All About Panic Attacks

Emily stops short as fear washes over her. There are just too many people near her. Her heart begins to race, and beads of sweat form on her forehead. She looks around desperately for a place to hide. Passing strangers look at her with worried expressions, but continue to walk past her. She feels as if she might vomit at any moment as a constricted feeling forms in her chest.

Emily stumbles towards the nearest doorway as she fights the urge to cry and scream. She feels short of breath, and is suddenly sure she’s about to die. She finally finds a secluded corner and slumps against the wall. Her breathing becomes so labored she thinks she is choking.

While this may play out like a scene from a movie, it’s very much a reality for people with anxiety. Emily is having a panic attack. An estimated three million people in the United States will suffer from some sort of panic disorder in their lives, and up to 75% of these people will suffer a panic attack at least once.

Causes

One very common cause of panic attacks is catastrophic thought processes. This means your mind will great exaggerate the situation and bring about fears that are unfounded.

An example might be a fear of elevators. A person with panic disorder may have a fear of an elevator falling and killing them. When they step onto, or are faced with, an elevator, these thoughts begin to overwhelm their mind. They may very well know these are unfounded thoughts, but they can’t help thinking them anyway. These thoughts trigger the attack.

A tendency to develop panic disorders may be hereditary. If you have parents or relatives with disorders, you are more likely to develop one of your own at some point in your life. The medical condition ‘hypoglycemia’ may also trigger attacks.

Symptoms