Why Do People Have Panic Attacks?
Why do people have panic attacks? A panic attack usually starts out as a feeling of extreme discomfort. All of a sudden, for no obvious reason, a person affected with a panic attack feels very afraid. He may experience increased heartbeat, dizziness and chest pain. The attack often lasts for a few minutes but the effects can last for several hours. People who experience panic attacks often start to question the state of their sanity because they cannot understand why they should feel so fearful when there is no apparent reason.
It is common for these people to believe that they are really physically sick because they try to rationalize what is happening to them. The important thing to do is to tell someone, especially if you notice that these panic attacks happen frequently. Only a doctor can tell the true situation of your health and the sooner that you can deal with it, the sooner your fears can be relieved.
A panic attack may be the result of recent stress. The person who experiences panic attacks may have gone through something traumatic or stressful but held up well despite it. Only when the emergency has passed does the body and the psyche ‘catch up’ with the trauma of the situation. It does not mean that a panic attack cannot happen simultaneously with the stressful event but a panic attack while this is happening is not surprising. Why do people have panic attacks when there does not seem to be danger or a stressful situation? Certain medication can affect the way our body works. The rapid increase in heart rate, shortness of breath and chest pain may simply be the effect of some medicines. If this happens to be the case, you should immediately ask your doctor to change your prescription or at the very least examine if it really is the effect of the medication you’re taking or not.
Feeling fear is normal and helps to keep us safe. It increases the adrenalin in our body so that we can fight back an attack or have the energy to run away from any danger that can hurt us. It is a natural and helpful human instinct. But sometimes there are things that happen inside the body that we cannot predict. We can only be sensitive to what we feel and not be abashed to seek and ask for help. Panic attacks can be managed with medication. You need a doctor who will not only prescribe the medicine you need but one who will also monitor your status. Panic attacks have triggers, whether you know what they are or not. It is not wise to self-medicate or to continue to think that you are losing your mind. The very fact that you are aware that something is happening to you means that you are still sane and that it is ok to ask “Why do people have panic attacks?”
