Cause of Panic Disorder

Determining the Cause of Panic Disorder

It's bad enough to experience a panic attack. The symptoms that include sweating, difficulty breathing, dizziness and a racing heart can be scary signs indeed. But what if you experience these attacks on a regular basis? For some, panic attacks can hit multiple times a month, coming on without warning and disrupting daily activities. Some people become so concerned about when the next attack will hit; they develop a fear of leaving the house. The fear over experiencing the next attack can bring on an episode by itself. When you get to this point, it can be helpful to determine the cause of panic disorder so that you can avoid the triggers and seek an effective treatment plan.

Panic Attack Symptoms and Causes
The first step in determining the cause of panic disorder is to identify panic attack symptoms and causes. Many of the symptoms of a panic attack can be physical in nature, and may include trembling, racing heart, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, hot flashes, tightness in the throat, chest pain and abdominal cramping. The symptoms may be quite debilitating and last for up to 30 minutes or so. Symptoms will come on without warning, and while they often crop up when you are away from home, some people will experience them while relaxing at home or even in the middle of the night.

Panic attacks can occur once in a blue moon or they can show up with frustrating frequency. When panic attacks crop up often, they can be a cause of panic disorder, and warrant a trip to the doctor's office to find out about options in treatment plans. There could be many possibilities when it comes to determining the cause of panic disorder. If you can pinpoint the cause of panic disorder, it might make a difference in the type of treatment that will be most effective.

Sometimes a panic disorder is the result of life events that are stressful. These might include major life changes like graduating from college and moving into the business world, getting married or having a baby. In other instances, the cause of panic disorder is a major loss like the death of a loved one or a divorce. A panic disorder can also appear after a traumatic event like an accident or attack. In these cases, a combination of medication and psychotherapy might be the best choice to treat the problem.

Other times, the cause of panic disorder may be physiological in nature. This might be the case when panic disorders run in the family. It is often the result of a malfunction in the brain that triggers the flight or fight response more often. In these situations, the cause of panic disorder can be effectively treated with medication.

If you believe you are dealing with a panic disorder that is affecting your quality of life, contact your doctor. By determining the cause of panic disorder, you and your doctor can develop an effective treatment plan that will help you get back to the business of living your life.