Members,
As previously discussed, panic attacks falsely trigger the fight or flight response. Some individuals may wonder “why can’t people learn to ignore it?”
Well, people with panic disorder experience the fear response in situations that are not dangerous. You know that already. You probably know that people are also really good at learning things. In fact, people are so good at learning that all you have to do is give them one bad experience. For example, if someone has a panic attack in a specific situation, let’s say an elevator or a grocery store, they’ll learn to associate that situation with panic attacks. In this case learning leads people to expect panic attacks in elevators or grocery stores. When people worry, they get anxious. When they get anxious, they increase their chances of having a panic attack. What can result is that people will worry so much about having a panic attack, that they’ll avoid elevators and grocery stores at all costs.
