Anxiety - the causes

Feeling a little anxious? Nervous as a mouse, jumping at your shadow and no idea why? We've listed some possible causes to help you identify the problem and deal with it.

Everyone experiences anxiety at some stage in their life. It may be a condition in itself or it may be caused by an underlying psychiatric or physical illness. Here are some of the reasons behind it:

• It may occur as part of a variety of psychiatric syndromes, including schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism or withdrawal from long-term treatment with medical drugs;
• Some people are more prone to anxiety, inheriting this tendency through their genes;
• Sometimes the cause is obvious - when the problem disappears, so does the anxiety;
• Some circumstances are so upsetting that the anxiety continues long after the event. These are usually life-threatening situations like car crashes, train crashes or fires. The people involved suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and can feel nervous and anxious for months or years after the event, even if they have been physically unharmed;
• Using drugs like amphetamines, LSD , ecstasy, cannabis can sometimes cause anxiety. Even caffeine intake from drinking tea or coffee can be enough to make some of us feel uncomfortably anxious;
• On the other hand, there may appear to be no obvious reason why the person feels anxious. It could be a mixture of their personality, the things that have happened to them, or life-changes such as pregnancy.

For advice and information about reducing your anxiety levels, read TheSite's getting help factsheet.