Biological Factors of Anxiety Disorder

Most anxiety disorders have causes that are biological, psychological and social in nature, and almost all show a genetic link. However, even people without predisposing factors can develop post-traumatic stress disorder if they are exposed to trauma.

Biological Findings in Panic Disorder

• Some people with panic disorder show signs of altered blood chemistry due to chronic hyperventilation. Some studies show that thyroid disease and mitral valve prolapse, a benign heart condition, are more prevalent among people with panic disorder.

Biological Features of Phobias

• Fear of blood usually involves an increase in blood pressure followed by a sharp decrease and fainting. Other phobias usually only involve an increase in blood pressure when exposed to the feared object.

Biological Factors in Social Phobia

• People with social phobia are not as susceptible to chemically-induced panic attacks as people with panic disorder are. Social phobics seem to have an inherited ability to notice other peoples' negative judgment of them.

Biological Issues in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• People with obsessive-compulsive disorder perform certain behaviors in response to anxiety. Their anxiety and the relief of that anxiety after the ritual can be measured and observed in the lab.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and BIological Findings

• People with posttraumatic stress disorder are noticeably, chronically hyper-aroused when measuring physical signs of arousal in a lab.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Biological Factors

• Generalized anxiety disorder can be, in part, hereditary, but the correlation is not as strong as it is in other anxiety disorders, like panic disorder.