A panic attack is a symptom of an anxiety disorder that has emotional and physical symptoms. Emotional symptoms associated with a panic attack include intense feelings of unreasonable and unexplainable fear. Physical symptoms associated with a panic attack include dizziness, a feeling of choking, feelings of faintness, clammy hands, racing heart, and severe shaking.

Millions of people each year all over the world suffer from panic attacks. The majority of these people are more likely to experience a panic attack because their bodies carry the gene for anxiety disorders. Some statistics show that a person who has a parent who has ever suffered from a panic attack is seven times more likely to also experience a panic attack than the general population.

Scientific research into the reasons for a panic attack show that a large percentage of those who are likely to experience a panic attack carry the gene dubbed DUP25.

Scientists have discovered that this panic attack gene creates proteins that play an important role in the way the nervous system cells communicate with each other. They suspect that this imbalance is what makes the brain so oversensitive that it brings on a panic attack is those that carry the gene.

That said, studies have also shown that not every single person who carries the panic attack gene DUP25 is guaranteed to suffer from a panic attack or any other anxiety disorder.

A panic attack can also be brought on for reasons other then hereditary reasons. A panic attack – or numerous, repeated panic attacks — can be brought on by a traumatic life event or drug misuse. There are statistics that show that eight percent of those who have experienced a panic attack have had one or more because of drug misuse.

Other statistics suggest that those more likely to experience a panic attack are people who suppress their emotions.

Anyone who has ever experienced a panic attack explains that it can happen anytime or anywhere. A panic attack can happen when the person is alone or with others. It can happen at home or in public. A panic attack can even happen when a person is waking up from a sound, restful sleep.

Those most likely to experience a panic attack are women in their young adult years. About half of those who experience panic attacks do so before the age of 24.

People who seek treatment of panic attacks will find relief from them within a few weeks. And although experiencing a panic attack is highly unpleasant, there are no long-term side effects once treatment has been completed and if it is maintained.

Even with treatment, it is still possible for the occasional relapse. This means that it is possible for a person to experience another panic attack or two if he or she is undergoing treatment. But possible relapses can further be reduced by adding stress-relieving activities like yoga to your daily schedule.

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(c) 2008 Sandy Adamson

Before we dive into learning the different types of panic attacks, it may be worthwhile to first clarify the difference between anxiety and panic. In our daily communications, people tend to use these two terms interchangeably without realising their difference. Sure, these two have lots of in common with respect to their symptoms, but panic attacks usually last only a short while, though more intense. As a contrast, anxiety strikes you more gradually, is less intense, but lasts longer.

Based on whether a panic attack connects to a triggering situation and how it connects to such situations, panic attacks are grouped into three types:

1. Unexpected Panic Attacks

This type of attack is often associated with panic disorder. It occurs spontaneously without any clear reasons, and irrespective of whether you are relaxing or working. This means that we can hardly relate the occurrence of a spontaneous attack to any specific situation or place. As you may have seen in the movies, people can be awakened from sleep with this type of attack.

2. Situationally-bound Panic Attacks

As its name suggests, this type of panic attack is triggered by a specific situation. For example, if you fear flying or public speaking, exposure to these situations will result in immediate panic attacks. This ‘cued’ attack is rarely experienced in panic disorder.

3. Situationally-predisposed Panic Attacks

This type of panic attack is similar to the above one in that it is also triggered by a specific situation. However, the difference is that the attacks only sometimes occur and may not always occur immediately after exposure to the feared situation. For example, if flying is your feared situation, there are times when you take a flight without having a panic attack. However, in some other times, you do not suffer panic attack until you finish your journey for some while. In other words, you are predisposed to having attacks while taking flights, but the attacks are not a sure response to the fear of flying. People with panic disorder may experience this type of attack.

As you may probably understand, some panic attacks are just phobias over a particular event or place, but others may be truly medical conditions which you should take seriously. It is reported that approximately 19 million people in the United States are panic attack sufferers and they experience a variety of symptoms during panic attacks. Many, however, do not take panic attacks seriously or believe they deserve treatment as a medical condition. It is true that many people who have experience of panic attacks never have further episodes or complications. However, you should keep in mind that chronic occurrence of panic attacks can be a sign of panic disorder, which deserve immediate medical help. Quite often, major disorders could prevent a sufferer from pursuing normal daily routines.

With different types of panic attacks and their different levels of complications, various ways of medical interventions are used. Those commonly used ways of treament include traditional medicine, behavorial therapy, and alternative medicines. In many other instances, however, people are able to live with their panic attacks or use self-help techniques to get out of the situations.

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Panic attack can be an extremely frightening experience. Suddenly, your hit by a barrage of symptoms, you may feel like having a heart attack, suffocating, or losing control. This experience can be so traumatizing and real that you will feel like dieing right at that moment.

Panic attack can strike anytime, anywhere and to anyone. It don’t even need a reason to hit you. Although excessive stress can trigger a panic attack, it is completely random for most of the time.

