View Full Version : does anxiety come from deep rooted problems
hi all
i was just wandering does anxiety come fro or have to come from deep rooted problems/issues because while reading this sight about people getting therapy etc.i noticed its all about opening up your past and stuff with therapist for treatment.but my childhood and life was fairly ok i didnt have any abuse ,trauma etc and now im worried that i am surpressing something because i suffer with anxiety ,im panicking that something deep is causing this,hope this makes sense to someone.
it just depends really whats gone on in your life...every day stuff like bills,family etc can bring things on or health scares that kind of thing x
hope this helps :)
I had a brilliant childhood and its not had any effect on my anxiety. I think when people talk about getting to the root of their problems, it can be as simple as talking about the one thing you fear the most. For me it was being sick, so it was damn hard to talk about!
It can take a while to get down to the root causes of your anxiety, so stick in there and keep an eye out for any recurring thoughts.
It's an old-fashioned Freudian idea that it all comes from past trauma. Obviously things that happen to you will affect how you think (and how you fear) but some people are just born with a tendency to be anxious and a brilliant childhood might help to offset that but if it's the way you're built then it will probably emerge at some point anyway
thanks for the replys guys they were a great help, i was just really giving myself another thing to panic about lol.
I agree with all the replys to your post. But I also do believe in past issues being either cause or adding to ones anxiety.
I've been seeing hypnotherapist few times now and she explained anxiety as a 'cover up' for suppressed feelings and emotions. She said that one doesn't have to have any major traumas or bad memories from childhood, but it's the emotions/feelings that we could not express as children that are coming out now. Digging deep down in to these memories and talking about things really helps.
Josx
I think it could be anything, from a childhood trauma to an unpleasant situation to merely an emotion - but what all these have in common in order to lead to an anxiety situation is probably a tendency to have been born a sensitive person, and, most importantly: Avoidance.
Obviously, it is potentially unsettling to face up to a childhood trauma and start to process it, and yet this is the best way to actually leave it behind and come out at the other end.
Having said that, I think that the overwhelming majority of people with anxiety are not avoiding deep seated childhood traumas, but they are merely avoiding certain emotions (in CBT, this is also called 'emotophobia' = fear of negative feelings, such as anger, sadness, boredom, etc.).
For example, when I was coming down with panic attacks, I used to be such a people pleaser and believed so ardently that 'selflessness' was the highest value I had to adhere to, I found it virtually impossible to say 'No' to other people. This went on until it wasn't sustainable any longer, and instead of saying 'No', I came down with panic attacks as an indirect way to the same goal, i.e. self preservation. In short, I avoided the confrontation and conflict with others, which totally debilitated myself.
I believe there are lots and lots of variations of this cause and effect amongst anxiety sufferers in some shape or form. And lots of avoidance, whether emotionally or otherwise, which has a tendency to fuel anxiety and cement it firmly with every further avoidance of a feeling, situation, or the past.
The behaviour of avoidance might have worked when we were children, but we have outgrown it as adults, and it has become nothing more than maladaptive behaviour. By being avoidant, we are our own worst enemies, causing our own suffering.
"Digging deep down in to these memories and talking about things really helps.">Josx
Yes, I agree. Regardless whether a childhood trauma, memory, or certain feelings and emotions, there is much, much more damage done by keeping it all in and putting the lid on. Avoidance is the worst strategy a person suffering (not just) from anxiety could possibly apply!
hello :)
this is an interesting debate .....and obviously there are so many triggers for this hellish condition .
And childhood memories must be the reason for much of this distress .
but I do wonder about the genetic link ...which runs through my family ..and I was not aware really until older .
nature versus nurture ?
I have read somewhere and cant remember what article........ but it was in a medical journal....... that some of us release too much cortisol and adrenaline compared to others . so it means we have a bigger risk to those hellish symptoms.
