Panic Attacks and Anxiety Disorder
Most people, even those that haven’t experienced them, have a general idea about what a panic attack is. However it is not so obvious as to how or why they occur and who is more likely to be effected.
A panic attack can be defined as an intense fear or anxiety which quickly builds into a multitude of physical symptoms (including breathing difficulties, sweating, tingling in the hands, heart palpitations, hot flushes etc.). The problem for most people is that it isn’t easy to define what actually caused the attack. This then leads to the problem of how to solve something that you can’t readily define.
There are obviously several different factors that come into play when it comes to assessing panic attacks and anxiety disorder. There can be environmental and biological factors that combine to cause the actual attack but many other elements may also be behind the issues that lead to anxiety problems.
Genetic issues have regularly been researched as a potential cause for panic disorders. A link has now been established that indicates that a person is more likely to suffer panic attacks if their parents had suffered from some type of panic or anxiety disorder. It does not make it certain to happen, it just means that it is statistically more likely to occur.
Brain abnormalities have also been researched as a possible explanation for predisposition to panic attacks. This research focuses on how changes in some brain functions can potentially lead to anxiety issues. The research indicated that panic attacks are more likely to happen when the sufferer is also affected by various types of psychotic conditions such as post traumatic stress disorder or schizophrenia. Research has also indicated that in some cases panic attacks can be linked to psychotic episodes. These types of problems will often trigger or indicate the potential for certain types of panic attacks or anxiety issues.
Studies also confirm that panic attacks are directly linked to everybody’s in-built “fight-or-flight” response. This is basically the way that our bodies and minds react to what it considers to be extremely dangerous situations. It explains changes in our physical state such as the rapid increase in heart rate and the altered breathing pattern. These changes happen without a true cause during an attack, as there is no real danger present, which makes them difficult to explain or solve.
Sometimes panic attacks can be traced back to stress caused from a significant life event although this event need not have occurred in the recent past. An example would be the death of a loved one or major change in life circumstances.
It has been shown that panic issues can be caused by both environmental and biological factors and often it is a combination of both. In most circumstances, panic attacks are completely unexpected for the first time sufferer. Problems arise however as this first attack then creates a situation that automatically creates a major stress component that will predispose someone to another attack. In other words, fear of an attack is the exact type of thing that will cause another attack to occur. It is hard to break this destructive cycle and get back to a life free of anxiety problems. It is certainly possible though and there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. There are various types of treatments and therapies available to help you overcome panic attacks and live a healthy life going forward.
