A team of researchers in Italy has now shed light on the root source of unease, and tension that will help effectively treat anxiety as soon as the symptoms appear. However, there is still no definite cure for the condition.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Trento, pursues these goals and helps draw a line between different aspects of anxiety and to find the best treatment for each one. The study has just been published in Scientific Reports.
The team of researchers focused on what goes on in the brain of people with the two main types of the condition: trait and state anxiety, respectively the temporary and the stable, chronic form of the disease.
Nicola De Pisapia, a researcher of the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science of the University of Trento and scientific coordinator of the study, has explained the difference between the two: “If you are feeling very tense today, but you usually are calm and quiet, you have high state and low trait anxiety.”
“Whereas if you are unusually quiet, while in general, you feel nervous, you may have low state and high trait anxiety. Therefore, state anxiety is a temporary condition, while trait anxiety is usually a stable feature of a person,” the researcher said.
Clinical experience shows, among other things, that individuals with trait anxiety have difficulties managing stressful situations, are at risk of depression, have altered cognitive functions, are less socially competitive and tend to develop psychopathological disorders.
Differentiating between the two anxiety will help choose the most appropriate treatment for patients and to prevent the condition from becoming chronic.
“Our study makes it clear that it is fundamental to treat individuals with state anxiety so that they do not develop trait anxiety, which is a chronic condition. One way to treat it is to reduce anxiety as soon as it manifests itself, for example using relaxation techniques, physical activity, and other means that improve personal well-being in general”, commented De Pisapia.
The goal of the study was to better understand the neural bases of the two types of anxiety.