Psychologists previously viewed anxieties as purely caused by emotional problems. However, as the years passed and clinical advancements came, they found out that anxiety has actual, physiological origins that must be addressed to treat the anxiety attacks and prevent its development into a definite disorder. This is particularly the case with anxieties caused by hormone imbalances.
Hormone imbalance anxieties are the common cause of anxiety in women. Per observation, many women act in a state of low-grade anxiety in situations of increased stress and biological changes like in menopause. For women nearing this stage, their levels of progesterone begin to drop. This drop then causes women to feel anxious. This is because progesterone is similar to serotonin. It is a “calming” biochemical. In normal levels, it has great relaxing effect on the system. Thus, when progesterone levels are low, women are left susceptible to anxiety. Relative to low progesterone levels, hormone imbalance can also be caused by elevated levels of estrogen. This imbalance causes adverse effects in your health. Anxiety is just one of them. It can also result to diabetes, infertility, obesity, etc.
Also, using hormonal drugs can cause anxiety episodes. This is because it alters the normal levels of chemicals in the body like progesterone. That is why, when using hormonal drugs like birth control pills, women feel nervous, worried, or irritable. The pills blunt the normal variations of hormones in the body causing bouts of mood swings.
A hormone imbalance can cause anxiety but not all the time. Your physician may find out that a particular hormonal disorder is present. It would be quite rare for anxiety to be the only symptom in the case of a hormone imbalance. Also, anxiety and a hormonal disorder may coexist yet be unrelated.
Hormonal or endocrine disorders that may cause anxiety include thyroid gland overactivity (hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis) or underactivity (hypothyroidism or myxedema), adrenal gland overactivity (hyperadrenalism or Cushing’s syndrome), parathyroid gland overactivity (hyperparathyroidism) or underactivity (hypoparathyroidism), and the premenstrual syndrome (see below). Hormonal drugs that are used to treat these disorders like steroids (cortisone, prednisone, and others) occasionally have anxiety-like side effects. Those who have been taking steroids for a time have expressed concerns about having hallucinations and developing paranoia. Increased aggression, also known as roid rage, is also noticeable.
When anxiety is caused by a hormonal disturbance, correction of the underlying problem should relieve the symptoms. Moreover, a comprehensive evaluation of anxiety should include attention to the endocrine system because recent studies show that there is a biochemical basis for the development of anxiety. Besides that, the endocrine glands are the group of cells that produce hormones.
