An anxiety attack is a physiological response of the sympathetic nervous system, which produces the fast-acting neurotransmitter adrenaline. Adrenaline creates the signs of an anxiety attack, including rapid heart rate, feeling dizzy and shortness of breath. Causes of anxiety attacks are based in mental and biological factors that predispose a person to this response, situational factors that promote the response or a combination of these factors.
Personality Traits
Being vigilant or a perfectionist generates a great deal of physical and emotional tension. These relatively stable personality traits keep the sympathetic nervous system "on guard." This constant state of activation increases the risk of an anxiety attack.
Cognitive Processes
Constantly thinking about what could go wrong or what was left undone and being overly concerned about future goals being met keep the sympathetic nervous system in a state of arousal, increasing the risk for an anxiety attack.
Diathesis and Stressors
Biological predispositions that increase the sensitivity of the sympathetic nervous system, the part of the brain that monitors for threat, often are called a diathesis. It is combination of this predisposition and specific stressors to which a person is vulnerable that increases the risk of a panic attack.
Acute Stress
The healthy function of the sympathetic nervous system is preparing our body and mind in the event of danger. When we experience acute stress that overwhelms our abilities to cope (such as being threatened), the response from the sympathetic nervous system may trigger an anxiety attack in a person instead of adequately preparing him to face the danger.
Anticipatory Anxiety
Anticipatory anxiety is experienced by those who have anxiety attacks on a regular basis. This type of anxiety is a fear of having an anxiety attack. The experience of having an attack is so frightening that those who have them develop this ongoing fear, which actually increases the chances of having another attack.
Conditioned Anxiety
Psychological conditioning is the process of associating specific events, objects or people with unpleasant emotional states such as fear. Once conditioned, the psychological processes related to the conditioned anxiety become automatic, and we often lack awareness of the process. For example, a person who fears bridges may have been conditioned in childhood but lacks awareness of the event that created the conditioning. All she is aware of is the anxiety, which appears without a clear reason.
Underlying Medical Problems
Medical problems also create a sensitivity or dysfunction in the sympathetic nervous system. Conditions such as coronary artery disease and lupus are two examples of medical problems that may underlie anxiety attacks. Also, symptoms of some medical conditions can mimic signs of an anxiety attack. For example, vertigo and ear infections create dizziness, which can feel like anxiety or trigger an anxiety attack. For those having anxiety attacks, it is important to seek a medical evaluation before assuming that anxiety is the full story.
References
- "Anxiety and its Disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic"; David H. Barlow; 2002
- "Mastery of Your Anxiety (4th Ed.)"; David H. Barlow & Michelle G. Craske; 2007
- "Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective"; Aaron T. Beck, M.D.; 2005
