Understanding what causes panic attacks is the key to treating them and being able to have a better quality life. It is important to make clear what a panic attack isn’t, as much as what it is, because there are so many myths and untruths out there, and of course we are frightened by what we don’t know.

For example, a panic attack is NOT physically harmful, it will not kill you, it is not a sign that you are ‘psycho’ - and it will not cause any more serious health conditions. However, it is a sign that something is wrong and needs treating. It’s as simple as that.

Basically, panic is an intense degree of anxiety. Anxiety is when we feel apprehensive about a situation that is real or imaginary and it is a natural thing for us to feel because it is part of the ‘fight-or-flight’ mechanism that helps us to survive. This response protects us - it does not harm us. It makes our minds and bodies ready to escape from or eliminate what is threatening us.

But sometimes our minds overreact and interpret it as something it is not, and the result is a panic attack. Too much stress can bring on the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, even though it is not relevant to the actual situation. The stress can be life stress, such as losing your job, the death of a loved one, the breakup of a relationship, exams or promotion worries; or it may be caused by physical factors such as too much stimulation - too much caffeine, alcohol or sugar, for example, or too high an exposure to artificial lightning. Unresolved emotional issues may also be the cause.

So your body goes into ‘fight-or-flight’ mode. Blood is directed away from your fingers and toes so that more is available to the heart, lungs, and other vital organs. Your heart begins to pump faster to increase the blood flow to these organs. It needs more fuel - air - to do this, so your lungs work harder to get more oxygen into the body quickly. In other words, you experience numbness, tingling feelings, trembling, a pounding heart, ‘laboured’ breathing… There are many more reactions in the process, all with physical signs. If there is no real danger and these things are happening anyway, your mind starts to look for physical causes - are you dying? Are you being strangled? Is something wrong with your heart? Or perhaps it is your mind that is diseased? It is looking for a reason for this, so it understands how to react.

The mind is now afraid of the symptoms themselves and this fear increases the occurrence of the symptoms - you are having a panic attack!

Because Panic Disorder is complex, medication is usually combined with behavioral and cognitive therapy. In the beginning, medication is normally needed to help the sufferer enter phase 1 of the psychiatric treatment. Later on, as the psychiatric treatment becomes more effective, the medication can be reduced until finally the psychiatric treatment means that medication is no longer needed. Eventually, the sufferer should be able to apply the techniques learned successfully, and psychiatric treatment is no longer needed either.

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