Not trying to wriggle out of the responsibility of helping myself here though.
just interested if other posters have had family with similar anxiety .
it comes down to so many factors I know ......just feel I do have the family trait ......and my older son has it .....not the younger one and both brought up the same .
good post and thoughtful xx
I haven't seen any reliable research that would suggest there is a genetic link at all. There might be some susceptibility amongst anxiety sufferers in terms of being sensitive people, but I don't think this is enough to trigger any mood disorder, as there are a lot of sensitive people about who don't end up having any problems.
Also, one aspect that is not to underestimate is the interests of the pharmaceutical industry in this. Of course they want to sell their products, which is a billion pound industry world wide, and of course it would play massively into their hands if there was indeed a genetic or endogenous predisposition for any mood disorder. It would make them further millions and millions.
With this in mind, I think it is vitally important to double check where any research is coming from, i.e. whether it is actually directly or indirectly funded by the pharmaceutical industry, which, on the basis of the reasons above, one would be well advised take with a large grain of salt.
Personally, my grandmother suffered anxiety and panic attacks, and my mother suffered from health anxiety all her life. But I don't think there is a genetic link which caused me to end up with anxiety and panic as well:
Both my grandmother, as well as my mother, are abjectly negative people, always jumping to conclusions, always assuming the worst, and it's those self-defeating attitudes that have been passed down the generations. I am the first one who has largely found his way out of this thanks to CBT, which has a reverse effect on my mother as well, who has become much more confident and positive herself on the basis of us talking about these things on a regular basis. If there really had been a genetic cause, I don't think this would have happened.
And finally, I think it's important to stress that the genetic or endogenous theory has its inherent dangers, as it doesn't empower people to actually face up and do something about their problems, but it basically casts them as victims: You are physically ill and all that is in your power of doing is taking a pill....
In my experience, personal responsibility is vitally important in terms of overcoming mood disorders, and without this input we will pretty much be treading water. The whole 'nature' side of things bears the risk that it could be conveniently used to shirk this personal responsibility. And again, it all comes down to the simple fact of avoidance, which is the worst thing any of us could subscribe to.
I have found this thread very therapeutic indeed :)
and one word that has stuck with me by European is empowerment and not being a victim of genes or childhood stress.
and having given up smoking last year and realising the truth about pharmaceutical companies pushing NRT for money gain rings true too with the millions they bring in from meds . I am still on meds now and they are a lifesaver no doubt .............but I do have my cynical hat on .
I do still believe that in some of us we have a chemical make up that makes us susceptable to anxiety and panic . but no matter why and how........ we have to be empowered to change our mindset anyway to recover .......and the wise words on this forum are the catalyst to begin our journey . I am so glad I found you xx
we are perhaps born with this affliction or it was ingrained in childhood . who knows ?
but I believe deeply that despite the horrors it makes us hugely empathetic and upholds the one great truth that no man is an island . so we forum folk have a big contribution to make to society and the wellbeing of our fellow men
phew !!:ohmy:
cyber hug to all x
This is a very interesting debate, and one to which I fear there is no concrete answer.
I have a history of anxiety and depression in my family....my great uncle had a "breakdown" and was admitted briefly to hospital years ago, my grandmother had anxiety and was also hospitalised and my grandfather had severe depression and commited suicide. My aunt has depression, but is well, on medication, and her son has OCD.
I am not sure whether I believe that all of this is due to learnt familial behaviour. As I was very young when most of this happened, I was completely unaware until I was an adult that my family members had these problems. You could argue that I was subconsciously aware of these difficulties, but who knows?
I too am aware of some research that hints at a link in family members being more inclined to have brain chemical imbalances...I'm not sure who funded the research or where it was done. A consultant I saw recently, alluded to it as well.
Based on my family history I would tend to lean towards there being a familial/genetic link rather than learnt behaviour but I am sure this debate will provoke many different thoughts.
[QUOTE]And finally, I think it's important to stress that the genetic or endogenous theory has its inherent dangers, as it doesn't empower people to actually face up and do something about their problems, but it basically casts them as victims: You are physically ill and all that is in your power of doing is taking a pill....
