How Are Panic Attacks Caused?

When there is a sudden increase in anxiety levels accompanied by inexplicable fear, then the person is said to be having a panic attack. Usually, this condition accompanied by increased heart beat, difficulty in breathing, and a lot of sweating. Despite the various advancements in medical science, experts having been unable to figure the exact cause for this disorder. However, there are several factors which may play an important role and some of the major ones have been discussed below.

Experts believe that genes might have a role to play in panic disorder. For instance, eye color or hair color are dependent upon the genes which you inherit. Similarly, panic disorders are known to be passed down from one generation to another. There have been many patients who have had a family member suffer from this disorder or depression in the past.

The manner in which certain parts of your brain function can also result in panic disorders. Researchers have revealed that psychotic conditions like post traumatic stress attacks and schizophrenia are often accompanied with panic disorders. It is possible that psychotic disorder may trigger fear attacks as well. Also, studies have shown that natural defense mechanism of the body may be responsible for fear attacks. When you are faced with a threatening situation, your body automatically increases the heart rate and breathing rate to alert you. But in case of panic attacks, these responses are triggered without any reason.

Separation or death of a loved one can also lead to a stress attack. In highly stressful situations, your natural resistance to face problems becomes a lot less. As a result, the physical predisposition can trigger the attack. When someone is trying to come out of certain medication or substance abuse, it is possible that the person suffers from a panic attack. This is an environmental reason for an attack. In some scenarios, biological factors can combine with environmental factors to induce this condition.

Symptoms of this disorder occur without any warning, however sometimes patients induce panic on themselves by misinterpreting certain symptoms. For instance, increased heart beat may be the side effect of a particular medication. But, the person can misinterpret it as a symptom of an attack. The fear of having another attack is yet another cause that induces an attack. As there is no single established cure for this disorder, patients are advised to try different therapies to get a control on their condition.