Panic Disorder Causes & Risk Factors

Conditions & Diseases: Psychological & Mental Health

Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder Causes and Risk Factors

The precise factors that cause panic disorder are not fully understood and identified, but researchers have proven that there is a combination of several factors (environmental, genetical, and biological) involved.

Genetic factors: First-degree relatives of those that suffer from panic disorder are up to 8 times more likely to develop the disorder than the normal population. A study conducted in 2001 by a Yale geneticists team discovered two genetic loci (on the human chromosome 1 and 11q), that govern a persons risk of developing panic disorder.

Environmental factors, include

Drinking large amounts of alcohol or suddenly stopping the consumption of alcohol.
Drinking large amounts of caffeine beverages.
Using illegal drugs (such as cocaine and marijuana).
Taking medication that treats asthma and heart conditions.
Abruptly stopping the treatment for anxiety and sleep disorder.
The presence of a major stressor in the person's life.

Medical conditions: Panic attacks can be caused or associated with several medical conditions such as:

Hyperthyroidism, a medical condition cause by an overactive thyroid.
Heart problems, such as mitral valve prolapse - a heart condition where the valve between the heart's left upper chamber and the left lower chamber does not close properly.
Seizure disorder, such as epilepsy - a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures (abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain).
Asthma, a chronic disorder that affects the airways.
Anxiety disorders, such as post traumatic stress disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder

Biochemical factors: A study conducted in 2004 by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) discovered that three brain areas of panic disorder patients are lacking a type of serotonin receptor (called serotonin 5-HT1A receptor) which is involved in the process that regulates emotion. The serotonin 5-HT1A receptor is reduced by nearly a third in three structures straddling the center of the brain (anterior cingulate in the front middle part of the brain, the posterior cingulate in the rear middle part of the brain, and the raphe in the midbrain).

Article by Alina Morrow,
MS Psychology
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com