Causes and Development of Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia Causes - Part 3: Heredity

There are twin studies to suggest that genetics contribute to agoraphobia. However, these research findings do not indicate that people inherit agoraphobia. Instead they suggest that people inherit a predisposition for anxiety or an excitable personality type.

One such study, conducted in the mid 1980's at the University of Washington, showed that panic disorders (including agoraphobia) are related to oversensitivity in a sensory region of the brain that is transmitted through chromosomes.