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- Anxiety Disorders result from a combination of family and biological influences.
- Studies suggest that young children who are temperamentally (at birth) shy or tentative in unfamiliar situations may be more prone to anxiety.
- Some research suggests that anxiety may be caused by a chemical imbalance involving norepinephrine and serotonin.
- Other research implicates specific brain mechanisms, involving hormones and respiratory functions, as potential pathways to anxiety.
- Anxiety Disorders tend to run in families, but the complex relationship between genes, biological systems, and anxiety is not yet well understood.
- Evidence suggests that anxiety and phobic reactions can be learned, either through direct experience or observations of others.