Is Anxiety Genetic?

There appears to be sufficient evidence to conclude that anxiety can be passed from parent to child through genes. However, just because a parent has anxiety, does not necessarily mean their child will as well. Environmental and socio-demographic factors also play a role; however, regardless of the cause contributing to the anxiety disorder, medical and therapeutic treatments can manage anxiety symptoms.

What Causes Anxiety?

Thus far, research indicates that genetics play a significant role in the development of anxiety disorders. Moreover, the parents, siblings, and children of an individual who has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder are up to six times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder themselves.¹

Certain individual, environmental, and socio-demographic factors also appear to be related to and/or influence the risk of developing anxiety disorders:²

• Gender: Women have a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders
• Marital status: Being married is considered a protective factor
• Occupation: Being unemployed is a risk factor
• Education: A lower level of education is a risk factor
• Financial situation: Lower income is a risk factor
• Reacting to change with avoidance, withdrawal, or crying: Emotional lability is a risk factor
• Negative, violent, or stressful life events: Risk factor
• Parental rejection and overprotection: Linked to the development of social phobias

The Genetic Impact of Anxiety: Looking at the Research

Research demonstrates that genetic factors appear to be partly responsible for the hereditary nature of anxiety disorders, although the specific genes or combination of genes have yet to be clearly identified.^3,4,5,6 Some believe that genetic factors are also responsible for the fact that most individuals who experience anxiety tend to experience more than one type.^7,2 For instance, individuals with panic disorder are 12 times more likely to also experience generalized anxiety disorder, and 11 times more likely to experience agoraphobia.²

In addition to the risk of developing anxiety disorders, children of parents with anxiety disorders are also at risk for developing mood disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, etc.).^8,9,10 In fact, the risk of developing a depressive disorder is almost three times higher among children of parents who suffer from anxiety or depressive disorders.¹⁰

Other factors that seem to increase the odds of developing an anxiety and/or mood disorder are:⁹

• Having a parent who experienced the onset of anxiety or a mood disorder prior to 20 years of age
• Both parents having experienced anxiety and/or mood disorders

What Does it Mean For Something to Be Genetic or Hereditary?

Genes are biochemical codes that control how the body functions and appears.¹¹ When we refer to a trait as being genetic, we are referring to the fact that it exists as a result of these biochemical codes instead of environmental influences. When we talk about a trait being hereditary, we are referring to the fact that it is passed on, through genes, from parent to offspring. So, is anxiety hereditary? It can be.

Will Everyone in My Family Develop Anxiety?

Is anxiety genetic? Yes; however, if you have an anxiety disorder, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone in your family will develop one. Realistically, your first degree relatives (i.e. parents, siblings, and children) are up to six times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder.¹

In the U.S. over a 12-month period, the prevalence rate for anxiety disorders is 19%. The prevalence rate for specific anxiety disorders is as follows:^12,13

• Separation anxiety: 1-2%
• Specific phobias: 7-9%
• Social anxiety: 7%
• Panic disorder: 2-3%
• Panic attacks: 11%
• Agoraphobia: 2%
• Generalized anxiety disorder: 3%
• Obsessive compulsive disorder: 1%

The percentages of adults with specified anxiety disorders adds up to more than the percentage of adults who will experience an anxiety disorder in a given year, since some individuals experience more than one type of anxiety disorder.

Do Family Members Develop the Same Type of Anxiety?

There also appears to be evidence that first-degree relatives are more likely to develop specific types of anxiety disorders. If you experience a panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, your first-degree relatives are four to six times more likely to develop the same disorder.¹

Additional links have been identified between parents and children with respect to specific types of anxiety disorders:¹⁴

• Children with social anxiety are 3.7 times more likely to have a mother with social anxiety disorder
• Children with generalized anxiety disorder are 3.5 times more likely to have a mother with generalized anxiety disorder
• Children with social anxiety disorder are almost 3 times more likely to have a father with anxiety disorder

The Relationship Between Anxiety & Stress

Stress and anxiety share overlapping nervous system responses and consequently, the boundaries between the two are still being determined.¹⁵ However, while stress reactions have protective and adaptive survival functions, anxiety disorders trigger reactions that end up hindering your ability to adapt and function.

Stress is described as the physical and emotional reaction to a perceived imminent threat. Its purpose is to alert you to potential dangers and prepare you to respond. Anxiety is physical and emotional reaction to an anticipated threat that often has a low probability of occurring.¹⁵

Anxiety might occur in response to a specific type of perceived threat (e.g., being in a social situation or leaving one’s home), or it might be a more general and pervasive fear with no clear trigger (i.e., generalized anxiety disorder). It has been proposed that genes and stress, either alone or in combination, can increase the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder.⁶

How Is Anxiety Treated?

Anxiety disorders are typically treated through therapy and/or medication. Evidence suggests that therapy and medication, either separately or in combination, can provide effective relief. Ideally, anyone who believes they are experiencing anxiety should consult with their physician and/or a mental health professional to be properly assessed.

Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been hailed as the most effective therapeutic treatment for anxiety disorders.^{16, 17} Simply put, it addresses negative thoughts and fears through a process of identification. Then, the therapist works with you to find ways to challenge and replace unhelpful and distressing thoughts and behaviors with more calming and adaptive ones.

Medication

Medication on its own or in combination with CBT is another effective treatment for a variety of anxiety disorders.^{17, 18} The decision to use medication should be made by you and your physician, taking into account individual preferences, potential side effects and interactions, and any other potential areas of concern.¹⁸

Tips For Managing Anxiety Symptoms

Everyone is born with genetic vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can be triggered into emergence by age, stress, trauma, other illnesses, etc. Anxiety is no different. While you might feel that it is beyond your control whether you end up with an anxiety disorder or not, particularly when it runs in your family, it is important to realize that there are steps you can take to better manage your symptoms.

In addition to therapy and medication, here are some tips to manage symptoms of anxiety:

• Ask for and accept support from loved ones
• Stay present:
  • Ask: “What is being asked of me at this moment?”
  • Anchor yourself in the present. What can you see, hear, touch, smell?
  • Practice yoga
• Engage in physical activity
• Practice meditation or prayer
• Self-soothe:
  • Touch—pet an animal, wear comfortable clothes, take a hot shower/bath
  • Taste—have a hot drink or eat a favorite food
  • Smell—light a scented candle, breathe in fresh air
  • Sight—look at a picture of a loved one, notice nature around you
  • Sound—listen to music or the sounds of nature, talk to a loved one
• Adjust your self-talk to be respectful and compassionate 

Outlook For People With Anxiety

The outlook for people with anxiety disorders who have access to treatment is hopeful. There is growing evidence that individuals whose conditions are treated with counseling and/or medication will see significant improvements in their symptoms.^{17,18,19,20,21}

Substantial improvements with treatment have been indicated specifically in the areas of:

• Generalized anxiety disorder: Almost 50% of individuals improve within three weeks of starting treatment, and 77% improve within nine months of beginning treatment¹⁹
• Panic disorder: 46% of individuals saw significant improvement in symptoms at three months, and 63% at 12 months¹⁷

Although anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness experienced by Americans, it is estimated that fewer than 40% of people who suffer from anxiety will access professional help.²² Without professional help, these individuals and their families are likely to experience unnecessary and prolonged suffering.

Additional Resources For Anxiety

Here are three additional resources for information on anxiety and anxiety disorders:

• National Institute of Mental Health – Anxiety Disorders
• Anxiety Canada – Free Downloadable PDF Resources
• American Counseling Association – Anxiety Resources