One of my favorite movies of all time is “What About Bob,” directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss.  It came out in 1991, which means almost twenty years had passed between my first panic attack, and the agoraphobia and many single phobias that developed soon after.  I had had lots of time to practice overcoming my fears.  And, a lot of time to look back and find the whole thing just a little bit funny.

It’s a common belief that people with anxiety disorder have excessive catecholamine activity. This means that they are prone to feeling of hypersensitivity and nervousness. It is also concluded that these people have less endorphin activity.

            I don’t believe that anxiety is solely a biochemical imbalance that must be handled with medication. In fact, some medications can make your symptoms worse. Since endorphins help us control the way we think and respond, we are personally capable of creating more endorphins and of reducing our catecholamine activity.

Environment plays a significant role in anxiety disorders. Did you have a mother who constantly worried? Did your parents expect you always to be perfect? Did you grow up with strict religious beliefs? Was your family environment dysfunctional? Was there any separation from a significant person in your life as a child?  It can be helpful to realize that some of these environmental situations could create anxious attitudes and a tendency toward problems with anxiety and depression.

Anxiety disorder tends to run in families. This means you might have a mother, father, grandparent, or sibling with anxiety problems. Did you grow up with someone who had problems with anxiety and depression? Did someone in your family suffer silently with panic and obsessive thoughts? Did they use “nerve pills” or alcohol to self medicate?

            I have discovered that alcoholism does not create anxiety. My father didn’t become anxious because he abused alcohol.