Panic attacks can appear without warning and can completely debilitate the person having the attack in seconds. They may last over 10 minutes and cause the person to experience chest pain, heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea, and extreme feelings of terror and dread. They are so bad the person having the attack often fears that they are dying. Panic attacks are a form of anxiety disorder that will affect 20% of all Americans at some point in their lives.
Panic attacks are essentially a malfunctioning trigger of the body’s natural alarm system, a blend of mental and body reactions. This alarm system, known as the fight or flight response, is there to allow us to respond to life threatening situations, it is a tool for self preservation. In certain cases however, this emergency response system is triggered for no apparent cause and has extreme effects. The causes of panic attacks are not really known.
There are several factors that may cause them, but there is no specific known cause or definitive answer of who will experience panic attacks. People with a family history of anxiety related problems often will have them too, but this is not always true as people with no family history can get them as well. People with a history of childhood abuse or serious illness also seem to be susceptible to panic attacks. Overly sensitive, anxious people and perfectionist’s personalities are also susceptible.
These attacks may also by symptoms of other mental disorders, such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or schizophrenia, or they may be reactions to substance abuse withdrawal. Panic attacks can also be directly caused by a panic disorder, where the person is so afraid of having another panic attack that they trigger an attack to begin. Certain medical conditions like thyroid abnormalities or enema may also cause panic attacks to occur. There is also the possibility of food additives (like aspartame), certain types of food dyes or even some nutritional deficiencies that may cause people to experience panic attacks.
Panic attacks are a serious medical disorder that requires treatment to overcome. With treatment however, it is possible to live a normal attack free life.
Anxiety attacks are a debilitating condition that affects over 6 million people in the United States. They cause extreme feelings of fear and dread and often have severe physical symptoms that can completely incapacitate anyone suffering from them. The causes of this serious medical condition are not exactly known, but there are several risk factors.
There are many factors that may cause someone to begin experiencing extreme anxiety. Heredity and family history may play a role. People with anxiety disorders will often have family members who have anxiety issues as well. An abusive or neglectful childhood history can also help to create problems with anxiety and coping as children grow up. People who suffer from mental illness often have anxiety problems associated with their illness and the difficulties it may add to their lives. This can also be true for people suffering from long term medical illnesses, where thoughts and fears about their illness can create worry.
Traumatic events can also help create anxiety problems, which is a big concern for returning soldiers. In fact, 7.7 million Americans suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. These problems don’t just affect military personnel however; anyone who experiences a traumatic event can develop anxiety symptoms. It is often a way for the brain to attempt to cope.
Continual stress is a major reason why people can develop anxiety attacks. Long term stress causes the brain to release cortisol and corticotrophin hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones keep the body’s stress responses going and if the stress remains in the person’s life then their ability to cope properly can diminish. Anything stressful can affect the way the brain copes, and different people have unique coping methods.
Stress that can lead to anxiety can be caused by financial and workplace difficulties, martial trouble, problems at school or with relationships, a death in the family or any major life changes. Substance abuse is another factor that may lead to developing anxiety related problems as drugs can alter the brain’s function and create emotional changes.
Easy Calm is one of the most popular programs on the market for dealing with panic attacks and anxiety. One of the reasons why this program is so popular is the fact that the whole course is delivered via video. I have not had a chance to watch the whole series, but I watched the first chapter that Jon Mecer provides for free and was quite impressed by it. You can watch all 26 minutes of the first chapter of Easy Calm below:
In this video Jon Mecer gives a good introduction to the Easy Calm course, but he also gives some good tips for dealing with panic attacks and and anxiety, as well as some interesting background on the causes of it. Even if you don’t buy the rest of the course, I definitely recommend that you watch this video.
There’s a lof of information about panic attacks available and while there are different schools of thought on the topic, most experts agree that panic attacks are caused by high anxiety. To understand how this works we need to take a closer look at what anxiety is and how it can result in a full blown panic attack.
Anxiety can be defined as a state of fear or apprehension that results from the anticipation of a real or imagine threat, situation or event. All people experience anxiety at some point in their lives, but in some cases this state of fear can escalate to such a level that a full blown panic attack occur. The mechanism that starts a panic attack is known as the “Fight or Flight” response, which in basic terms is a series of signals that the brain sends to the body in order to prepare it to either fight or flee from a dangerous situation.
These sensations feel perfectly normal when we are in obvous physical danger, but when the threat is imagined (for example when it’s a fear of public speaking), it can be an extremely terrifying experience, because there is nothing that we can fight or flee from.
In my opinion the biggest problem with panic attacks is that they are rarely isolated events. In most cases the experience of a panic attack is so terrifying, that the person is left with an intense fear of having another panic attack afterwards. This fear of having another panic attack results in more anxiety, which is exactly the thing that results in the next panic attack. When this cycle of fear, anxiety and panic continue over an extended period, a person is diagnosed as having a panic disorder.
If you experience panic attacks it is important to understand that you are not alone. There are thousands of of people who go through the exact same sensations every day. It may feel like something that can not be cured, but there are the fact is that there are proven techniques that you can start using today to eliminate panic attacks from your life completely. See my Top 5 Panic Attack Programs page for more information.
