Learned Anxiety V Ptsd

[Sandstone]

The useful Wiki entry for anxiety says "There are many reasons why anxiety happens … genetic aspects, example: anxiety runs in your family … or environmental, such as underlying life traumatic events, family, relationships, divorce, or, personality attributes,"

I’ve been wondering about the difference between the anxiety that belongs to PTSD and the anxiety I learned anyway in my childhood. I realise now that my mother taught us to be anxious about almost everything, and now I watch her passing the same message on to her pet dogs.

I presume this high base level of anxiety has made me more inclined to develop panic and anxiety symptoms with my PTSD. So now I’m inclined to hide in small spaces when faced with something difficult, whereas before I’d just have gone very red and felt the panic internally. When I find a therapy I can cope with (I’m saying when not if) might it help with both lots of anxiety? Does anyone further along this pathway have any experience?

 

[maelstrom]

Hi stenni, I'm not an expert but I do think anxiety can run in the family (at least it is in my case), perhaps both genetically and by learning from/observing parents. I do have both kinds of anxieties you mention, and I'd say therapy has helped me more with the more general kind, although I don't think I'll ever be completely free from it--which is fine. As long as it doesn't get out of control, some anxiety can at least protect you to a certain degree. And since my mother and grandmother and great grandmother and great+++++grandmother have all lived with it, I guess I'd survive it too, if I keep it under control :) However, it takes a long long time for you to recover from both, but things really can get better. I'm still a long way from it, but sometimes I do see hope~

 

[Lionheart]

Stenni,

My Pdoc says, "anxiety is anxiety is anxiety". It may arise for different reasons but it is all dealt with pretty much the same way; Therapy, medication, stress-reduction techniques, etc. etc. I am no expert, but I think the proper therapy and therapist, will be able to help you with anxiety regardless of whether or not it is a part of PTSD. :)

 

[anthony]

Both are as relevant as one another, and both are real. Anxiety can be a learnt behaviour. Hyper-vigilance is a form of heightened anxiety, as an example. All military are trained to be highly alert (hyper-vigilant), thus highly anxious is a trained behaviour. Add PTSD, that turns a trained behavioural anxiety that was manageable into a near unmanageable anxiety.

Both can be changed... its just that much more work.

The moment you relate anything back to a behaviour is the same instance you can change it... as all behaviours are learnt and can be changed.