Anxiety Attack Cause

Many Americans will suffer from anxiety attacks at one time or another. For some, the experience will be a once or twice in lifetime experience. For others, the attacks will become frequent, getting in the way of daily activities and affecting one’s quality of life. In these instances, finding an anxiety attack cause may be the first step in alleviating or minimizing the attacks. But finding a specific anxiety attack cause may be easier said than done.

Are anxiety Attacks Hereditary?
While anxiety attacks do seem to run in some families, heredity cannot be chalked up as the only anxiety attack cause. However, if you have a close family member who suffers from anxiety or anxiety disorder, there is a higher risk for you as well. Another anxiety attack cause appears to be a particularly stressful, life changing event like graduating from school, getting married, losing someone close to you or experiencing a divorce.

Physical Causes
There are also physical anxiety attack causes that include medical conditions or medications you might be taking for them. an anxiety attack cause like this might include a heart condition like mitral valve prolapse, hypoglycemia or hyperthyroidism. Certain types of medications can also constitute an anxiety attack cause, like some stimulants or caffeine. Sometimes you may not think about your medication as an anxiety attack cause. For example, you may be taking a supplement to help you lose weight, not realizing that the formula includes a stimulant that can cause these attacks.

Physiological Causes
There may also be a physiologic anxiety attack cause that has to do with how certain parts of your brain function.  The fight or flight response that we experience during an extremely stressful event like an accident or attack seems to work overtime in those that suffer from regular anxiety attacks. However, no one knows why this occurs in some people and not in others.

By understanding how to identify an anxiety attack cause, you can begin the process of controlling these episodes to ensure they don’t disrupt your life. Knowing that a particularly stressful event or a family history of the problem could increase your chances of experiencing these episodes will make you more aware of the problem so that you can see your doctor at the first sign of a problem. If you are experiencing these attacks on a frequent basis, it may be a symptom of anxiety disorder. This condition can be successfully treated with a combination of medications and psychotherapy. If anxiety attacks are getting in the way of your life, talk to your doctor today.