Anxiety Is Not Just Chemical Imbalance
All thoughts and feelings—including anxiety—result from complex electrochemical reactions in the nervous system. However, the fact that antidepressant and anti anxiety drugs can reduce certain kinds of anxiety tells us little about which chemical reactions are involved; these treatments may only bring about secondary electrochemical reactions that are actually remote from the original source of the chemical imbalance. The important point is this: Whatever the causes of severe anxiety, sufferers can be helped and can learn to help themselves.
Behavioral treatments have also been shown to be very effective in treating several Anxiety Disorders, sometimes without the use of any medication. Because of this, some doctors believe that the ways that people think can contribute to or relieve their anxiety. Certain surroundings and activities are more frightening than others, although this is a highly individual matter and one person’s “passion” may be another’s “poison.”
So while some Anxiety Disorders may be caused by chemical imbalances, others may be due to psychosocial factors. The causes of anxiety give no clear guide to treatment, however, and various methods—behavior, medical, psychodynamic, and even (very rarely) surgical—have a part to play in relieving anxiety.