Are anxiety disorders hereditary?

[CoolAngel28]

I was wondering if anyone knew if they are hereditary or not. My dad thinks so,but,I'm not sure..anyone know the answer??

[Nathan]

Hi CoolAngel,

I have heard from several different sources that anxiety disorders can be hereditary and run in families. I haven't found any hard proof yet, but I think they are probably right, because I and both of my siblings have all been diagnosed with anxiety disorders. I hope this helps you.

Nathan

[tic chick]

hey cool angel!

i have tourette syndrome, a tic disorder. nobody else in my family has it.

in my humble opinion, i think there is a group of genes that causes things like tourette syndrome, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety issues plus perhaps others when certain parts of that gene have something wrong with them.

it depends on the luck of what combination of genes you get when you are conceived as to what your specific problem might be.

i also have ocd and panic attacks. my sister and mother also have panic attacks. that HAS to be hereditary.

jean

[blossom4th]

Hi cool angel,
I was just talking to my mom tonight about this very subject! I told her I felt I was experiencing anxiety problems and she told me that it "runs" in our family.Notwithstanding that trauma has worsened it;but she traced it for me.It started with my great-grandfather,my maternal grandmother,and has been passed on to my mother and her sisters.And I know that besides me,my sisters have problems with anxiety and depression.I don't know for sure if my brothers have been affected as I'm not as close to them.But I think even they have been affected.

[Nana4&cntn]

Hi all,

I think there must be a gene that we inherit. Most of my family has some type of anxiety disorder. Depression has been proven to run in families and a lot of folks with depression also have anxiety. The depression runs on both sides of my family as far back as we can trace. My brother, mother, aunt, and myself have depression and anxiety. I also believe my oldest son has it also.

Not much help, just my 2 cents.
Kathy

[Qualia]

Back in cave days, having higher anxiety would mean that you were less likely to be killed by a stealth hunter like a large cat, because you would be more likely to notice it and respont to the danger than someone who is more chill. This is the leftovers of those times, just like wisdom teeth and the appendix are reminants of past times past that have lived past their usefulness.

So yes it is genetic and very very old.

[Lavandula Canadensis]

what is 'life' ? a sexually transmitted fatal disease...

also in my family, both sides, many of the above named problems... :(

[caligirl2001]

Definitely believe it is hereditary. I know my dad has problems with depression and anxiety. I don't know any farther back than that. I have issues with both, my sister does with depression. My brother probably too, but he has never been treated. My son has Tourettes and anxiety, and probably depression problems too (of course having TS doesn't help those issues either. So I'd say the genetic link is probably pretty strong in many cases. NOt sure where the TS comes in, since no one in our family has ever had it except my son.

[nightflames]

hi there guys... thanks for sharing your opinion.. as I've read your comments..
I have this fear in me, that I might someday experience anxiety and too much
depression..my whole family now is worrying, for our father's facing a very
difficult stage where he is not in his normal mind..he's been hospitalized
for a week...because of that..and tomorrow, the findings in his CT scan will
be out... during his attacks, he's like an insane person.. saying bad words..
talking about God..yelling at us... and all those bad thing that we had never
expect to happen.. as I came to think, maybe that was because, he's always
thinking of our problems, his struggles and his frustrations...and I guess,
his mind, can't handle those..

The only remedy we did, whenever he's getting an attack, is that we we're
giving him, a tranquilizer..luckily he calm down, and then after he awakes, he
did not remember anything...yet he's very weak..and I pity on him.. I love
my father so much... and I can't stand looking at him, for he's weak..

My fear, is what if I get not to managed all the problems that I have, what
will happen if ever I get to have that kind of illness... what I did, is I keep
on thinking of my happy times.. but still there are times that I can still
remember those bad times...

I am working, and still wondering what was happening at home. If my father is
okay... or is he still not in good condition... we're just poor, and we can't
afford to bring him or even give him a private nurse... what we all do
at home is we help each other.securing all medications prescribed by his
doctor..and I worry so much if how long will it lasts..




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