The root of your anxiety.

[fate12321]

So I was wondering today, what caused my anxiety?

Surely it didn't just happen over night. There must have been certain steps that have been developing during the course of my life time. After thinking about it, I think I managed to get down to the root (the cause). My parents have always been over protective. As a matter of fact, they never really exposed me in social situations when I was little. They feared that I would turn rebellious and lash out at them. My father had a history of behaving that way when he was a kid, (most of his brothers are either alcoholics or have been in trouble with the law), and I'm pretty sure he thought by preventing me from interacting with kids (when i was little), I would grow up without being rebellious. There are also other factors that I would like to list that may have had something to do with my anxiety, but I would drag on and this post would be large.

So, my question to the community: What do you think is your root? What caused you to develop social anxiety or other problems you have?

 

[slimjim119]

The root of my anxiety is genetic. I inherited it from my parents. My parents don't have SA so it must somewhere in my family tree.

My parents weren't overprotective. I was never bullied. I believe in a large number of people SA is hereditary.

 

[DanielLewis]

I don't believe SA is hereditary because, if it were, why don't we always have SA? I've been in many social situations, especially when I was younger, where I didn't feel socially anxious at all. With friends I used to have, I didn't feel socially anxious when we went out together. Now, SA has become a common experience to me, and I believe it's a result of a lack of practice and exposure. I lost my friends. I developed bad cognitive and behavioral habits, maybe from the resulting depression of losing my social life. I believe beating SA is two-fold; you must reform how you think, getting rid of negative thoughts, and, at the same time, practice and expose yourself to social situations.

 

[Zooman]

So I was wondering today, what caused my anxiety?

Surely it didn't just happen over night. There must have been certain steps that have been developing during the course of my life time. After thinking about it, I think I managed to get down to the root (the cause). My parents have always been over protective. As a matter of fact, they never really exposed me in social situations when I was little. They feared that I would turn rebellious and lash out at them. My father had a history of behaving that way when he was a kid, (most of his brothers are either alcoholics or have been in trouble with the law), and I'm pretty sure he thought by preventing me from interacting with kids (when i was little), I would grow up without being rebellious. There are also other factors that I would like to list that may have had something to do with my anxiety, but I would drag on and this post would be large.

So, my question to the community: What do you think is your root? What caused you to develop social anxiety or other problems you have?

Anxiety is caused by genetics.

 

[Zooman]

I don't believe SA is hereditary because, if it were, why don't we always have SA? I've been in many social situations, especially when I was younger, where I didn't feel socially anxious at all. With friends I used to have, I didn't feel socially anxious when we went out together. Now, SA has become a common experience to me, and I believe it's a result of a lack of practice and exposure. I lost my friends. I developed bad cognitive and behavioral habits, maybe from the resulting depression of losing my social life. I believe beating SA is two-fold; you must reform how you think, getting rid of negative thoughts, and, at the same time, practice and expose yourself to social situations.

How young are you talking?

 

[SCP-087-1]

Social anxiety is only moderately heritable (In one study it was found to be 65% heritable). So to come here and tell OP "No you're wrong. It's only genetic" is kind of a d*ck move. Even when it is genetic it's still just a genetic predisposition. Meaning you're more at risk of developing social anxiety. You can have the linked genes and turn out fine.

Some references:
Beattya M., Heisela A., Halla A., Levineb T., La Francea B., (2002) What can we learn from the study of twins about genetic and environmental influences on interpersonal affiliation, aggressiveness, and social anxiety?: a meta-analytic study. Communication Monographs 69(1) 1-18

Stein M., Jang K., Livesley J., (2002) Heritability of social anxiety related concerns and personality characteristics: A twin study. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease 190(4) 219-224


Now to answer OP. My parents use to use shame as a way to punish me. Like if I did something bad they would say something like "Oooh that's bad. Everybody's judging you" (I'm paraphrasing but that's pretty much what was said). So I started to think that everyone is quietly judging me and that this is something to be feared. So in social situations I would be constantly thinking about this and it scared me

 

[Zooman]

Social anxiety is only moderately heritable (In one study it was found to be 65% heritable). So to come here and tell OP "No you're wrong. It's only genetic" is kind of a d*ck move. Even when it is genetic it's still just a genetic predisposition. Meaning you're more at risk of developing social anxiety. You can have the linked genes and turn out fine.

