Familial Factors

Research Outcome: ‘To what extent do familial factors contribute to the development of anxiety disorders?’

1.0 Introduction
Anxiety disorders are psychiatric illnesses that result from consistent and excessive anxiety, marked by an individual’s emotional and/or physical anguish. Familial factors can heavily contribute to the development of an individual’s anxiety disorder/s, when their genealogy possesses a history of traumatic experiences such as childhood abuse. Studies of behavioural epigenetics have shown that when ancestors experience trauma, epigenetic changes capable of causing anxiety disorders, are passed on to their descendants. Additionally, research shows that when individuals experience childhood abuse, they acquire a serotonin

Anxiety disorders are the outcome of consistent and excessive anxious behaviours, marked by individual emotional and/or physical disquietude. There are a range of anxiety disorders, each of which focus on different perceived negative events.

3.0 Familial Factors
3.1 Hereditary Anxiety
3.1.1 Behavioural Epigenetics
Familial factors such as trauma oriented behavioural epigenetics can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders to a considerable extent, causing offspring to inherit persistent anxious responses. Epigenetics is “the study of the chemical modification of specific genes or gene-associated proteins” (Fridovich-Keil, 2014-n.d.?), such as the addition or subtraction of methyl groups attached to genes. Methyl groups inform the body of the materials required in synthesising specific proteins, and according to Professor Aharon Razin, they also modulate the action of genes. Geneticists have found that epigenetic changes can be inherited in offspring, “one generation after the next” (Hurley, 2013). This led to the study of behavioural epigenetics, wherein the ways in which

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the Central Nervous System (CNS), critical in regulating anxiety and reducing stress. It does this by preventing overstimulation in the brain, and subduing excitatory neurotransmitters, which have the ability to cause anxiety when the brain is overstimulated. Hence, GABA deficiency results in overstimulation in the brain, and consequently, anxiety. Not only that, but those who experience anxiety due to GABA deficiency, often develop anxiety disorder/s. Additionally, as GABA induces relaxation, analgesia, and sleep, “dysfunction of the GABA system is implicated in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression” (Neurotransmitters, Depression and Anxiety, 2008). GABA is synthesised by the amino acid glutamate decarboxylase (glutamine); thus, glutamine deficiency will result in GABA deficiency (Graham, n.d.). Whilst glutamine deficiency can be caused by diets lacking protein, excessive stress, menopause, and diets rich in sugar and starch (GABA Deficiency- Anxiety and Depression, n.d.), it is also commonly a result of Epilepsy (Glutamate decarboxylase deficiency, 2012?). Therefore, Epilepsy inheritance is a familial factor that contributes to an