There seems to be a conception that puts panic attacks under mental illnesses. To understand this we first need to take a closer look at panic attacks and see what they really are. Additionally, we need to analyze the cause behind such manifestations and also study how it affects one's body.

What is a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is defined as being a discrete, sudden period of intense fear, discomfort and anxiety. It is usually associated with a variety of different cognitive and somatic symptoms. We are dealing with a condition that usually shows an abrupt onset and in most cases no obvious trigger can be observed.

Panic attacks are considered to be a fight that appears due to a context and flooding body with different variety of hormones, mostly adrenalin, so that those hormones aid the body in it need to defend itself from harm.

Usually most panic attack symptoms last about 10 minutes. However, there are smaller panic attacks that can be only up to 5 minutes and sometimes severe anxiety attacks and can last even several hours.

In different situations that saw the individual suffer a panic attack in the past, he/she can also experience anticipatory anxiety, which can also be felt in between attacks.

Panic attacks can have different affecting levels for each person. There are some who have had several panic attacks before who might be able to even eliminate the anxiety attack without anyone noticing it might have appeared.

Persons who are experiencing their first anxiety or panic attack will probably call for emergency services as they have no experience of previous attacks and they might think that they are suffering from heart attack or nervous breakdown.

Panic Attacks - What Causes Them?

There are different possible causes for developing panic attacks. Once we get to learn about them we will see whether or not panic attacks are mental illnesses or not.

First we need to analyze the reason in order to understand the effect with other medical condition out there, including this one. First there are long term, predisposing causes, mainly based on heredity.

Some panic disorders do run in families and inheritance genes do play an important part in determining who will suffer from them in the future. It must also be understood that you can suffer from panic disorders if you did not have cases running in your family.

Possible biological can also cause panic attacks. These can include inner ear disturbances, mitral valve prolapse, Vitamin B deficiency, Wilson's Syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism and a whole lot more. There's also a possibility that phobias generate panic attacks when the person is confronting a phobic situation or thing.

Some situations might also cause short term triggers for panic attacks. This includes personal loss, a significant life change, different stimulants like nicotine and caffeine, drugs like marijuana or psilocybin and so on.

Side effects of some drugs can also cause panic attacks. Ritalin is one example, but it's not certainly the only one. There are two possible outcomes in this situation.

We will either notice panic attacks appearing only when the patient gets the first medication or it might continue even after the individual will get used to the drug. In such a situation it is highly recommended that an alternative medication routine is researched as panic attacks caused by drugs are hard to live with. Most SSRIs will cause increased anxiety at the beginning of use.

People suffering from Hyperventilation Syndrome are also prone to develop panic attacks. Chest breathing is known to be a cause for over breathing as excess in exhalation of carbon dioxide when compared to the oxygen in your blood will cause this over breathing.

Also, people that suffered a panic attack in the past will be more likely to get a new one when a certain situation that is similar to that which was seen at the first attack takes place.

This can mean that a person can get a cognitive or behavioral predisposition towards getting a panic attack in different situations. Pharmacological triggers can also have a direct impact.

There are different stimulants, depressants, chemical substances that have the power of pharmacologically contributing to a list of possible triggers. The most common examples can be given in alcohol, amphetamine or caffeine but there are many more that could be mentioned.

In a case like this, individual who suffers from panic attacks might possibly develop a phobia for a certain drug or different chemicals.

Are Panic Attacks Mental Illnesses?

As all can see from the list of causes attached to panic attacks we can sum everything up with a simple conclusion: No, panic attack is not a mental illness.

However, we can say that there are similarities but the best we can do is to consider them coincidences and the medical condition at hand is simply a cognitive or somatic behavioral situation that has a damaging impact on the human body.

In order to treat it, some practices have been developed and a big step towards curing the individual stands in getting him to confront the external elements that are causing the anxiety attacks.

Treatment options are different exactly based on the cause and the trigger, together with an analysis to the seriousness of the panic attack exhibited. Usually treating the problem is relatively easy but there is also the chance that it might require months of treatment and strong medication in order to end up with completely removing the situation of suffering from a new panic attack.

Also, although panic attacks are not a mental illness, they can be cured in some circumstances with the aid of mental processes based on the power of the human mind. Relaxation techniques for instance have had a huge success in dealing with patients suffering from the condition.

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