Why do I have an Anxiety Disorder?

I was born with it!

According to the Calm Clinic..

…Anxiety can have a host of different causes. But no matter the cause, anxiety changes the chemistry of your brain. One of the issues that many people with anxiety have in common is that they tend to suffer from low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, known in medical circles as a serotonin deficiency. Some people have a predisposition to this (ie, genetics). Others have low serotonin due to diet and lifestyle changes. Still others have low serotonin because their own anxiety has changed the way their brain produces and uses the neurotransmitter…

https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/causes/serotonin-deficiency

I have a serotonin deficiency. There aren’t any tests for this so how do I know?

Genetics: I have several family members dealing with anxiety and other related issues.
- Only one person goes to a psychiatrist besides me and that person is doing great now, as well!
- All others are still in denial. Everyone has to go through their own journey to get there.
The medication worked!
- What more proof would I need, than taking a medication that increases Serotonin levels and feeling GREAT!!

The way my psychiatrist explained it me, was that as life became more stressful, the anxiety increased until I reached a point of panic attacks and later Agoraphobia. It started with genetics though and a predisposition to a serotonin deficiency. That is why some people have a “disorder” and others are just stressed from everyday life, but can handle it. It is not that they are stronger and I am weak. It is that their brain produces enough Serotonin to help them cope and mine does not.

I hope and pray that one day they will be able to test neurotransmitters. Serotonin deficiencies and other neurotransmitter imbalances are real, like high blood pressure, or diabetes. Nobody would hesitate to take medication to reduce their blood pressure, or insulin for diabetes. Why hesitate to take medication to balance your brain? Because you won’t die from it? You may not physically die, but think about whether or not you are really living?

I wasn’t.