Biological Causes Of Anxiety Disorder

One anxiety disorder that can cause trouble sleeping is Panic Disorder. Insomnia is a very common symptom of Panic Disorder. Panic Disorder is an anxiety disorder that usually begins during late adolescence and early adulthood. It is 2 to 3 times more common in females than in males, and in some cultures the anxiety disorder includes fear relating to the supernatural. Some symptoms of Panic Disorder are “recurrent and unexpected attacks of terror” and “concern about future panic attacks” (Sue et al, 2014, p. 87). Some biological causes of Panic Disorder are heritability, fewer GABA receptors in the amygdala and hippocampus and defective serotonin receptors. Some psychological causes are high sensitivity to bodily sensations, attentiveness to physiological changes, observational conditioning, and false cognitions. Some social causes are stressful events or environment during childhood, such as “separation anxiety, family conflicts, school problems, or the loss of a loved one” (p. 103). Asian and Latino/Hispanic adolescents are more likely to have panic attacks. This could because of a difference in the way these cultures connect anxiety and physiological symptoms (Sue et al, 2014, p. 87, 101-103). …show more content…
In a self-report study, 70-91% of participants with PTSD reported having problems falling or staying asleep (Maker et al, 2012, p. 567). Pillar et al estimate that patients with PTSD are awake more than half the time that they are in bed. Studies have found that those with PTSD have more rapid eye movements than normal. This could be related to threatening, hostile dreams (Pillar et al, 2000, p. 189). 19-71% of PTSD patients surveyed reported having nightmares (Maker et al, 2012, p. 567). Sleep disturbances related to PTSD are often treated with sedative antidepressants. BZD’s are sometimes used, but can be dangerous because tolerance may result (Staner, 2003, p.