Panic Disorder

Panic attack occurs all of a sudden even while you are engaged in an ordinary activity and everything around you is very calm and peaceful. Your heart suddenly starts pounding and you start trembling, sweating and hyperventilating. Panic disorder makes the sufferer feel he or she is totally out of control, much like agoraphobia. Some feel that they are in the process of a heart attack and are going to die any moment. This attack usually lasts for a while, maybe ten minutes or so and disappears.

What Are Panic Attacks

There is no definite knowledge on what causes panic attacks and eventual panic disorder effects. This disorder usually affects people between 15 and 25 years of age. Between two attacks, sufferers spend their time anxious about when the next attack is going to be. Recurrent panic attacks can be life-debilitating and requires immediate panic disorder treatment.

Patients live in persistent fear and often relate the onset of panic attacks to the task they had been doing at the moment. Depending on where they are, they may assume that the attack was caused by the classroom, lift or restaurant and tend to avoid these situations. Severe cases of panic disorder may lead to a condition called agoraphobia. Here patients are very hesitant to move out to public places and remain confined to their homes.

Causes Of Panic Attacks

Panic attacks can be caused by various reasons though nothing is clear about the underlying reasons. Much like the results from a bipolar disorder test shows a history of mental illness. Research points to evidence that panic disorder effects may be due to biochemical or genetic factors. Patients with a history of phobias such as agoraphobia or school phobia may be susceptible to panic attacks. This condition is also associated with other factors such as a type of depression affecting people during winters called seasonal affective disorder, cigarette or alcohol abuse and depression. Sudden panic attacks that occur recurrently must be addressed immediately and patients must reach out for panic disorder treatment.

What Happens During Panic Attack

Moderate to severe panic attacks may manifest symptoms such as shallow, rapid and uncontrollable breathing also known as hyperventilation. This in turn affects the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood leading to other physical symptoms.

Prominent Reasons For Panic Disorder Onset

In some, panic attacks may start after a major accident, birth of a baby, separation from family, death of a loved one or serious illness. Those who use mind-altering drugs may also be susceptible to panic attacks. No matter what the reason is, in most panic disorder effects are immediate. The attack may come anywhere and in some, even during their sleep. Certain medications and health issues may also give rise to panic attacks including high dose of antidepressants.

Symptoms Of Panic Attack That Require Immediate Treatment

Some of the major symptoms of panic attack include sweating, heart palpitations, sudden anxiety, a sense of unreality, faintness or dizziness, nausea, chest discomfort or pain, a claustrophobic feeling, hot flushes and chills, tingling or numbness and an intense fear of dying. If you experience the above symptoms and feel very uncomfortable, it is time to reach out for the right panic disorder treatment.