Panic attacks are moments when intense fear envelops the sufferer, along with heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, and a whole lot of varying symptoms.
There isn't really any single cause for attacks, but there are a few things to consider in biological and environmental terms.
A possible cause of these attacks is biological heritage.
There are a number of psychological disorders that are seen to be passed down through bloodlines, and panic disorder is included in the list.
A person can even be predisposed to having these attacks.
There are also quite a lot of those who suffer from panic disorder having family members and relatives that have the same disorder, or possibly another mental disorder such as clinical depression.
Brain abnormalities are also another possible cause for attacks.
When the brain doesn't function properly, it can result to panic disorders or giving the person illusions that they are threatened so they must be afraid.
Other studies suggest that panic attacks exist in people diagnosed with schizophrenia or post traumatic stress disorder.
These attacks may also develop from psychotic symptoms.
Psychotic onsets can be the harbinger of panic or anxiety disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder.
Research even suggests that amplified "fight or flight" responses cause panic attacks.
The fight or flight response is the set of natural mental and physical mechanisms that allow you to respond to threats - such as accelerated heart rate and fast breathing.
Panic attacks can be seen as intense responses with no obvious stimulus.
An attack without any threat is still a mystery to researchers.
Stress is also a role player in panic attacks, as it is with other mental disorders.
Death of a loved one, divorce, unemployment, and other major life events are all stressors.
This lowers your resistance, and a possible predisposition which lay dormant in you is activated in the form of a this attack.
Drug addiction is one particular example of an environmental cause of attacks.
Withdrawal from an abused substance can bring about an onset of a panic disorder.
Most times, biological and environmental causes go together.
These attacks typically occur for no obvious reason.
The sufferer then brings about a panic attack through appropriate responses to sensations or physical symptoms.
When a panic disorder sufferer notices his racing heart after, say, exercising, he may think this as a panic attack and becomes overwhelmed with fear.
The attack then happens not because of the symptoms, but because of the fear of the panic attack.
This makes it complicated for sufferers, but panic disorder is really treatable; and the sufferer should explore a lot of options in terms of therapy.