In today’s erratic world, there are a zillion factors that can trigger a panic attack. This is often dependent on the sensitivity level of the person on the receiving end and how a person perceives a critical situation. However, the one thing everyone should know about it is that it does not necessarily have to cause any physical harm unless you allow it to. The panic attacks can occur at any given time and place the victim in a state of elevated frenzy. The intensity of the attack can be very high and the person can go back to his normal self with or without any help. There have been reports of people experiencing such a panic attack to have a sense of dying or extreme suffocation. The immediate response to such a situation is the tendency to run away from the location of origin of the triggering event.
Most of the time, in the instance of panic attacks, the symptoms that occur fade away within an hour. It is known that almost 5% of the total human population experiences panic attacks at least once at some point in their lives. If the frequency of the attacks is seen to increase, the person may require professional help and that too from a mental health specialist. If anyone has panic attacks, he may have other problems as well like depression and other clinical conditions related to anxiety. The causes of panic attacks are many and it is interesting to explore the different factors involved for a person to experience such episodes.
The seeds of this condition can be sown in or in other words, inherited. Also, continuous exposure to stressful situations at home or even being a witness to a traumatic event could cause a person to develop this condition over time in certain individuals. Even a healthy man can fall victim to a panic attack. Panic disorder is different but it is simply a chronic condition triggered by numerous panic attacks. For most people, this disorder is inherited. The symptoms of the attack should be known to you so that you can make out when anyone suffers from it and help the victim if need be. When suffering from a panic attack, the person goes through a phase of extreme discomfort and intense fear. The symptoms occur and within minutes, they reach the peak.
The heart rate increases and it starts pounding away at an alarming rate, which can be clinically observed as palpitations. Another symptom of a panic attack is sweating along with breathlessness and an expression of being smothered. The hands and body of the person may tremble or shake due to the attack and he may also have profuse sweating. It is also common for the victim to experience a choking or dying feeling. This gives them the most discomfort. Another alarming symptom is extreme chest pain. Other panic attack symptoms that you would see are nausea, lightheadedness, or even fainting. Make sure you get medical help if the symptoms grow out of control or disturb the person to the extent that the person cannot lead a normal social life.