Some references:
Beattya M., Heisela A., Halla A., Levineb T., La Francea B., (2002) What can we learn from the study of twins about genetic and environmental influences on interpersonal affiliation, aggressiveness, and social anxiety?: a meta-analytic study. Communication Monographs 69(1) 1-18

Stein M., Jang K., Livesley J., (2002) Heritability of social anxiety related concerns and personality characteristics: A twin study. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease 190(4) 219-224


Now to answer OP. My parents use to use shame as a way to punish me. Like if I did something bad they would say something like "Oooh that's bad. Everybody's judging you" (I'm paraphrasing but that's pretty much what was said). So I started to think that everyone is quietly judging me and that this is something to be feared. So in social situations I would be constantly thinking about this and it scared me

I don't think it is a **** move to state a fact. Obviously nurture has an affect on you, but i believe if you have an anxious genotype it is just a downhill slope and that eventually those things in life that don't negatively affect people will cause your phenotype to become more and more anxious.

 

[Pacific_Loner]

conclusions to studies are not facts and will be considered as truth only until someone make another study to refute it....

I think there is very little that we know and understand about health and the human being, and even less when it comes to mental health and the brain.....

Some things that are true now will be considered very silly in 500 years, as it is for us when we look back 500 years ago, especially in regards to science and the human body.


To answer to the OP, my siblings don't have social anxiety, so I don't see how it could be only genetic. Mostly, I think it's a mix of: bad health from the day I was born and growing up, which lead to depression very early, some shameful events, some rejection stories, destruction of my self-esteem by growing up being told I was worthless, and stuff like that.

I do think there might be a genetic aspect to it as well, because my mother is bipolar and very anxious in general, and my father is an introvert.

 

[Chaigirl]

1. I wasn't raised in a healthy family environment (I was raised in a polygamous family with a mother who couldn't stand up for her and her children's rights
2. I am inherently too sensitive

 

[TheNomad]

Genetic issues aside, what started my anxiety as a disorder was my religion and the fear of eternal punishment (thankfully I put aside that (sorry if you are religious) bigot) and me being very pacifist, even in relationships. I assume my parents' pacifist tendencies got to me.

But since 3 or 4 years old I was prone to fear and panic so these are probably results for something older, which I have no idea what could be.

 

[xSleepy]

Anxiety definitely runs in my family. But also I grew up in an abusive household, which I think made me extremely insecure and afraid of everything.

 

[SCP-087-1]

I don't think it is a **** move to state a fact. Obviously nurture has an affect on you, but i believe if you have an anxious genotype it is just a downhill slope and that eventually those things in life that don't negatively affect people will cause your phenotype to become more and more anxious.

OP told us his thoughts on how nurture had a major role in his anxiety and you replied saying it's genetic. This makes it look like you're saying it can only 100% be genetic and nurture isn't involved. I don't know if that's what you meant or not but this is what it looked like.

conclusions to studies are not facts and will be considered as truth only until someone make another study to refute it....

I think there is very little that we know and understand about health and the human being, and even less when it comes to mental health and the brain.....

Some things that are true now will be considered very silly in 500 years, as it is for us when we look back 500 years ago, especially in regards to science and the human body.

Cool. In 500 years you can call me up and tell me how silly I am. But I see what you're saying and I agree. Science is constantly evolving and improving. But I think we do know a lot about health now. Not everything, but a lot. It's hard to publish a paper now. They have to jump through a million hoops to get it done. 500 years ago studies didn't have to be peer reviewed. All you needed was it to look vaguely scientific. And if a paper is published now days that has something iffy about it it is quickly thrown out. We may not know everything but we have a fair idea.



