Typically, the first
anxiety or panic attack seems to come "out of the blue,"
occurring while a person is engaged in some ordinary activity
like driving a car or walking to work. Suddenly, the person is
struck by a barrage of frightening and uncomfortable symptoms.
Over time, an individual may begin to experience more and more
attacks. Each time this occurs, the attack may become more and
more severe, with each previous experience building on the next.
Initial panic attacks
may occur when people are under considerable stress, from an
overload of work, for example, or from the loss of a family
member or close friend. The attacks may also follow surgery, a
serious accident, illness, or childbirth. Excessive consumption
of caffeine or use of cocaine or other stimulant drugs or
medicines, such as the stimulants used in treating asthma, can
also trigger panic attacks.
There are various
causes for why a panic or anxiety attack begins in the first
place. Over a period of time, your body's reaction to stress
and excessive worry may be manifested in severe and debilitating
panic. If left untreated, this response by your body may become
habitual and uncontrollable.
Most modern research
indicates that anxiety attacks and panic attacks may be caused
by a chemical imbalance in the brain. When we experience
feelings such as happiness, stress, fear, depression or anxiety,
the brain releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters. It is
the release and re-absorption of these neurotransmitters that
affects how we feel. People who experience anxiety and
depression related disorders may have an imbalance of the
neurotransmitters serotonin, norepenephrine, GABA and dopamine.
There are medicines available that are designed to help
're-balance' the release, reuptake and absorption of these key
neurotransmitters.
It is important to
note that in most cases, one does not just experience a chemical
imbalance disorder overnight. A chemical imbalance is not the
initial catalyst that leads to anxiety or panic attacks.
Conversely, there are triggers such as excessive worry, stress
and fearful situations that may lead you to experience an
improper release of these key neurotransmitters. Getting these
triggers under control can help to provide relief from these
types of anxiety driven attacks. If left untreated more severe
and debilitating effects may develop.