Anxiety disorders in women: gender-related modulation of neurobiology and behavior

The study of psychobiology of gender is in its infancy, but already there are emerging findings of interest to clinicians and researchers in the area of anxiety disorders. There is much work yet to be done, but findings provide initial support for hypotheses that ovarian and other gonadal and maternal hormones play important regulatory roles in determining behavior as well as neurotransmitter function in women. These regulatory effects clearly involve areas known to be important in the onset and maintenance of anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders. It is important to note that although neurophysiologic mechanisms are definitely in need of study and attention, this should not occur at the expense of further psychosocial research in this area. Social changes in gender-role functioning may well produce important neurobiologic changes, and this may be the most effective and efficient way of producing such changes, which can ultimately reduce women's risk of anxiety disorders.