Posted by The Therapist on 12/1/2011, 6:50 pm, in reply to "Is paruresis hereditary?"

Interesting question. Most anxiety disorders are thought to be a combination of genetic susceptiblity (I like to call it wired to worry) and environmental factors. My father has pauresis. I have it and recently my son has shown early signs of it even though he doesn't live with me (so its not a learned fear). However children often show signs of anxiety but they grow out of it. Often the parents are more concerned about it than them. True some will grow up with the anxiety and it may reach disorder level but its not inevitable. The danger is taking a child for treatment at a young age can pathologise something that might have gone on its own. Keep an eye on it but don't make a big thing of it

324