Anxiety Disorders and Phobias

Introduction to Anxiety Disorders and Phobias

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common neurological diseases that are mainly characterized by anxiety. Nowadays, two types of anxiety disorders: chronic anxiety and acute anxiety, have been identified based on different symptoms. In general, symptoms of anxiety disorders include but are not limited to, unexplained nervousness, restlessness, palpitations, hand tremors, sweating, frequent urination.

The difference between normal anxiety and pathological anxiety is mainly based on whether the severity of anxiety is consistent with objective facts or situations. For instance, phobia is a kind of anxiety disorder, patients will have a persistent fear and fear of certain things or situations. Phobias usually start quickly and are accompanied by feelings of fear that last for more than six months. The patient tries to avoid the fearful situation, and sometimes excessive avoidance behavior occurs. If the fear situation cannot be avoided, the patient will feel strong negative pressure, which will lead to depression, obsessive thinking, tension, and other complications.

Fig.1 Age-specific lifetime prevalence rates of anxiety disorders. (Somers, 2006)

Key Factors of Anxiety Disorders and Phobias

The causes of anxiety disorders, especially phobias, are not yet clear. Research shows that they may be related to genetic factors, personality factors, physiological factors, psychological/social factors.

• Genetic factors. Agoraphobia has a familial genetic predisposition, especially affecting female relatives. Studies have indicated that identical twins have a higher prevalence of phobias than fraternal twins. In addition, there is a clear genetic predisposition to certain phobias, such as blood and injection fears.
• Personality factors. Individuals who are timid, shy, passive, dependent, highly introverted, and have compulsive tendencies, are prone to phobias.
• Physiological factors. Studies have demonstrated that the sympathetic nerve is more active in phobic patients, and has higher levels of adrenaline and thyroxine.
• Psychological/social factors. People with phobias may have some kind of mental stimulus before their first onset. Data have suggested that nearly two-thirds of cases can be traced to an event related to their onset. When the patient encounters a fearful stimulus, some unrelated stimuli may also act on the cerebral cortex of the patient at the same time to form a conditioned reflex as a mixed stimulus. Therefore, even extraneous stimuli can induce strong feelings of fear in patients.

Research on Anxiety Disorders and Phobias

In the past few decades of anxiety and phobia studies, more and more reports have focused on identifying the brain circuits that contribute to these diseases. Various animal models, like mice and rats, of anxiety disorders and phobias, have been used to analyze the function of each component of the circuit and compare responses to emotional stimuli in healthy groups and patient groups. Furthermore, scientists have combined the results of functional neuroimaging studies with neurochemical studies data to predict changes in brain function during the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders and phobias.

Besides, many companies concentrate on promoting the understanding of anxiety disorders and phobias in the field of neurosciences. A range of advanced analysis tools and incredible technologies, such as Neural Proteins & Peptides and Neural Antibodies, have been broadly used for boosting novel phobias drug discovery in unprecedented ways.

In Creative Biolabs, our scientists specialized in anxiety disorders and phobias studies will work with you to develop the most appropriate strategy that will offer reproducible data for your research. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for closer communication to learn how we can be involved in your project. Separate services or integrated end-to-end solutions are all welcomed.

Reference

1. Somers, J. M.; et al. Prevalence and incidence studies of anxiety disorders: a systematic review of the literature. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 2006, 51(2): 100-113.