Causes of panic attacks and panic disorder

Although the exact causes of panic attacks and panic disorder are unclear, the tendency to have panic attacks runs in families. There also appears to be a connection with major life transitions such as graduating from college and entering the workplace, getting married, and having a baby. Severe stress, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or job loss can also trigger a panic attack.

Panic attacks can also be caused by medical conditions and other physical causes. If youâ€™re suffering from symptoms of panic, itâ€™s important to see a doctor to rule out the following possibilties:Â

Mitral valve prolapse, a minor cardiac problem that occurs when one of the heartâ€™s valves doesn't close correctly.
Hyperthyroidism
Hypoglycemia
Stimulant use (amphetamines, cocaine, caffeine)
Medication withdrawal

Comments: 4

Darlene B. Sep 5, 2010, 10:38am UTC

Hello Amy, interesting causes of panic attacks. Thanks, for sharing your interests.

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Mary McKinney Sep 5, 2010, 12:54pm UTC

My son has recently started to have some. He underwent chemo and radiation for cancer when he was 17, everything is fine now, but he THOUGHT it had come back and started having them, but tests revealed it had not but he still has occasional panic attacks.

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Bernard C. Sep 5, 2010, 3:58pm UTC

Another type of panic attack is brought on by pressures too - thanks for sharing :-)

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Barbara Radisavljevic Sep 6, 2010, 5:22pm UTC

I know that Mitral valve prolapse causes the heart to race. I've experienced that, and it can be kind of scary, but isn't there more to a panic attack than that? I don't think I've ever had a panic attack, though I had several episodes when my heart raced for a long time. Once it lasted for four hours at 120 beats per minute.

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Causes of panic attacks and panic disorder

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