Understanding What Causes Panic Attack Disorder
Panic attack disorder is a relatively misunderstood condition that plagues thousands of people not only in the U.S., but around the world. However, the factors that cause panic attack disorder are still relatively unknown throughout general society, and those suffering from it are often made to feel like outcasts. But your disorder is treatable if you go to the doctor as soon as possible.
Phobias And Stress
The number one cause of panic attack disorder is a person's inability to deal with stress and phobias. Although most people have experienced both stress and irrational fears at one point in time or another, the majority of the population is able to deal with those fears and that stress in a healthy fashion. People who suffer from panic attack disorder are unable to deal with these factors in a healthy manner, and so experience panic attacks - an inability to move or react due to undue outside influences.
Although stress and phobias are the number one trigger of panic attack disorder, a person suffering from the disorder will often find themselves having a panic attack for seemingly no reason whatsoever. If a person with panic attack disorder continues to go untreated, they may experience panic attacks more frequently as time goes by; and those panic attacks may begin to come without having been triggered by stress or fear.
People who suffer from panic attack disorder often experience heart attack like symptoms, which is actually one of the main ways the disorder manages to be diagnosed. People believing themselves to be having heart attacks are rushed to the emergency room, only for it to be discovered that they are merely having a panic attack.
Treatment
For the most part, panic attack disorder is treated with anti-anxiety medications such as Prozac and Paxil. Both of these anti-anxiety medications have helped thousands of people regain control over their lives and stop experiencing the more severe effects of panic attack disorder. Sometimes these medications can worsen symptoms, so you need to let your doctor know if you feel worse.
If you believe that you may be suffering from panic attack disorder, then it is imperative that you contact your doctor immediately so that you can receive treatment before your panic attacks become more serious. Your doctor can also recommend you to a health care professional to whom you can explain your reasons for believing you may have panic attack disorder, and who will prescribe the right medication to help you.
