ANXIETY/PANIC DISORDER
Definition
Anxiety is a complex feeling of apprehension, fear, and worry, often accompanied by pulmonary, cardiac, and other physical sensations. It is a common condition that can be a self-limited physiologic response to a stressor, or it can persist and result in debilitating emotions. When pathologic, it can exist as a primary disorder, or it can be associated with a medical illness or other primary psychiatric illnesses (e.g., depression, psychosis).
Anxiety disorders appear to be caused by an interaction of biopsychosocial factors, including genetic vulnerability, which interact with situations, stress, or trauma to produce clinically significant syndromes. In the central nervous system, the major mediators of the symptoms of anxiety disorders appear to be norepinephrine and serotonin. Other neurotransmitters and peptides, such as corticotropin-releasing factor, may be involved. Peripherally, the autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic nervous system, mediates many of the symptoms.
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Traumatic early life experiences
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Anxious mother
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Stress, depression, other psychiatric conditions
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Life situations (social or financial problems)
Symptoms & Signs