Many people that seem to get them for no reason, they would like to know exactly why and according to one theory it is the body’s normal natural alarm system, which is the set of physical and mental and chemical mechanisms that allows a person to appropriately respond to a danger. Only in the case of panic attacks it tends to be triggered unneeded when there is no threat in sight, it is not, however known exactly why this happens or why some people are so much more susceptible to panic attacks than others. There is though to be an imbalance in the chemicals of the brain, or neurotransmitters, associated with panic attacks and often things like physical illness or certain medications can start the panic attack process.

Drinking large amount of alcohol or suddenly stopping the use of alcohol when you have been using for a long time can cause panic attacks as can large amounts of caffeine that tend to make you more nervous and jumpy. Smokers exhibit a much higher rate of panic attacks as the nicotine in the blood concentrates very highly and nicotine is a natural panic attack inducer. There is also increase in the frequency of panic attacks that can be seen in some women during or after pregnancy.

Serious medical conditions can sometimes have panic attacks associated with them such as heart problems like Mitral Valve Prolapse and seizure disorders like epilepsy. Asthma and respiratory problems like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) also have a higher risk of panic attacks. For reasons probably associated with the shortness of breath that panic attacks bring and a real fear of dying from those symptoms that could just be a panic attack instead of life threatening problem. Depression also carries with it a huge risk of panic attacks or other disorders that stem from the panic attacks such as agoraphobia and panic disorder being the most common.

Many people will have intense anxiety between episodes and about 30% will use alcohol to deal with these attacks which can indeed make them worse. In the search for the causes of panic attacks there are many road blocks and closed doors but with any luck a person can at least get treatment and support, for right now there is no cure for panic attacks.