Stop An Anxiety Attack!

Because no research has defnitely proven the etiology of panic attacks, the theories about their physical cause range from hormonal and chemical imbalances to disabilities such as mitral valve prolapse, hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, anemia, or hypersensitivity to caffeine. There is good evidence to show that the vulnerability or susceptibility to panic attacks is what is called a physiologic sensitivity abnormality. ln recent studies it has been shown that panic symptoms can be induced in people who have experienced panic attacks by introducing certain suhstances into their systems, such as sodium lactate or CO2.

There is also evidence to indicate that this physical sensitivity is inherited. Studies show that people who have relatives who have panic attacks have a one in four risk of
developing a panic disorder, whereas the general population has only a 2 percent incidence. Because 70 percent of those who have phobias are women, whose panic episodes are more frequent just before the menstrual period and during early childbearing years when progesterone levels are high, some physicians link this female hormone to panic disorder. Other doctors, noting that the level of adrenaline is abnormally high at all times in the blood of both male and female agoraphobics, believe these patients have a brain dysfunction. lt is as if they have a faulty thermostat that fails to shut off the production of adrenaline at the proper time, leaving the patient subject to panic attacks.

lt means you may have a chemical imbalance that predisposes you to feeling anxious. It also means you are not coping with stress in a constructive way so as to prevent your anxiety from becoming panic. You are not mentally ill, but if the fear that you have is irrational and keeps you from doing normal everyday things that most people take for granted, you may have a phobia. Phobias are considered psychiatric disorders and can cover a multitude of situations. But the good news is that behavioral psychologists consider phobias the most treatable of all the psychiatric disorders. These psychologists do not brand you with a diagnosis of anxiety neurosis or depression conditions that could require extensive psychoanalysis. Instead, they teach you mental tools to overcome your physical symptoms.

Tags: Getting Rid of Panic //