01/26/2020 / By Darnel Fernandez
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health concerns in the United States. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), these disorders affect about 40 million American adults, or 18.1 percent of the population each year. While anxiety disorders are highly treatable, the ADAA claims that only 36.9 percent of those suffering actually receive treatment. Previous research has established a relationship between joint hypermobility — a condition characterized by joints that stretch farther than normal — and anxiety in humans. However, this phenomenon has not been investigated in non-human species. Now, recent evidence suggests that the association within animals may not be too different from the findings in humans.
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports found a positive association between hip joint hypermobility and emotional arousal in an animal model, paralleling the results found in humans. According to the researchers, this study provides the very first evidence of this association in non-human species
“Many years ago our research group discovered a relation between hypermobility and anxiety, in which people with more joint mobility and flexibility also tended to have more problems with anxiety. Now for the first time we are able to demonstrate that this association also exists in a non-human species,” said corresponding author Jaume Fatjo.
For this study, a team of researchers analyzed data on a set of 13 animal behavior characteristics and hip joint mobility in a total of 5575 domestic dogs supplied by The Seeing Eye organization. They chose domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) as their candidate species as they present physical health problems related to joint hypermobility syndrome and experience naturally occurring behavioral disorders that show face validity. All of the dogs have undergone a hip evaluation at approximately 18 months of age.
After the analysis, the results show that hip joint hypermobility is linked to emotion in dogs, which is similar to the findings observed in people. In humans, the researchers observed that this particular relationship is made evident by manifestations of anxiety, fear, agoraphobia and panic. The link to hypermobility is thanks to the indirect influence of emotional and mental states through the deregulation of the brain’s independent reactions which intensify emotional states. According to the researchers, this emotional reactivity or excitability is one of the risk factors for anxiety disorder.
All in all, their findings suggest that this particular link could be a universal trait in all mammals.
While anxiety could be a regular part of daily life, leaving it unchecked could leave drastic effects on your overall health. Below you can find a list of ways that could help you naturally relieve your anxiety issues. (Related: Calm your anxiety and stress with these 10 natural herbs.)
For similar stories on anxiety and other mental health issues, check out Mental.news.
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Tagged Under: Anxiety, anxiety disorder, anxiety relief, aromatherapy, bone health, caffeine, cognitive function, hip joint hypermobility, joints, mental health, mind body science, research, stop smoking, stress
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