In my experience, personal responsibility is vitally important in terms of overcoming mood disorders, and without this input we will pretty much be treading water. The whole 'nature' side of things bears the risk that it could be conveniently used to shirk this personal responsibility. And again, it all comes down to the simple fact of avoidance, which is the worst thing any of us could subscribe to. [QUOTE]
European, I largely agree with your comments, but I am not sure that by alluding to there being some genetic link is me shirking personal responsibilty, I am not using avoidance techniques and I am absolutely empowered to face up to and do something about my problems. I am not sure how you see a person considering there may be a genetic link means I am unable to do the above and am merely treading water.
I had been having CBT two years ago and am a big champion of it. I have returned to it again as things began to slide. I do not see that my ability to move on is in any way linked to my family history.
These are just my thoughts, :unsure:
Thumbelina
06-02-11, 17:45
Hi everybody, i think that it is more likely for somebody with the deep unresolved issies to have anx, panoc depression OCD, GAD and etc. I had many accumulated issues bwfore my breakdown. Thats why i try not to accumulate amy emptopns now and resolve them instantly not after yeqrs...
this is interesting debate and thank you Tess for starting it .:) hope you are finding enlightening too .
I do understand that I have to face the fear if I need to recover . and I did until last year the fear consumed me again ...........in my mind I was just going about my daily business and then WHAM ....the panic attacks started again .
The daily dizziness and palpitations and absolute terror to leave my home.
my sisters children have mental health issues and they have my genetic background and her husbands family have a long link to depression . again it comes down to nature versus nurture doesnt it ?
I do believe that there is a genetic link to this horror .
and I look out for it in my sons ..............and can see one has the trait that might .I repeat MIGHT be at risk .
but the cure is indeed in our hands and with good meds and CBT.
my gp wont refer me but I have done it myself through books .
I just find it helpful not to keep blaming myself for "not coping" .
In the end it really doesnt matter does it?
The answer is in talking to others [thank you NPF] .........and gently challenging these negative thoughts .
but I stand by my belief that without our empathy and sensitivity this world would be a poorer place .
for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction .
we suffer sometimes but others get our help to .xx
"I too am aware of some research that hints at a link in family members being more inclined to have brain chemical imbalances..." >midgey
This is a myth. There is no reliable research whatsoever that concludes there is such a thing as a "chemical imbalance of the brain" causing mood disorders. The pharmaceutical industry has tried very hard to push this theory over the years, because this would obviously make them a lot of money.
I can't help it funny to merely put a myth such as this into the world, and no matter how unfounded, it re-occurs and re-occurs wherever you go, which sadly doesn't help any sufferers, but it only puts them on the wrong track in view of their recovery.
"I am not using avoidance techniques and I am absolutely empowered to face up to and do something about my problems. I am not sure how you see a person considering there may be a genetic link means I am unable to do the above and am merely treading water." >midgey
I'm sorry, but I didn't mean you personally but was merely trying to make a point in terms of a certain logic of cause and effect. I think the whole genetic/chemical imbalance of the brain etc. viewpoint does have a tendency to inherently invite people to hand over their own personal responsibility and cast themselves as victims on the basis of being helpless and powerless in view of an physical illness they can't do anything about apart from taking pills. This is not exactly a helpful and empowering attitude to assume, now, or is it?
Anxious_gal
06-02-11, 20:27
If you slice open a persons brain who had depression you will find an increase in in the amount of serotonin receptors thus proving a chemical imbalance......
I know why I have an anxiety , I know what caused it and I think I know what maintaines it.
I think it''s a mixture of everything, nature, nurture, environment , personality........
"If you slice open a persons brain who had depression you will find an increase in in the amount of serotonin receptors thus proving a chemical imbalance......">mishel
But that doesn't mean the depression was caused by the "chemical imbalance". There are no scientific indications that it is.
Incidentally, the same brain will be back on average serotonin levels after successfully applied Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. If it was merely a matter of chemicals, CBT wouldn't have any effect at all. And yet it is the most successful method of treating mood disorders, which I think speaks for itself!
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