Mental health articles

Etiology and Maintenance of generalized anxiety disorder
Genetic and Familial Factors.Family studies of generalized anxiety disorder indicated that these patients were more likely to have a first-degree relative with generalized anxiety disorder than subjects with panic disorder or no anxiety disorder. Of course, family studies are inf luenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Twin studies demonstrated a moderate genetic inf luence in generalized anxiety disorder; around 30% of the variance was attributable to genetic factors. Importantly, the genetic influence for any anxiety disorder is not likely to be specific. Rather, it is more likely that genetic factors influence the development of a general neurotic syndrome, and individual environmental factors are more important in the emergence of specific features of generalized anxiety disorder.

Tags: anxiety, disorder, etiology, generalized anxiety disorder