Although not life-threatening, panic disorder is a very serious condition. It can dramatically change a person’s life, no doubt about it. It is therefore crucial for any panic attack sufferers to learn how to effectively deal with this problem. In this article we’ll go through some very important issues.

In order to successfully deal with panic attacks, you must try to understand them. You must know what they are and what purpose do they serve. Equally important is to understand what they are not. This is what we are going to concentrate on first.

So, what are they not? As mentioned before, they are not life-threatening. They cannot harm you directly, they can not kill you. They don’t cause heart attacks. This is really crucial for you to grasp. Why? Because once you understand that they are not harmful, you won’t fear them as much. This is a very important first step.

With that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at our subject – panic attacks. What is their function? What do they do, what is the purpose of their existence? Well, this is probably going to sound strange, but their main function is to protect you.

You see, they are part of something that we call a fight or flight response. This is in a way our biological alarm system that is there to help us in potentially dangerous situations. This alarm system uses some very basic psychological and physiological reactions. It’s particularly useful in situations where we must react quickly, without thinking about our actions.

Why is there no magic pill for all this? It’s quite simple. You can’t switch off all those basic physiological and psychological functions. They are a fundamental part of you. This is not like fighting a virus or bacteria. Actually, the core of the problem are not panic attacks themselves, it’s something else.

The main problem is the fact that they are triggered when they shouldn’t be. That is what you have to address. Understanding all this is the first big step to help you deal with panic attacks. Good luck.

For more information on the subject, see how to deal with panic attacks. Also check coping with panic attacks.