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Inherited anxietyAre you from an anxious family? Mental health issues usually bring up the question as to whether a person's behavior is due to "nature" (the genetics of what is inherited from parents) or "nurture" (the learning environment in which a person was raised). The answer to this question is important because it has implications regarding the most likely course of the illness and the most effective treatment options. In regard to anxiety, the National Institute of Health recently reported that people inherit the ability to produce certain amounts of an anxiety reducing molecule called "neuropeptide Y". This indicates the presence of a genetic factor in regards to a person's level of anxiety. Scientists led by David Goldman, MD, at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism identified gene variants that affect the release of NPY, a molecule that is induced by stress and subsequently reduces anxiety. This discovery could help to explain why some people can withstand stress better than others, based on their inherited level of the ability to produce NPY. NPY also helps to regulate appetite and weight responses, both of which are influenced by how a person reacts to stress, and how they behave when feeling anxious. In two different brain imaging experiments, low levels of NPY were associated with heightened emotional responses to threatening images and a diminished ability to tolerate moderate levels of muscular pain. According to Dr. Goldman, this latter study shows the "close tie between emotionality and resilience to pain." In other words, an anxious person is more sensitive to pain, and chronic pain may increase strong emotional responses in people who are less able to cope. Scientific findings like these are very important because how a person responds to stress will affect not only their vulnerability to anxiety, but to other psychiatric disorders and drug or alcohol addictions. It also helps us to understand that anxiety does not happen to someone because they are weak or flawed. They may have simply inherited a vulnerability that proper treatment can help to correct. Contributed by Ken Loos, MS, LMLP, LCP Prevention, Education, and Outreach Department. Mail questions to: High Plains Mental Health Center, PLAIN SENSE, Prevention, Education, and Outreach Department (PEO), 208 East 7th, Hays, KS 67601; or visit www.highplainsmentalhealth.com. 5/26/08 Date: 5/19/08
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