If you've ever had a panic attack, you know that they feel horrible. In fact, they feel life threatening. And if you believe they actually are, you'd be right. In general, these episodes are harmless, are triggered by stress, and resolve on their own. However, medical experts no longer think that they are simply harmless if they are experienced very frequently. What causes them to happen? Before we talk about the symptoms, let's talk about what causes them. In fact, panic attacks are not the result of disease but instead a condition sparked by an "overdone" reaction to stress and fear.
When we are exposed to terrifying or dangerous situations, our normal responses are to fight or to flee. Known as the "fight or flight response," these are actually beneficial to us if we are under truly life-threatening conditions. However, panic attacks occur when there is no such catalyst for the response, or it is overblown physically as a result of stress so that the body is suddenly flooded with epinephrine and adrenaline. This causes the body to respond to stress as though the sufferer is in extreme danger. If you suffer from panic attacks, you'll know that your experiences can last anywhere from 15 seconds to 30 minutes. And for what is yet an unknown reason, women are more likely to suffer from panic attacks than men are.
What makes panic attacks so disabling is that they are unpredictable, so that they can be experienced anywhere, anytime. People who suffer from them never know when they're going to experience one. When a panic attack begins, there first may be mounting fear, followed by several symptoms. Panic attacks can occur in stressful situations for anyone occasionally, but if you experience frequent panic attacks, you have panic disorder.
Panic disorder earned from but relevant to the condition of panic attacks. You experience the same symptoms, which can be very immobilizing. You may have, for example, feelings of terror or dread, racing heart, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, dizziness, nausea, shakiness or trembling, abdominal upset, numbness or tingling sensations, choking sensations, and a feeling that you might die or at least lose control.
What causes panic attacks? The mind and the body react to intense fear. In the physical sense, it is traced to genetic malfunction. You can have panic disorder if a family member experienced depression or had episodes of panic attacks. However, medical science cannot pinpoint the exact causes of panic attacks because not all causes are known but the following have been known to cause the onset of these disabling attacks: genetics, stress, and medication.
Stress can trigger a panic attack. For example, if a loved one very close to you has recently died and you are dealing with separation or grief, the anxiety brought upon by these very stressful situations can make you vulnerable to panic attacks. You may not know you're having a panic attack when the fear first escalates to the level that you feel like you're going to lose control. A hallmark of panic attacks is that the body reacts to the fear as though there is a very dangerous situation at hand, when in fact there is not.
If you suffer from severe panic attacks, most likely both your mind and body are reacting to fear. For example, if you already are under severe stress or if you suffer from depression, your body can have panic attack reactions, which exacerbates your mental fear, which further provokes physical symptoms, and so on. Panic attacks themselves can become a vicious cycle. It may become so bad, sadly, that thinking of having a panic attack can in fact actually cause one. Your mind first registers fear, then your body responds.
If you have had panic attack symptoms very frequently, see a doctor. First of all, you should rule out any physical disorders that could be actually causing the panic attacks. If none are found, medications can help control the panic attacks, and you may also seek counseling and therapy. These sessions can help you understand your fears, while a trained therapist can also expose you to them so that you must face them and ultimately get them back under control.
When we are exposed to terrifying or dangerous situations, our normal responses are to fight or to flee. Known as the "fight or flight response," these are actually beneficial to us if we are under truly life-threatening conditions. However, panic attacks occur when there is no such catalyst for the response, or it is overblown physically as a result of stress so that the body is suddenly flooded with epinephrine and adrenaline. This causes the body to respond to stress as though the sufferer is in extreme danger. If you suffer from panic attacks, you'll know that your experiences can last anywhere from 15 seconds to 30 minutes. And for what is yet an unknown reason, women are more likely to suffer from panic attacks than men are.
What makes panic attacks so disabling is that they are unpredictable, so that they can be experienced anywhere, anytime. People who suffer from them never know when they're going to experience one. When a panic attack begins, there first may be mounting fear, followed by several symptoms. Panic attacks can occur in stressful situations for anyone occasionally, but if you experience frequent panic attacks, you have panic disorder.
Panic disorder earned from but relevant to the condition of panic attacks. You experience the same symptoms, which can be very immobilizing. You may have, for example, feelings of terror or dread, racing heart, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, dizziness, nausea, shakiness or trembling, abdominal upset, numbness or tingling sensations, choking sensations, and a feeling that you might die or at least lose control.
What causes panic attacks? The mind and the body react to intense fear. In the physical sense, it is traced to genetic malfunction. You can have panic disorder if a family member experienced depression or had episodes of panic attacks. However, medical science cannot pinpoint the exact causes of panic attacks because not all causes are known but the following have been known to cause the onset of these disabling attacks: genetics, stress, and medication.
Stress can trigger a panic attack. For example, if a loved one very close to you has recently died and you are dealing with separation or grief, the anxiety brought upon by these very stressful situations can make you vulnerable to panic attacks. You may not know you're having a panic attack when the fear first escalates to the level that you feel like you're going to lose control. A hallmark of panic attacks is that the body reacts to the fear as though there is a very dangerous situation at hand, when in fact there is not.
If you suffer from severe panic attacks, most likely both your mind and body are reacting to fear. For example, if you already are under severe stress or if you suffer from depression, your body can have panic attack reactions, which exacerbates your mental fear, which further provokes physical symptoms, and so on. Panic attacks themselves can become a vicious cycle. It may become so bad, sadly, that thinking of having a panic attack can in fact actually cause one. Your mind first registers fear, then your body responds.
If you have had panic attack symptoms very frequently, see a doctor. First of all, you should rule out any physical disorders that could be actually causing the panic attacks. If none are found, medications can help control the panic attacks, and you may also seek counseling and therapy. These sessions can help you understand your fears, while a trained therapist can also expose you to them so that you must face them and ultimately get them back under control.
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