Anxiety disorders. The term does not refer to a specific disorder. Rather, it refers to a group of mental disorders characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear.
Adapted from http://www.sayfc.org/
Despite a large amount of research, we still haven’t fully understand the causes of anxiety disorders yet. This might be because the causes are usually a combination of more than one factors. The combinations may also differ among individuals. Therefore, we have to have the utmost care, when understanding why a person might be diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
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Common causes of anxiety disorders
But, just for illustration, here are a list of common causes or precursors of anxiety disorders:
- Medical causes: Having health issues such as heart diseases, diabetes, respiratory disorders, hypertension etc. These underlying issues might predispose one to anxious states of mind, or trigger bouts of anxiety.
Adapted from http://preventyourpanic.com/
- On-going stressful events: Events that create a stressful state of mind, such as sudden job-change, work-related stress, relationship problems, the loss of a loved one etc. All these events can become underlying factors leading to the development of anxiety disorders. Or they can act as a trigger.
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- Substance abuse Consuming too much alcohol or drugs can lead to anxious states of mind. In some cases, even paranoia. People misuse drugs thinking it can offer calm and relief, when in fact, drugs can worsen the problem.
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- Personality factors Individuals who have low self esteem, high neuroticism, low extraversion, being a perfectionist etc. These personality traits, when carried to an extreme, will interfere with our normal functioning. This can lead them to become more vulnerable to different disorders.
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Conclusion (sort of)
These are just four examples of the causes of anxiety disorders. There are many more factors that could possibly contribute to anxiety disorders.
Everything that happened inside our body, the events happening around us, our past experiences, all of these make us who we are today. This is also true for mental disorders, as different aspects of our life and our experiences all contribute to form the core of our suffering. And so the causes of these mental disorders must also be examined in such a fashion.
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However, this does not imply that it is not important to study the specific causes of anxiety disorders. Every single study and research conducted since the beginning of psychology is like a small brick. When piled together, they form the foundation of the knowledge that we learn and teach to others.
Regardless of the wrong turns and erroneous conclusions reached on the journey for truth, these are part of the process. And perhaps one day, we would fully connect the dots on such mysteries as the causes to mental disorders. And then, we could help more.
Until then, let us be conscious in our life.
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