Is Agoraphobia Genetic?

Evidence exists to suggest that there is a genetic component to agoraphobia.

Twin studies are generally used to determine if psychological disorders are hereditary because it is difficult to separate the effects of a person’s genetics and family environment while growing up. This is because the same parents who handed down an individual’s genes usually provide the individual’s childhood home environment also.

By studying twins (who have the same genes) who are raised in separate homes, psychologists can separate the effects of heredity and upbringing.

One of the most recent studies suggesting that agoraphobia may be in part hereditary is a study of 3,372 pairs of male twins from the Viet Nam Era. This study was conducted in 2003 by researchers from the Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics and Boston University. The results of this study showed agoraphobic behavior among individuals with a history of panic attacks to run in families.

In other words, these findings suggest that genetics may account for why some people who experience panic attacks develop agoraphobia and some don’t.

For the most part, research findings do not indicate that people inherit agoraphobia. Instead, they suggest that people inherit a predisposition for anxiety or an excitable personality type.

Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master’s degree in psychology. His informational website on agoraphobia featuring a free newsletter can be found at: www.agoraphobia.ws

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