I study genetics and one thing that always annoys me is when people think that their genetics are inescapable. This is true for genes with a high penetrance. Genes where if you have the gene then you 100% have the disease phenotype. But many of the diseases where people go "oh it's genetics. It can't be helped" the genes associated have a moderate or even low penetrance. It's just a predisposition and lifestyle can have a big impact. You can go through life and never develop the phenotype. And with anxiety it's not just "you have this gene. You have anxiety" It's several different genes that interplay to give you an increased risk of developing the phenotype. I.E you're more sensitive to the environmental factors that cause anxiety. I'm generalizing though. There will probably be a very small number of individuals out there with a high penetrance gene that is the sole cause of their anxiety but for the most part it's just a predisposition

 

[Ithior]

Social anxiety is only moderately heritable (In one study it was found to be 65% heritable). So to come here and tell OP "No you're wrong. It's only genetic" is kind of a d*ck move. Even when it is genetic it's still just a genetic predisposition. Meaning you're more at risk of developing social anxiety. You can have the linked genes and turn out fine.

One thing that affects who we become is our environment. If a random person thinks his anxiety is genetic, then it's likely that one or both his parents have social anxiety (otherwise he wouldn't really feel that way about it, right?). If we have a genetic pre-disposition and we live with our parents, and at least one of them has social anxiety, wouldn't that make the genetic pre-disposition more likely to manifestate? Or does that 65% already include that?

I'm just curious, I'm not saying anyone's right or wrong.

 

[valentin-mex-]

chaigirl

I just want to say the root of my anxiety is about the same.

however, I think being sensitive is not that bad
if we find the wisdom to use it.

 

[SCP-087-1]

One thing that affects who we become is our environment. If a random person thinks his anxiety is genetic, then it's likely that one or both his parents have social anxiety (otherwise he wouldn't really feel that way about it, right?). If we have a genetic pre-disposition and we live with our parents, and at least one of them has social anxiety, wouldn't that make the genetic pre-disposition more likely to manifestate? Or does that 65% already include that?

I'm just curious, I'm not saying anyone's right or wrong.

That makes complete sense. Your parents are a big part of the nurture side of things so it would have a big impact. Even if you didn't have a predisposition it would have a big impact. But you can also have something run in a family without any genetic element to it. The children learning behavior from their parents.

The 65% was taken from a twin study. So they study twins, both types of twins. Identical twins share all their dna and non identical twins share around half. They study stuff like when identical twins have the disease genes but only one has the phenotype. Or when one non identical twin has the genes but both have the phenotype. Stuff like that. Then they compare it all and do some statistical bullsh*t that I really hate doing because I hate R (the program we use at my uni) so god damn much. If they are lucky they can find instances where one identical twin was adopted out. So they have identical genes in different environments

 

[DanielLewis]

How young are you talking?

Like 10-16 years old. I have always been on the quieter side, but not SA.

I've had many moments and times when I SA was nonexistent for me. If it was hereditary, it wouldn't just come up some times. Also, things have gotten worse over the years as, like I said, I lost my social life. I started to get more SA to the point where I'm on this forum.

If any of us on here was forced to socialize with a room full of strangers for 4 hours a day, everyday, we wouldn't be the same people. I'm telling you, it comes from a lack of practice (most of us on here probably spend quite a bit of time alone and not practicing) and having negative beliefs and thought patterns. Try monitoring every thought you have for a day. I did it and realized I've been thinking many damaging thoughts - thoughts about the past or worrying about the future which takes me out of living happily in the present, thoughts of what other people think about me, thoughts of feeling powerless to change my situation and angry thoughts about the situation I'm in, etc.

 

[Zooman]

Like 10-16 years old. I have always been on the quieter side, but not SA.

I've had many moments and times when I SA was nonexistent for me. If it was hereditary, it wouldn't just come up some times. Also, things have gotten worse over the years as, like I said, I lost my social life. I started to get more SA to the point where I'm on this forum.

If any of us on here was forced to socialize with a room full of strangers for 4 hours a day, everyday, we wouldn't be the same people. I'm telling you, it comes from a lack of practice (most of us on here probably spend quite a bit of time alone and not practicing) and having negative beliefs and thought patterns. Try monitoring every thought you have for a day. I did it and realized I've been thinking many damaging thoughts - thoughts about the past or worrying about the future which takes me out of living happily in the present, thoughts of what other people think about me, thoughts of feeling powerless to change my situation and angry thoughts about the situation I'm in, etc.

There's a reason most of us don't socialize for 4 hours with strangers..it is because we have anxiety.

