Anxiety disorders may be treated by modifying a gene in the brain a new study has found.
Researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in England report finding a gene that controls anxiety. The discovery opens the potential for new drug development to treat anxiety disorders.
Trillion Dollar Problem
Though many people suffer silently, there is a high economic cost for anxiety disorders.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 12 billion working days are lost worldwide due to anxiety and depression. As a result, the global economy loses over $1 trillion a year.
Defining Anxiety
Anxiety is normal, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In fact, it can be life saving. It prepares us for dangerous situations. Think Dorothy, the scarecrow and tin man walking through the dark forest chanting, “lions, and tigers, and bears”.
How Brain Processes Anxiety
Anxiety occurs when a neural network in the brain called the amygdala detects a threat. That triggers the release of hormones and adrenaline. As a result, your heart rate increases, blood pressure accelerates, and breathing quickens.
Panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder, includes additional responses. Those may include chest pain, dizziness, chills, sweating, as well as other symptoms.
Molecular Key
The study centered on a group of microRNAs, a group of molecules which regulate genes and proteins that control cellular activity in the amygdala.
Specifically, researchers found that the miR-483-5p molecule suppresses amygdala changes to reduce anxiety. However, since the study was performed on mice, the timeline for developing a new drug treatment for humans is unknown.
What Are Anxiety Disorders
The APA says people with anxiety disorders may try to avoid situations that provoke their symptoms. As a result, personal relationships and school or job performance can suffer. To be diagnosed as having an anxiety disorder, the APA requires that the anxiety must be disproportionate to the situation, age-inappropriate, or impede the ability to function normally.
Rising Problem
A Kaiser Family Foundation report found that 32 percent of adults in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. That is an increase over the one in four Americans who said they suffered the same symptoms prior to the pandemic.
In addition, another Kaiser review found that 28.2 percent of those with anxiety and/or depression disorders were not getting treatment. The APA reports that treatment involves either psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both.
Further, anxiety disorders are classified in six types. According to the APA, those types and the percentage of adults with each one are:
- Specific Phobia: 8% – 12%
- Social Anxiety Disorder: 7%
- Panic Disorder: 2% – 3%
- Agoraphobia: 1-2.9% in Adolescents and Adults
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: 2%
- Separation Anxiety Disorder: 0.9% – 1.9%
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Max K. Erkiletian began writing for newspapers while still in high school. He went on to become an award-winning journalist and co-founder of the print magazine Free Bird. He has written for a wide range of regional and national publications as well as many on-line publications. That has afforded him the opportunity to interview a variety of prominent figures from former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Paul Volker to Blues musicians Muddy Waters and B. B. King. Max lives in Springfield, MO with his wife Karen and their cat – Pudge. He spends as much time as possible with his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
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