Panic attacks are really frightening especially because it happens out of the blue and one normally does not have the faintest idea what caused it. With this hub I would like to explore the causes for panic attacks and how to remedy it.

Having personally been afflicted by panic attacks this is an issue that lies close to my heart and I hope that what I will share here will help someone else overcome their anxiety disorder just like I did.

If you have never had a panic attack before, you won't know the signs of an attack coming on. It is probably the worst feeling in the world and it makes you feel like you are going to die. While the attack is happening, there is not much you can do but to wait it out and let it pass.

If you have never had a panic attack before, you might think you are having a heart attack. Your heart races like something you have never felt before. Maybe if you had a scare that left you breathless before you might have felt an incling of what it feels like to have your heart galloping in your chest for, what seems to you at the time, no reason at all.

You feel like you cannot breathe, you get lightheaded and feel like you are going to faint. Your palms get wet and sweaty, and you probably will have perspiration on your forehead. Your whole body shakes and you feel like you have no control over what is happening to you.

On top of it all, you are scared that this is it - this is the end of you and you are busy dying.

The whole process is uncomfortable, but it does not hurt. It is normally over in a minute or two but it feels like the longest two minutes in your life. By the end of the panic attack, you feel like you have just been run over by the longest train in the world.

Symptoms may vary from person to person, but in general that is what happens when you have a panic attack.

To recap:

• Your heart beats uncontrollably fast
• You get breathless
• You feel like you are going to faint
• Your mouth gets dry
• Your palms are wet and sweaty
• You perspire more than you normally do (hot flushes)
• Your body shakes
• Waves of anxiety wash over you
• You feel terribly drained and tired

This feeling is something that you don't wish on your worst enemy!

Most people might think that the panic attack happened for no reason whatsoever and that it was completely out of the blue.

However, panic attacks are the cause of much turmoil and anxiety that has been going on in your life for a while. They don't just hit out of the blue. And it can be caused by a whole variety of events. But the underlying cause of a panic attack is normally fear or anxiety about something.

Being human, we worry about all sorts of things which culminates in fear. Does my boyfriend or husband really love me? What am I going to do for money? I have just been fired, where am I going to get another job? These are really scary situations if you feel like you have no control over what is happening to you.

I remember when I was a child of about 10 years old, I used to not want to go and sleep over at friends because I was scared that my mother would die while I was away. Now, that might seem totally irrational to someone else, but to me it was a very real fear.

And when I was pregnant with my second child, was probably the worst panic attacks I ever had. It was probably brought on - (apart of the fact that really did not want to be pregnant and being scared of having to give birth!) - by the fact that I was worried about bringing another life into this world, about how hard it would be to protect her from life's heartaches. The worst is that I had panic attacks about twice a day. I also suffered from depression on top of it all. That really sucked!

What I am trying to demonstrate however, is the fact that a panic attack does not happen out of the blue. If you are suffering from panic attacks, you should examine what is going on in your thoughts. It is what you are thinking that causes the fear or anxiety. So, what is it that you are fearful of or anxious about?

Find that, and you will find the cause of your anxiety.

Learning the symptoms of panic attacks can help you identify whether you are having a panic attack or not. Normally all or most of the symptoms listed below accompany a panic attack:

* Palpitations - which means that your heart is pumping fast and crazy and missing a beat every now and again.

* Excessive Perspiration

* A tight feeling in your chest and shortness of breath

* Trembling or shaking

* Feeling like you are going to faint

* Nausea

* Feeling like you are in a dream (derealization)

* Numbness in your fingers and feet or other body parts

* Hot Flushes or sudden Chills

* Fear of dying

If you experience some or all of these symptoms, chances are you are having a panic attack.

The next step is to find out what is causing it and how to prevent it from happening. But it helps to know whether you are having a panic attack first before you go off looking for the cause.

Panic attacks normally start with a warning first - your heart skips a beat, and then again, and again and you feel like you cannot breathe. A feeling of such despair washes over you that you sometimes wish you could die on the spot. Then the other symptoms follow. The worst part is that having a panic attack once and fearing it happening, can bring it on again!