Is Anxiety a Learned Behavior?

Anxiety is a type of mental disorder affecting a wide range of people in many different ways. Although there have been many breakthroughs in treatment, there is still much about anxiety and anxiety related mental illness that is unknown. A key debate is whether anxiety is biological, a learned behavior, or a combination of both.

Types

• There are many different types of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Each has its own set of accepted treatment and therapy.

Nature vs. Nurture

• The primary debate in the mental health community is that of nature versus nurture. This debate centers around the question of whether anxiety disorders are caused by experience and is therefore learned behavior, or if mental illness is based primarily in brain chemistry. The scientific community has yet to come to a consensus.

Misconceptions

• All anxiety disorders are not the same, so it is reasonable to think they also have a range of causes. Many people believe that anxiety disorders are caused through a variety of factors, and reject the idea that anxiety must either be a learned behavior or completely based in brain chemistry.

Pharmaceutical Therapy

• There are many drugs, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's), that treat what is believed to cause anxiety in brain chemistry; it regulates serotonin and other chemicals. Proponents of this treatment place more weight on brain chemistry's role in anxiety.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• A type of therapy that focuses on the role of experience, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy attempts to reduce anxiety by simulated exposure to the inciting stimulus. Proponents of this treatment believe anxiety is a learned behavior.