental Factors & Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Although genetics play an important part in developing general anxiety disorder, environmental factors can play just as big a role. Environmental factors are much less easier to predict than inherited risks but are still manageable with counseling.

Identification

• Environmental factors in anxiety disorders are those which are not inherited and subject to life experiences. For example, a traumatic experience such as almost drowning is an environmental factor, according to the University of Virginia Health System.

Misconceptions

• Everyone feels environmental anxiety at some point in their life. Anxiety picked up from family members is not usually an environmental factor. Anxiety becomes an issue when anxiety prevents you from enjoying your life, according to UV Health System.

Treatment

• Psychiatrists usually counsel patients about environmental factors and how they influence anxiety. The sufferer needs to understand that outside factors affect their anxiety, not any inherent personality flaws, according to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Effects

• Environmental factors may trigger anxiety about specific actions or circumstances; experiencing a scary thunderstorm at a young age could lead to fear of thunderstorms, or more general anxiety, according to Children's Hospital Boston.

Prevention/Solution

• Massachusetts General Hospital recommends that you can reduce environmental factors by understanding what general anxiety disorder is and keeping calm when your child has an anxiety attack. Parental panic just induces greater stress in the child.