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Is panic attacks cause genetic or environmental?
What really causes this horrific condition also known as panic disorder? Here we will explore various theories about the causes of panic attacks/panic disorder.
It is said that one of the most intensely uncomfortable, frightening and upsetting experiences of a person’s life is having a panic attack.
To date, at the time of publishing this article, the exact cause of panic attacks is unknown. That’s right! There is no known precise cause or factor that triggers panic attacks. However, there are several theories contending that the disorder may be developed based on a complex interaction of a number of factors and experiences; genetic, biological, environmental and social.
Biological Theories of Panic Attacks
The brain contains millions of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters that constantly communicate back and forth with each other. Of these chemical messengers, norepinephrine, serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are believed to have some influence in the onset of panic disorder. Experts believe that panic attacks are caused by an imbalance of one or more of these chemical messengers found within the brain.
Panic Attacks Fight-or-Flight Response Theory
The flight-or-fight response is an innate and automatic response for survival which is exhibited by many animals, including humans. What this means is that when there is a perceived threat, real or imagined, psychological and physical changes occur, preparing one to flee or engage in battle.
Suffocation False Alarm Theory
The suffocation alarm theory proposes that a message is conveyed that there is a danger of suffocation, when levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide are altered, as in hyperventilation. Persons with panic attack disorder exhibit an increased sensitivity to oxygen and carbon dioxide changes in the blood.
During panic attacks, improper breathing can dramatically alter the exchange of both oxygen and carbon dioxide, the resulting improper balance between the two then erroneously triggers a potential suffocation alarm as the alarm system is already somewhat overly sensitive.
The Genetic Link
It has been observed that individuals having a first-line biological relative with panic disorder seems to be 8 times more likely to develop the condition. Having first-line relatives developing the disorder prior to age 20, increases the risk for such individuals. Studies have also shown that there is a 40% occurrence between identical twins if one already has the disorder.
Environmental Sources
There is evidence provided by some researchers that certain environmental and social elements may in some ways contribute to the development of panic disorder. The most notable of these include:
Parents who are anxious may model this anxious behavior to their children
Overprotective parenting styles
Insecure attachment patterns during childhood
Childhood abuse or trauma
High levels of stress in the home during upbringing
Major stressful life events
Hypersensitivity to certain harmless bodily sensations with the perception they are dangerous
A temperamental style associated with passiveness and avoidance of new stimuli
Overview
Here’s a summary of what is known so far, scientifically and otherwise about panic attacks cause:
Although identical twins do not show genetic correlation 100% of the time, it does tend to run in families suggesting that there is some sort of a genetic link.
It would appear that the disorder is related to some common environmental and social sources. However, not everyone exposed to these same environmental and social conditions develop the disorder.
Yes, it is true that studies have linked certain brain chemical abnormalities in people to panic disorder. However, these studies have left the argument of the proverbial, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg”? These studies have not clearly determined whether these abnormalities cause panic disorder or whether it is the other way around, panic disorder causes these abnormalities.
To date, the exact cause of panic disorder remains unknown. Hopefully, somewhere in the not too distant future, research will delineate and effectively tie together these, and, perhaps, other unknown, causes of panic disorder.
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