Regardless of genetic risks, exposure to discrimination in life plays a significant role in developing anxiety and related disorders, suggests a new study.
Published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences journal, the study determined that even after controlling genetic risk for anxiety, depression and neuroticism, people reported greater discrimination experiences.
"The results demonstrate that discriminatory experiences can potentially cause stress and mental health problems regardless of the genetic constitution of the individual," said researcher Adolfo G Cuevas, an assistant professor at Tufts University in the US.
To gain insight on the connection, the research team used data from a national probability sample of nearly 1 500 non-institutionalised, all English-speaking adults between 25 to 74 years in age.
Nearly 49% of the sample were women.
Three self-report scales were used to measure discrimination and other forms of social exclusion, including everyday discrimination, major discrimination and chronic job discrimination.
After accounting for increased genetic liability for anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and other potential genetic and socio-demographic factors, the researchers found a high degree of interdependence between discrimination and anxiety.
The team said the findings demonstrate that alleviating the impact of discrimination has the potential to improve mental health within the overall population.
Another study also found that a tremor or shaking is a very common symptom in people with anxiety.
When a person is anxious there is heightened discharge in the neurone or nerve cell giving rise hyper activation of muscles causing various types of abnormal movements including jerking clonus and trembling, informs Dr Praveen Gupta, Director and Head of Department, Neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute.
The shakiness or trembling may be restricted to one part of body or can be variably distributed across.
This variability can differentiate it from an organic tremor which usually stereotypical, says the expert.
"Also, this shaking can manifest in many ways sometimes it can be an internal shaking invisible objectively to outside observation, it's more like inside the body or then it can be visible shaking.
“Anxiety often causes muscles to twitch randomly called fasciculations. Most times it is accompanied by other symptoms like restlessness sweating cold palms, palpitations, sense of ill-ease obvious stressors, worry and other such symptom."