Before you can understand what causes anxiety attacks, you first have to understand that there are a lot of different reasons why a person might get an anxiety disorder. One person's trigger might not do anything to another person, but there are a couple of things that have been shown to increase the odds of anxiety attacks. Medical experts have concluded that environmental, biological, mental, societal, and life experiences can all lead to panic and anxiety disorders.

Firstly, some people have a genetic predisposition for anxiety and panic conditions. There is mounting support that shows that your heredity and the environment you were raised in can lead to panic and anxiety attacks, but this is no excuse to quit looking for relief. Studies show that some families have greater than normal rates of anxiety. In many cases if one identical twin comes down with a panic disorder, the other twin stands a good chance of also getting the same panic disorder. While non-identical twins also share a weaker link in anxiety conditions. There is also evidence that suggests that anxiety can be a learned behavior as well that we acquire from our parents.

Some causes of anxiety attacks can be linked to personality. Some personality types have a higher rate of acquiring anxiety disorders. Individuals that have lower self-esteem tend to suffer from more anxiety attacks than people with normal or high self-esteem. People that have not learned how to properly handle daily stress seem to have more panic attacks. Perfectionists also have a good chance of experiencing a panic attack or nervous breakdown when their detailed plans do not live up to their expectations. These things can all be controlled by taking on some new thoughts.

Things that happen in our lives can also build up to anxiety attacks. When sustained for a long time, violent and abusive scenarios tend to influence a person's likelihood of experiencing panic attacks. Therapy has been proven to help people cope with challenging life occurrences that have left them feeling anxious and panicked.

Some medical problems have a proven influence in a person's level of overall anxiety. If you suffer from high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid gland, or diabetes, you might also have greater than average anxiety. Often times the worry associated with a serious medical condition can increase your anxiety.

This short introduction to the causes of anxiety attacks has hopefully helped you get a better understanding of some of the many reasons a person might suffer from an anxiety attack. With a bit of understanding I hope that you can start on the road to finding relief from anxiety and panic conditions.