Cause of Panic Attacks

With panic attacks, determining the cause of one has always been somewhat difficult. Panic as a form of anxiety is a natural human response, as it is with other living things, and we each have our own ways of expressing it, and dealing with it. The severity of a panic attack is normally determined by our environment and state of mind at the time of the attack, and of course the initial stimuli that caused the attack. Panic and anxiety can become a problem when they manifest themselves for no apparent reason at all.

Panic is a natural human reaction to a fear or perceived threat. Scientists over the years have labeled this short term attack at a fight-flight response as a result of the general reaction from the victim to either “fight” the fear (fight) or flee from the danger (flight). This gives reason to believe that the initial reason or purpose of the attack is to protect ourselves.

If we transgress a little and go back in time to when humans were primitive creatures, it was absolutely necessary to have this mechanism in place, as the dangers around us were great, they would often be the cause of panic attacks. An immediate response of panic, usually bought with an immediate reaction, causing an action that would remove us from that danger. The same can be said of the human today.

Imagine for a second that you are standing in the middle of a railway track and you hear the sound of a moving train! Your immediate response would be to look up (very quickly) in the direction of the horn, and if you saw that the train was bearing down on you, your reaction would be panic, hopefully sparking an action to jump off the train tracks. If you did not initially panic, you would more than likely be killed. This “fight-flight” response has in fact protected you, not harmed you, so in a sense panic and anxiety can be a naturally occurring good thing, depending on the circumstances.

Panic is known to manifest itself through three natural systems. The first of these is the “mental” system. This is probably the number one effect of the fight-flight response mechanism. It alerts us to impending danger and enables us to scan the environment for that danger, and to keep an eye out for the potential threat. It is a mental state that can be distracting, and often people will reflect on how this reaction in a state of anxiety, can completely distract them from daily responsibilities. Memory can also be a problem in this state.

The second system is the physical system, whereby virtually your entire body is taken control of by this panic or anxiety. When your mental system has ascertained that there is a potential threat in the region, your brain sends an automatic response through your nervous system to almost every corner of your body, in preparation of the fight-flight response. This is what we first notice as the cause of panic attacks.

There is an immediate reaction from the eyes, the heart, lungs, pancreas, and some major glands and of course the brain. Your cardiovascular system hits overdrive, along with the kidney’s and your bladder. Metabolism is increased, and an amazing amount of sugars and fatty acids get released into your blood stream. These are the symptoms and in particular the cardiovascular symptoms that often lead people to think they are having a stroke, a heart attack, or in the worst cases, even dying.

The third system is the behavioral system. The previous two systems have prepared you for the fight-flight response, and the action to either run or attack. This explains why in most cases, the feeling you get is an overwhelming feeling of aggression and a desire to escape the situation. If these are not possible, the desire can become apparent and can be transferred into behavioral patterns like foot tapping, nail biting, or aggression towards others. Overall, these are mostly theories, and nobody really has the answers as to the cause of panic attacks. We continue to learn.