Pathogenesis of Anxiety Disorders



Anxiety Disorders: A maladaptive emotional state causing fear,

worry, and excessive stress, characterized by:

 - Physiological arousal 

 - Unpleasant tension 

 - Sense of foreboding or apprehension



 • Female gender (may be related to hormonal factors, less internal locus of control, greater reporting rates)

 • Genetics (Positive family history)

 • Other biological theories (under investigation)

 • Predisposition to anxiety: Imbalance and/or abnormal functioning of norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)



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