[CosmicRose]

My sister stopped by today in full panic attack mode, something she never does.
I had my own panic attack about 9-10 months ago, and she had hers today while driving and since she was close by she came to visit instead.
So apparently me and my sister both get panic attacks.
My dad said he has had only 1 or 2 in his life, and he claims that my mom also had a panic attack sometimes but self medicated with alcohol almost on a daily basis.
Are panic attacks a common thing, or does it truly run in families making certain people more prone to them based on hereditary conditions?
I just think it's really strange how me and my sister both had them, with the same physical symptoms and everything, she was shaking and everything, and I was shaking during my panic attack too.

Is it something about how our brain works? Is it our upbringing? Is it more common than we realize? What is it?

[kaliope]

if you wanted to say they ran in families it would be more nurture than nature, as in parents did not have coping skills so were unable to teach their children coping skills. children saw their parents filled with anxiety and responded the same.

anxiety is a physical response. it is part of the fight, flight, flee, freeze response that keeps us safe and alive. i believe it originates in the amygdala in the brain. the body senses danger, sends out chemicals that increases the heart rate, pumps more blood, increases breathing so that you have the energy to fight off the tiger or flee from the tiger that is about to attack you. this goes into overdrive you have your panic attack. that is why yours looks the same as your sisters because the chemical pretty much affects bodies in the same way.

a little bit of googling will explain it more for you but this is the basic premise. hope it helps.

[Forever hopeful]

It runs in my family.. Generations, even with new relatives I have met some I haven't personally but talk too.. Aunts, cousins, mother etc seems more have issues with it than not. My mom has it not as bad as me I have GAD, panic disorder w agoraphobia . One son has it the other one is cool as a cucumber. My personal belief from learning my family history is that we are genetically prone to develop it. Other factors come into play of course and can contribute. Over 50% of my family members do suffer with some form of it along with depression. We have a huge huge huge family.