Several Causes of Panic Attacks

You may be having a panic attack if you suddenly feel intense anxiety accompanied by a rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, sweating and trembling. The reason for these attacks is not clear but it is believed to be a mix of biological and environmental factors.

Genetics has been explored as a possible reason that some people have panic attacks. Just like physical characteristics (such as eye color or hair) can be passed down through families, there is evidence that these disorders can also run in families. Some people may have the genetic make up that will lead to having panic disorders. Somewhere in their family either past or present may be a relative with a panic disorder or another emotional disorder (such as depression).

Brain abnormalities could also be another possible reason for panic attacks. This kind of disorder could be caused by particular changes in the way that parts of the brain work. Studies have suggested that many times these attacks occur along with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or post traumatic stress disorder. There is also the chance that psychotic symptoms can lead to panic attacks. Psychotic episodes may also come before or foretell the start of particular anxiety disorders as well such as post traumatic stress disorder. Through research, it has also been suggested that a person's basic reaction to danger (stay and fight or run away) is associated with panic attacks. Your body's natural warning system is composed of both medical and physical parts that help you to respond to changes such as increased heart rate and breathing pattern. When you are having an attack, these feelings are triggered even though there is no danger. There is no known reason for what causes a panic attack when there is no clear sign of danger. In some cases, this disorder may be triggered by extreme stress in an individual's life such as the death of someone you love or a major life change such as separation from someone you love. Some researchers have concluded that when these types of stresses occur, they lower your resistance and cause your latent physical predisposition to bring about a panic attack.

These attacks may be produced by an environmental cause such as an addiction. An individual suffering from substance abuse who is high on or going through withdrawal from drugs or alcohol may suffer from panic disorder. It is possible that both the biological and environmental reasons for a panic disorder may work together at times. Usually, these attacks hit without warning. Someone who suffers from panic attacks may find that they bring on an attack in response to physical symptoms of an attack. For example, if someone who suffers from a panic disorder were to experience a racing heartbeat caused by an outside source such as medication, they might consider this to be a symptom of an attack. This may cause the person to actually have a panic attack brought on by their apprehension because much of the fear related to these attacks is the fear of having another attack. The precise cause of panic disorders are not totally understood, therefore it is crucial that you find help through different types of therapy.