Causes of Panic Attacks
Panic attacks can strike an individual at any time without warning. Its symptoms can include extreme fear and concern, shortness of breath, sweating, shaking, and other reactions. Someone who seems quite calm and composed can be stricken by panic attacks. The causes of panic attacks is not fully understood, but there are many different factors that play a major role in their onset. These factors can be both environmental as well as biological.
Panic disorders have been shown to be prevalent in some families and not as much in others, which has led scientists to conclude that there may be some genetic indicators in individuals who suffer from panic attacks. A cause of this is similar to how eye color or hair color is passed down from parents to their children and some individuals who suffer from panic attacks have a family member who has suffered from a similar condition.
Abnormalities in the brain may also be contributory causes of panic attacks. These may create certain changes in the brain function. Studies have indicated that panic attacks can often occur in individuals who are diagnosed with schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder. Other studies also indicate that our biological ‘fight or flight’ response to fear or other potentially dangerous stimuli may also be involved in panic attacks.
A person’s response to fear or attack often results in accelerated heart rate and an increase in breathing, which usually allows a person to react and respond to perceived or real threats. When someone suffers from a panic attack, this reaction is generated without the presence of any real danger. It is still unknown why panic attacks strike an individual when there is no real danger present.
Stress in life, whether serious or relatively minor, can trigger a panic attack. These stressors can be the result of a major life change or the death of a loved one, or smaller stressors such as moving across town, or other issues that develop and build upon one another over time. When stressors diminish one’s resistance, the inherent physical predisposition for a panic attack can kick in.
Addiction is often seen as an environmental cause of panic attacks. Withdrawal or intoxication of drugs or alcohol as a result of substance abuse may also be one of the causes. The source of these attacks may also be both biological as well as environmental. Whichever the case may be, these attacks often seem to come from nowhere, with no warning or precursor. A person could also bring one on inadvertently by creating the conditions that a body endures during a real attack. For example, taking medication that elevates heart rates may cause the brain to interpret this increased heart rate as a response to attack and thus a panic attack can occur.
Seeking professional treatment is important for anyone who may feel that they are suffering from panic attacks. The cause may still be unknown, but there are ways to manage them.