However, once you experienced the first panic attack, the body will be put on “alert” status and the chances of having another attack is increased. This becomes a problem if panic attack occur again and again.

An important contributor to the occurrence of further panic attacks is related to where the first one occurred. For most, it happens in a place where they cannot escape easily: for example, in a train, bus, taxi, elevator, building. For example, if the panic attack occurred during a bus ride, chance are, you would be quite nervous during your next bus ride as you think panic attack might hit you again. The more nervous you are, the more likely another panic attack will happen.

With your initial experience with panic attack, you will most probably try to escape before you feel the attack coming on. Once out of the bus, the panic feeling subside and your worst fear is confirmed. You associate bus ride to your panic attack. A few more experiences confirms this and you avoid taking a bus altogether.

What I have just explained is a typical example of the development of panic attack and it can be applied to any situation. You have a panic attack at a particular place or situation. You link it to that place or situation and avoid it.

The main culprit here is fear. The fear and anxiety of having a panic attack causes it to happen. Panic attack feeds on fear and anxiety. The more your fearful of it happening, the harder and faster it will hit you. In order to control a panic attack and stop it forever, you need to attack its roots – fear.

The most effective way to stop panic attack forever is to KNOW that you will not be harmed. A large part of the fear comes from the fact that the sufferer thinks he is about to die, which is totally untrue!

Here’s a few FACTS about panic attack:

-Panic attack CANNOT cause heart attack

-Panic attack CANNOT cause suffocation

-Panic attack CANNOT make you faint

-Panic attack CANNOT cause you to go mad/crazy

Doesn’t feel like it? But its true! There more than enough medical evidence to prove all these. The symptoms feel unnatural because its a panic response from the body, your not suppose to feel it unless your in danger – which your not! Panic attack is the result of this “panic alarm” going off for the wrong reason. Use this knowledge to your advantage, KNOW that you are safe and panic attack cannot harm you. Don’t fear panic attack…and certainly don’t fear having one!

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Panic attacks are characterized by a sudden episode which seems to cause a hindrance to our normal everyday lives. While panic attacks are often ignored as a normal occurrence, it needs to be understood that panic attacks are the root cause for various ailments, besides of course, a dull, listless and terrifying life. Taking cue from the above statement, let us now throw some light on the lesser known secrets behind your panic attacks.

It May Have Been Be Triggered From A Past Episode

Anxiety panic attacks are known to be triggered owing to a past experience. It is a kind of trauma which has been witnessed in the past but is yet to be forgotten by our brain. When a person suddenly recalls this past episode through a seemingly visual appearance, he/she is said to have suffered a panic attack. It is interesting to note that over 95% of the total patients suffering from panic attacks seem to have developed a fancy towards panicking unnecessarily and have not witnessed a life threatening situation before.

Anxiety Panic Attacks Have A Short Life Span

Whenever you are said to be suffering from an anxiety panic attack, you are in reality panicking for about a minute or two. Thereafter, you tend to simmer down and within half an hour to an hour from the time you suffered a stress panic attack, you are back to your normal self again. It has also been studied that three fourth of the patients suffering from a stress panic attack are women. While treating panic attacks, it has been noticed that most patients fall in the age group of 20 to 30 years. Hence, these attacks seldom affect teenagers and people who are over the age of 40.

Panic Attack Symptoms an Be Detected By The Patient

Panic attack symptoms can easily be studied by the patient. In case the patient is suffering from a raging heartbeat, is having difficulty in breathing, is terrified to the extent of being paralyzed with fear, is nervous and shaking, is feeling lightheaded, is choking, has chest pains, has a tingling sensation in the toes and fingers and feels as though he/she is about to go crazy or die, the patient is said to be suffering from a panic related attack. Causes of panic attacks can be plenty but if you suffer from any one of these symptoms, you need to get yourself treated through a tried and tested natural therapy.

The Main Reasons Behind Anxiety Disorders

While sleep panic attacks are known to be caused by a past trauma, most attacks which exhibit a high anxiety level are said to have been caused by a mental trauma which seemingly has left a lasting impression in the mind of the sufferer. These attacks often force the patient to rush straight to a medical center. Nonetheless, these attacks persist several times a month and may last for two to five minutes at a stretch. A large population of the American population is stated to suffer from severe panic attacks and is need for immediate medical assistance.

Medication Is Not The Cure For Anxiety Disorders

Most people who suffer from panic related attacks rush straight to the nearest medical center and try to cure panic attacks through sleep inducing drugs and anti depressants. Unfortunately, these drugs simply put you to sleep without even analyzing your disorder, let alone trying to cure it. In such a scenario, you need to adopt a tried and tested natural therapy which would eradicate the root cause of your anxiety attacks. If you wish to be free of these attacks, you need to be willing to forget your traumatic experience from within. Hence, a natural therapy is considered a permanent cure for your anxiety related problems.

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