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Genetics and Agoraphobia
from:A sequence of panic attacks may develop into agoraphobia, at times it may not. This is yet a field in the study that is undergoing comprehensive research.
There are three means though of acquiring agoraphobia:
The non-genetic agoraphobia, that has been acquired through experiential, social and cultural factors.
The partially genetic agoraphobia in which the individual may have the genetic imprint but could be triggered also by experiential factors, and the
Genetic agoraphobia where disorder "runs" in families.
The causes of agoraphobia are not yet entirely understood. For example, while learned inferences could be applied, it is not yet very clear why females have twice the incidence of having anxiety disorders (that later develop agoraphobia) than males.
One thing is sure though: the possibility of acquiring agoraphobia involves a combination of psychological traits, life experiences and the genetic factors in an individual.
Recent study in the field of biological psychiatry revealed a phenomenon called genetic imprinting. Genetic imprinting is determined by separating between the genes that has been inherited by the person from both of his/her parents.
Genetic imprinting is an offshoot of Gregor Johann Mendel's laws on biological inheritance. This phenomenon has helped scientists determine the relationships between genetics and development of phobias.
Earlier, scientists regarded that the persons emotional wounds acquired during childhood were the causes from which agoraphobia and other depressive disorders develop later in life. This is now still undergoing a more intensive study.
It has been shown that the genetic imprints that an individual inherited is another cause by which an individual has the likelihood of developing posttraumatic syndromes and depressive disorders later in life.
In 2002, clinical studies show that the genetic patterns that cause depression are complex and evidences of genomic imprinting that causes agoraphobia may be present in families with multigenerational histories of depression.
Today, evidences suggest that 40% of people with agoraphobia are those that are inherited while the remaining 60% are either caused by temperament, experiential and environmental factors. In the same manner, evidences prove that a twin of someone who has inherited genes that relates to the causes of agoraphobia is 70-80% likely to also develop the disorder.
Research also shows that when anxiety disorders run in families, the heritability of the generalized genetic disorder or GAD is 0.32. This confirms that there is a strong genetic component that can lead to agoraphobia.
Studies on families are important methods in evaluating the effects of the environment on people suffering from agoraphobia. Aside from determining genetic imprints, it could also be a source of evaluating the impact of the disorder in families and the prognosis for recovery.
Families may share the same factors such as the environment, genetic inheritance and the environment that is not shared. These three factors may interact and could cause the onset of agoraphobia. For example, a parent's temperament towards a child suffering from agoraphobia could partly be traced by the parent's genetic vulnerability towards the disorder.
The family's attitudes toward its member suffering from agoraphobia like emotional over-involvement, criticism, hostility and other emotional expressions are now used and are important factors for studying and the prognosis of the disorder.
While great advances have been developed over the past two decades, the study of genetics as it relates to agoraphobia is still a field that is continually developing.
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