 

[squidgee]

The 65% was taken from a twin study. So they study twins, both types of twins. Identical twins share all their dna and non identical twins share around half. They study stuff like when identical twins have the disease genes but only one has the phenotype. Or when one non identical twin has the genes but both have the phenotype. Stuff like that. Then they compare it all and do some statistical bullsh*t that I really hate doing because I hate R (the program we use at my uni) so god damn much. If they are lucky they can find instances where one identical twin was adopted out. So they have identical genes in different environments

I wonder what the confidence interval is for that 65% figure. I imagine it would be quite large. Do you know how big the sample was?

Also this is a bit off-topic so apologies, but how is studying genetics at uni? I'm thinking of doing some second year genetics next year. Is it more memorisation based or more like applying techniques?

 

[Zooman]

OP told us his thoughts on how nurture had a major role in his anxiety and you replied saying it's genetic. This makes it look like you're saying it can only 100% be genetic and nurture isn't involved. I don't know if that's what you meant or not but this is what it looked like.



Cool. In 500 years you can call me up and tell me how silly I am. But I see what you're saying and I agree. Science is constantly evolving and improving. But I think we do know a lot about health now. Not everything, but a lot. It's hard to publish a paper now. They have to jump through a million hoops to get it done. 500 years ago studies didn't have to be peer reviewed. All you needed was it to look vaguely scientific. And if a paper is published now days that has something iffy about it it is quickly thrown out. We may not know everything but we have a fair idea.



I study genetics and one thing that always annoys me is when people think that their genetics are inescapable. This is true for genes with a high penetrance. Genes where if you have the gene then you 100% have the disease phenotype. But many of the diseases where people go "oh it's genetics. It can't be helped" the genes associated have a moderate or even low penetrance. It's just a predisposition and lifestyle can have a big impact. You can go through life and never develop the phenotype. And with anxiety it's not just "you have this gene. You have anxiety" It's several different genes that interplay to give you an increased risk of developing the phenotype. I.E you're more sensitive to the environmental factors that cause anxiety. I'm generalizing though. There will probably be a very small number of individuals out there with a high penetrance gene that is the sole cause of their anxiety but for the most part it's just a predisposition

I believe it is 100% heritable, but i also believe it does have to do with your environment. I don't think the environment really matters though, because people who are naturally anxious are almost always ostracized and bullied in society. Obviously those types of things just make anxiety worse. Idk about you but back before i even had the capability of being a social creature i was expressing signs of anxiety, literally as young as an infant. As young as 5 years old i can remember having panic attacks. As a baby my mom told me i used to cry way more than a normal child too. I have also over the years been able to spot what I believe are correlations between my anxiety and other problems of mine. I think we both believe nature and nurture contribute to anxiety, but you believe nurture is the bigger reason while i believe it is nature? This might just be a difference in our attitudes tbh. I have a more negative outlook on being able to fix anxiety because i have yet to see any progress for myself and i am severely depressed. You on the other hand seem more hopeful, which is good. I'd rather be hopeful than full of despair like i am, but i don't feel like i can help the way i feel, i.e. the reason i have my opinion on anxiety in the first place. Anyways, you viewpoint might be completely correct. My childhood was really bad imo. My dad was really mean to me as a kid so maybe that did have more of an effect on me than i think? Idk tbh. Anyways, i'm sorry if i made you upset. I don't want to get in an argument tbh. Sometimes i just don't even want to say my opinions because idk if what i'm saying is right or not or if it is the right way to say what i am thinking, or worth speaking about, or better left unsaid, etc... anyways, that's probably why i've edited this message of mine so much already. To some degree i am glad i edited my message so that it is more understandable and everything, but was it worth all the stress? Probably not. I'm sure my POV would have been expressed perfectly fine if i just communicated more often without anxiety instead of stressing over every little thing i say and barely saying anything at all, or saying too much. Oh well. I'm messed up clearly. Ok, i'm going to stop repetitively re-reading and editing this message now. It's done now, i need to give my brain a break. Edit: Alright now i'm done...lol...

 

[Razzlecherry]

My family. My mom's side is full of meth-head psychopaths who treat each other like shit. Me being a more sensitive than average person, naturally avoided that side so whenever I had to be around them they acted even more assholish than usual. This is where my fear of being judged came from.

My dad didn't put too much effort into being a parent until it was way too late so I didn't really have someone to look up to. Now I'm here trying to be my own positive influence, but it's hard man.