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Causes of Panic DisorderScientists do not know the exact cause of panic disorder, and there may be more than one cause. Researchers have been able to pinpoint several risk factors for panic disorder, and various studies have shown different biochemical factors at play. Current and future studies may narrow down the possible causes with the hope being better treatments for everyone.
What Increases Risk for Panic Disorder?
What makes one person more likely to develop panic disorder than another? Can anyone get panic disorder? Research over the past few decades has indicated that there are several risk factors that increase the likelihood of a person having or developing panic disorder. Anxiety Disorders Run in Families, Study Confirms
A study finds that children of parents with panic disorder and/or major depression are at risk for developing anxiety disorders and depression as well as behavior problems and poor social functioning. Child Abuse and Adult Anxiety
People with anxiety disorders are more likely to have been abused as children than the general population. In one study, 33% of women with anxiety disorders had experienced some form of childhood abuse, and 60% of those women had panic disorder as the primary disorder. Low GABA Levels Linked to Panic Disorder
Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine have found additional evidence of a relationship between GABA levels and panic disorder. In a study, people with panic disorder were found to have a 22% reduction in total occipital cortex GABA than people without panic disorder. Nature vs. Nurture: A Gene Study
Researchers discover that a variation in the gene 5-HTT could mean an increased risk for the development of anxiety disorders -- but psychological factors appear to play a role as well. Panic and Hyperventilation
Do breathing difficulties cause panic attacks or do panic attacks cause breathing difficulties? Researchers are still trying to figure it out, but many do agree that hyperventilation and panic are connected in some way. Panic Disorder Patients Lack Emotion-Regulating Protein
Three brain areas of panic disorder patients are lacking in a key component of a chemical messenger system that regulates emotion, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have discovered. Brain scans revealed that a type of serotonin receptor is reduced by nearly a third in three structures straddling the center of the brain. Researchers Find Genetic Cause for Anxiety in Women
Low levels of a major brain chemical - Catechol-O-methyltranferase, or COMT - have been associated with anxiety in women. Researchers have been able to link a specific genetic factor with the brain chemical. |
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