rn to alcohol and/or drugs to alleviate their mental and physical symptoms. Thirty six percent of people with panic disorder have a history of substance abuse. Physical ailments associated with panic disorder include mitral valve prolapse, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and asthma.No one has yet determined what actually causes panic disorder, however, there are many theories. Most researchers believe there is a combination of factors to blame. The following are brief summaries of those theories:Behavioral - people become conditioned to panic whenever they are in a situation similar to the one that caused the initial attack. Behaviorists believe treatment must involve relearning, or reconditioning.Cognitive - incorrect thinking can trigger panic attacks because sufferers focus on anxiety provoking thoughts and assume the worst possible outcome. Cognitive theorists believe that people with panic disorder have a system of false beliefs about themselves and the world. The goal of therapy is to recognize the distortions and to correct them.Biological - panic attacks are caused by a disturbance in the neurotransmitters, which regulate the transmission of impulses between neurons - - - some people may have nervous systems that are hypersensitive - - - hyperventilation is excessive in patients who suffer from panic disorder - - - an abnormal gene is involved.Psychoanalytic - unconscious conflicts may cause panic attacks. Repressed feelings because the sufferer feels they are unacceptable may be formed in panic attacks instead. These theorists contend that difficult separations when a person is young may create more susceptibility to anxiety when separations occur in childhood.These same theorists have created a profile of those persons most likely to suffer from panic disorder. These individuals are described below and usually have three, or more, of the characteristics:People who were fearful, nervous and shy aschildrenPeople w...
