Feeling fear is nothing bad. The feeling of fear has been given to us through evolution, and fear helps us to not put ourselves in danger. Without fear, our existence would be hazardous to our health, even life-threatening. However, the feeling of fear can also become pathological and manifest as an anxiety disorder, which would then need to be treated.
Fear Versus Panic
When people panic, the fear becomes overwhelming and engulfs the affected person. Unlike fear, which focuses us on a danger through hormone release and helps us cope with a dangerous situation, we often lose control in panic. People under panic act thoughtlessly and irrationally.
A panic attack can be distinguished from fear by the fact that the onset of a panic attack either seems to come "out of the blue" or is experienced as so extremely unpleasant that those affected can barely cope with it. The sudden onset of panic is accompanied by physical symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath (accompanied by chest pain), intense nausea, lightheadedness and/or a racing heart. In most cases, the physical symptoms frighten or disturb those affected so much that they feel helplessly at their mercy and therefore suffer greatly from them.
Possible Triggers and Causes of a Panic Attack
The symptoms of a panic attack are varied, and due to their psychological and physical intensity, they are initially difficult to classify. Those affected often turn to neurologists or cardiologists because they believe there is a physical cause behind it, rather than considering anxiety or panic treatment.
Both the symptoms and the causes of a panic attack are very individual; nevertheless, pre-existing conditions and life circumstances promote their development:
- Stress or conflict events, as well as chronic stress
- Problematic life circumstances and worries
- Feeling overwhelmed in everyday life
- Significant events / changes in life circumstances
- Mental illnesses such as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) or depression
- Anxiety disorders
The factors mentioned above may favor the occurrence of a panic attack but are not the cause. With panic attacks, both the occurrence and the manifestation are multifactorial -- as is the case with most mental illnesses.
A panic attack can sometimes also be triggered by mundane things such as coffee or medication, but also alcohol, nicotine or moments of shock. For example, if being startled leads to a physical reaction such as a brief loss of breath, a sense of constriction arises that can turn into a panic reaction ("I can't breathe anymore"). If those affected then work themselves into the panic, a panic attack develops.
The true causes of panic are therefore often difficult to recognize on one's own and must be explored with a therapist in order to prevent them. Panic attacks never occur without reason, even if they sometimes give that impression.
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Related Topics
- Panic Attacks – Topic page on panic attacks
- Understanding Panic Attacks – Building deeper understanding
- Why Relaxation is Not Enough – Limits of pure relaxation
- Anxiety and Panic – Overview of the topic