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Panic Community› Panic Articles› Panic attack symptoms and panic disorder causes
| Panic attack symptoms and panic disorder causes |
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| Written by PanicJoe | |
| 12 July 2007 | |
The symptoms of a panic attack are a sudden intensified feeling of anxiety, accompanies with alarming physical symptoms. The symptoms will escalate within 10 minutes and most of them will be gone within 30 minutes. Some symptoms disappear completely only after an hour. A panic attack can be caused by a known source of stress and fear or be unexpected. The cause of panic disorder is not exactly known, but it is assumed that a lack of balance of chemicals in the brain does stimulate its development.
The physical symptoms that accompany a panic attack are accelerated or
irregular heartbeat, sometimes accompanies by chest pain,
Hyperventilation and fast smothered breathing, light-headiness,
sweating, a chocking feeling, dizziness, shaking and trembling, nausea
and upset stomach, hot and cold flashes. One may experience a wave of
escalation of symptoms and thus suffer a prolonged panic attack in
waves, but if all the symptoms are not gone within one hour (and the
situation has calmed itself) then you may be suffering from something
else (a heart attack???) so consult your doctor.
Mental feelings that can accompany panic attacks are a feeling of loss of control and even fear of dying, as well as a detachment from yourself or reality. When the source of the panic attack is known, when a person is indeed in danger or difficulty, then the panic reaction is normal and even helps cope with the problem. Panic attacks are seen as problematic when they are unexpected and uncontrolled and when they tend to be repeated, then they may be diagnosed as part of a panic disorder. Causes for panic disorder are not clear but it is believed that a lack of balance in neurotransmitters in the brain, which are chemical substances that are part of the communication in our nerve system, may cause the problem. Panic disorder is also passed on in families. Children of parent with the disorder have an 8 times larger chance of developing it than other children. One is also considered at higher risk for developing panic disorder if one of the parents suffers from depression or bi-polar disorder. Stressors, like the loss of a relationship or a job may also trigger panic disorder. You can have repeated panic attacks without having a panic disorder. Panic attacks can be triggered by: 1 - Drinking large amount of alcohol. 2 - Sudden or abrupt termination of alcohol use, that was before hand a habit and highly consumed. 3 - Drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages. 4 - Chain smoking raises the nicotine levels in the blood and may cause panic attacks. 5 - Use of certain medications - such as those for treating heart disease and asthma. 6 - Abrupt termination of medication such as sleeping pills and substances taken against anxiety. 7 - Drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. 8 - Chronic stress. Suffering form stress for a long time may eventually lead to panic attacks. 9 - Having a baby recently changes our lives and can throw us into panic since we fear the unknown of how to take care of the child and the responsibility it brings with it. 10- Having recent surgery or being under general anesthesia. It is very important to diagnose the condition exactly. Is one suffering for panic attacks for a known reason? Or are they unexpected? Is the repeating occurrence an indication of panic disorder, another disorder or simply a defensive mechanism against a new and stressed situation? Treatment can be successful only with correct diagnosis, on should seek the help of a professional. |
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Important: Articles published in MDJunction are written by MDJunction's community members and not by medical professionals (unless stated directly). They are not medical articles/content and are not a replacement for medical diagnosis. If the article does not contain direct reference to the source of the data, please treat it as personal opinion of the writer.