Thoughts on genetics/chemical imbalances?
I've mentioned this briefly in another of my posts but really wanted to hear what other sufferers thought about this as I keep getting conflicting information.
I've been reading up on articles etc and just wonder whether anxiety (anxiety inparticular for me but of course other mental health problems) can be genetic/in our DNA/caused by a chemical imbalances passed on through families?
I recently spoke to my therapist about this and she quickly dimissed it, infact seemed a little insulted I'd asked (but that could be me being sensitive!) She said anxiety is a learnt behaviour and does not run in families.
That's fine, however she then went on to refer to criminals saying that their anxiety part of the brain (amygdala) is 'switched off' which is why they commit crimes because they don't feel fear. If that's the case, surely the opposite would mean a highly switched on brain leading to abnormal anxiety levels???
I definitely think anxiety can be learnt in many people if not all of us that have anxiety (like when you experience a traumatic event, learnt through childhood, experiences and so on) but I don't think it's the only thing that causes it, I think there must be other contibuting factors. I say this because I have a strong family history of mental health problems which I've just traced back to my great grandad who had anxiety and OCD, my nan who has been in hospital all her life because of depression and been diagnosed as a manic depressive (which is probably bipolar nowadays?).
Then there is also two sets of twins on my mums side of the family (I don't know their relation to my mum and I've never met them) but they all have social anxiety and there's also another girl in the family I think maybe my mum's cousin's daughter who had emetophobia. Finally, my mum has anxiety (controlled by medication) and my dad, well, he has some problems too. Which leads to me! I believe I have social anxiety, which has resulted in panic, phobias and health anxiety (which I've practically recovered from)
Sorry for the boring long-winded dive into my family history there but I'm just trying to explain where my thinking is coming from. I'll definitely take all this to my doctor and see what she thinks, but I'm interested to know what anyone here reading this thinks?
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