An anxiety panic attack can seem to come out of nowhere, regardless of time and place but is there a more logical explanation? In fact, there are many triggers for panic symptoms. Let’s take a look at some of the possible causes of an attack;

Drugs;

LSD and more commonly marijuana are euphoriant and hallucinogenic drugs that can alter perception and heighten senses. Many describe euphoric and relaxing states but there is a darker side to hallucinogenic drugs. Restlessness, intense paranoia, nausea and increased anxiety; these can lead to an anxiety panic attack.

Anxiety disorders;

There are numerous types of anxiety disorders including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder and Phobias. Each disorder has its own characteristics but share some symptoms.

Phobias;

There are literally hundreds of specific phobias some of the more common ones are; Claustrophobia, which is the fear of confined spaces and also; aviatophobia, the fear of flying. Uncommon ones include; agyrophobia, the fear of streets or crossing a street; Macrophobia, the fear of long waits; and Thaasophobia, the fear of sitting.

Although some of these phobias might seem a little strange and even hard to imagine, they are very real phobias for those that suffer them. How common are phobias? Phobias affect more than 10 percent of the population.

Being faced with one’s phobia can trigger an anxiety panic attack, or in simpler terms, the stress response. This response is a natural chemical and biological reaction to fear or stress. However, over time these chronic stressors take their toll on a person’s nervous system, making them hypersensitive to future attacks.

This is essentially what a panic attack is. It’s a way for the body to cope with a threat, regardless if there’s an actual danger or not. Although most people would agree, that having a panic attack is probably the worst way to deal with a threat, your nervous system cannot tell the difference between a perceived threat and a real threat.

For instance, many phobias may seem completely irrational, take arachnophobia for example, this is the fear of spiders. There is no actual danger (unless of course it’s poisonous) from spiders, yet millions of adults are scared and even terrified of them.

The same biological response when they see one is no different to a situation of actual danger, i.e. a deer jumping out in front of you whilst driving. The same panicky feeling that you get inside is exactly the same.

In the case of the deer jumping out in front of you; in that instance a chain of chemical reactions happened inside of you; your eyes dilated, your heart rate speeded up and strength and speed increased.

It might have saved your life, perhaps it helped you swerve and keep the car under control with the extra heightened senses. After the incident your heart would still be racing, you’d be breathing hard and you’d probably be sweating.

However in a case where an anxiety panic attack occurs without real physical threat, you’re body and mind reacts the same way. It’s because there’s no obvious cause that people often describe attacks as ‘out-of-the-blue’.