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Many times panic attacks are categoriazed as mental illness. To understand this and see whether it's true or not, we need to analyze what panic attack really is. In addition to that we also need to study what lays behind such statements and also see how it affects one's body. Panic Attack - What Is It? Panic attacks are usually defined as being a discrete, sudden feeling of very intense fear, anxiety and feeling of discomfort. Usually it is also linked with several different cognitive and somatic symptoms. It is a condition that normally shows an abrupt onset and usually no obvious reason can be observed. Panic attacks are considered to be a fight that appears due to a context and flooding body with different variety of hormones, mostly adrenalin, so that those hormones aid the body in it need to defend itself from harm. Ordinarily panic attacks last about 10 minutes. There are of course variations to this, from as small as 5 minutes to severe anxiety attacks that can last several hours. In different situations that saw the individual suffer a panic attack in the past, he/she can also experience anticipatory anxiety, which can also be felt in between attacks. Different individuals will get different affecting levels from panic attacks. Those that already got through many in the past might also be able to eliminate the panic attack without even anyone noticing that it might have appeared. On the other hand, individuals that suffer from panic attacks for the first time will usually call for emergency services as they might be thinking they are having a nervous breakdown or even a heart attack. What Causes Panic Attacks? Panic attacks are caused by several different reasons and once we learn more about them we can tell whether panic attacks are mental illnesses. First we need to analyze the reason in order to understand the effect with other medical condition out there, including this one. First there are long term, predisposing causes, mainly based on heredity. Inheritance can play an important role when determining who might suffer from panic attacks in the future and some panic attacks do run in certain families. However, it must be realized that one can suffer from panic attacks even if there are no previous cases in your family before. Panic attacks can also be caused by different biological causes. These include, among many others, inner ear disturbances, mitral valve prolapse, Vitamin B deficiency, Wilson's Syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, hypoglycemia and hyperthyroidism. Also, when a person is met with a phobic situation or a thing that can cause phobias it can cause a panic attack. There are also some situations that can cause short term triggers for panic attacks. These can be things like personal loss, a significant life change, several stimulants like nicotine and caffeine, drugs like psilocybin or marijuana etc. Panic attacks can also be caused by some drugs. One example is Ritalin, but it's definitely not the only one. This situation has two possible outcomes. Panic attacks can be noticed to appear only when the patient gets the first medication or it can continue even after continued use. As living with panic attacks caused by drugs can be very difficult it is recommended that alternative medication routine is researched. The early stages of use of SSRIs can cause increased anxiety as well. Those who are suffering from Hyperventilation Syndrome are also prone to develop panic attacks. Chest breathing is known to be a cause for over breathing as excess in exhalation of carbon dioxide when compared to the oxygen in your blood will cause this over breathing. Also, people that suffered a panic attack in the past will be more likely to get a new one when a certain situation that is similar to that which was seen at the first attack takes place. This can mean that a person can get a cognitive or behavioral predisposition towards getting a panic attack in different situations. Pharmacological triggers can also have a direct impact. There are different stimulants, depressants, chemical substances that have the power of pharmacologically contributing to a list of possible triggers. The most common examples can be given in alcohol, amphetamine or caffeine but there are many more that could be mentioned. In a case like this, individual who suffers from panic attacks might possibly develop a phobia for a certain drug or different chemicals. Conclusion - Are Panic Attacks Mental Illnesses? As we can see from the list of causes attached to panic attacks we can sum everything up with a simple and clear conclusion: Panic attack is NOT a mental illness. However, we can say that there are similarities but the best we can do is to consider them coincidences and the medical condition at hand is simply a cognitive or somatic behavioral situation that has a damaging impact on the human body. In order to treat it, some practices have been developed and a giant step towards curing the person stands in getting him to confront the external elements that are causing the anxiety episodes. Treatment options will vary exactly based on the cause and the trigger, combined with an analysis to the gravity of the panic attack exhibited. In most cases treating the problem is quite easy but there is also the possibility that it might require months of treatment and strong medication in order to end up with completely removing the situation of suffering from a new panic attack. Also, although panic attacks are not a mental illness, they can be cured in some circumstances with the help of mental processes based on the power of the human mind. Relaxation techniques for instance can have a huge success in dealing with patients suffering from the condition.
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Is Panic Attack a Mental Illness? More info at How To Solve Panic Attacks
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