Anxiety is your body’s natural or normal response mechanism (fight or flight) to a stressful or uneasy situation. For example, speaking in front of people can make you anxious and fearful. In most cases, being nervous is helpful, assisting you in preparing to confront or withdraw from a situation. However, when anxiety North Chelmsford is excessive and lasts for months, you have an anxiety disorder. Many types of anxiety disorders exist, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social phobia. For example, social phobia involves an overwhelming fear of social interactions or situations.
Experts are still unsure about the exact causes of anxiety disorders. But, the general thinking is that if you have an anxiety disorder, it is most likely a result of different factors. Subsequently, below are some potential triggers of your chronic anxiety.
Stress
Stress can emanate from a thought, a situation, or an event, such as divorce or losing a loved one, that makes you feel uneasy, nervous, angry, or frustrated. If stress occurs for a short time, it positively impacts your body, like assisting you to avoid a precarious situation.
But, persistent stress harms your health, putting you at risk of chronic anxiety.
Genetic features
Your anxiety disorder may come from a family member. For that to happen, you must be closely related to the family member, such as your mother or father. Likewise, when you have the condition, you can pass it on to your offspring.
Research is not exhaustive about the connection between genetics and this particular mental condition. Still, the early findings suggest that genetic vulnerability or predisposition transferred to you, combined with specific environmental issues, can trigger your anxiety disorder.
The type of your personality
If you are susceptible to negative emotions, you become at risk of an anxiety disorder. Young adults are most likely to be in this situation.
Furthermore, being always overcritical makes it hard for you to accept criticism, or if you often have negative feelings, you have a high possibility of having chronic anxiety, like agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a place or a situation that may make you panic and feel helpless and embarrassed.
Traumatic event
If you experienced a traumatic event recently or in the past, such as being involved in a military war, you are at risk of chronic anxiety. You can also have persistent fear and nervousness when you are close to a person that is a trauma victim.
Substance abuse
Substance use disorders often trigger anxiety disorders. Although using a substance can help quickly alleviate your anxiety, dependency and addiction can worsen your anxiety symptoms in the long term. For example, if you drink a lot of alcohol, you have a high chance of having persistent anxiety issues, including when you stop drinking.
Medications
Using some medications may make you feel anxious, or you may have symptoms of anxiety. Some drugs for treating Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), asthmatic condition, and Parkinson’s disease (PD) can trigger chronic stress.
Contact Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates today for professional evaluation and treatment of your anxiety disorder.
