What causes a panic attack?

Answer 1

Causes
Panic disorder has been found to run in families, and this may mean that inheritance plays a strong role in determining who will get it. However, many people who have no family history of the disorder develop it.

Other biological factors, stressful life events, environment, and thinking in a way that exaggerates relatively normal bodily reactions are also believed to play a role in the onset of panic disorder. Often the first attacks are triggered by physical illnesses, major stress, or certain medications. People who tend to take on excessive responsibilities may develop a tendency to suffer panic attacks. PTSD patients also show a much higher rate of panic disorder than the general population. The exact causes of panic disorder are unknown at this point.

Studies in animals and humans have focused on pinpointing the specific brain areas involved in anxiety disorders such as panic disorder. Fear, an emotion that evolved to deal with danger, causes an automatic, rapid protective response that occurs without the need for conscious thought. It has been found that the body's fear response is coordinated by a small but complicated structure deep inside the brain called the amygdala. Eating disorders have also been linked to have caused panic attacks in several people.

Hypoglycemia may also cause panic attacks. In this condition the receptors for insulin do not respond properly to insulin, interfering with the transport of glucose across the membranes of cells. The brain depends on a steady supply of glucose — its only source of energy. When there is a sudden fall in blood sugar levels the brain sends a hormonal signal to the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. This hormone functions to raise blood sugar levels by converting glycogen into glucose, thus preventing brain starvation, but it is also a panic hormone that is responsible for attacks of fear. The non-drug treatment for this is the adoption of the hypoglycemic diet.

Answer 2

Nobody knows for sure what causes panic attacks/disorder, but a combination of factors, from brain chemistry to genetics is probably to blame. Some people may be born with a tendency to panic, while others may develop the problem after a stressful event. For unknown reasons, panic disorder is twice as common in women as in men. Panic disorder is a form of anxiety, the most common psychiatric ailment in the U.S. About 2.4 million Americans suffer from panic attacks in a given year, according to the National Institue of Mental Health. Cognitive theorists believe an individual will experience panic when his or her focus on bodily sensasations leads to catastrophic thoughts about the consequences of the sensations. The conditioning theory suggest that when stimuli, events, or situations are linked to panic attacks, a learned response is developed & in effect trigger panic attacks when the stimuli, events, or situations are encountered again. The conditioning theory is similar to the behavioral theory, which focuses on past experiences & the current environment. Lastly, the biological theory connects panic attacks to the human anatomy.

Answer 3

Anxiety causes a Panic Attack and Panic causes an Anxiety Attack...wait a minute...are they both the same? I'm confused!!!

Answer 4

what caused a panic attack.

lets say you turned your back and you saw your baby playing with a REAL gun that is pointing out the window full of passing people.

that is a Panic Attack

Answer 5

The inability to handle anxiety.

Normally a person can only handle so much. Imagine your life like a stove top with 4 burners. Panic happens when you got all 4 burners going at the same time and you have to cook something else.

External factors like job, money or relationship can cause this high anxiety.

Answer 6

Tension, anxiety causes panic

Answer 7

I used to have panic attack as a side effects of my depression medication.

Answer 8

a panic attack is coused by a shock(a bad news about family,friends or to be frightened by somebody)

Answer 9

panic

Answer 10

the things that cause panic. every one should chill. everything always turns out any way.