Panic Attacks and Genes

People have noticed for a long time that panic attacks tend to run in families. Naturally, that led to the suspicion that panic attacks and genes are associated.

However, no one has identifies any genes that might be responsible – until now.

Researchers at Center for Medical and Molecular Biology in Barcelona have discovered a gene that is associated with panic attacks and other anxiety disorders.

They call the mutation DUP25 and found it in over 90% of family members with panic disorders.

This particular genetic mutation was also common in unrelated people suffering from sever anxiety, but rare in those without any anxiety disorder. This further supports the idea that a genetic issue may put people at risks for anxiety issues.

The exact mechanism by which this gene exerts its influence is unknown, but other genes in the same area have to do with producing proteins affecting communication in the nervous system. That raises possibilities, but, as researchers are fond of saying “more studies are needed.”

Genes Don't Tell the Whole Story about Panic Attacks

This is an important finding. However the gene alone is not the whole story, and having the gene doesn’t mean someone is condemned to have panic attacks. In fact, at least 20% of people with the gene have no anxiety problem at all. The gene may predispose to panic problems but it doesn’t determine the whole story.

Further evidence that the genes aren’t the whole story is the fact that people with a history of other family members with a history of significant anxiety problems are over five times more likely to have such problems themselves than the rest of the population, more that half to three quarters of people who seek medical attention for panic attacks have no such family history.

Other Factors Leading to
Panic Attacks

Environmental factors, emotional coping skill and the person’s response to an anxiety episode itself all play into the overall expression and the person’s response.

The exact cause of anxiety disorders and panic attacks is still a question for further research. That is all well and good but a bigger question is what can people suffering from these problems do to get relief now.

Fortunately you don’t have to know all the causes of panic attacks to treat the end result.

Here's a system that's ended panic attacks for thousands of people:

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