Helping someone with OCD takes patience and love but will be worth whatever effort you exert. Therapists can determine what can pre-dispose an individual to panic attacks. Here are three of the most common things that can make an anxiety attack more likely.

A Feeling of No Control

The biggest cause of anxiety is feeling completely powerless to change a situation. We may feel incompetent or even scared that something bad will happen to us. This causes our body to produce adrenaline, which creates the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Poor Coping Skills

As children, we learn how to cope with adversity. For those who grew up in environments where these skills were not taught, we don’t know how to soothe ourselves when things don’t happen as we feel they should. This causes our bodies to go into survival mode of fight, flight or freeze and this can result in a panic attack.

Chemical Causes

Those prone to panic attacks have been shown to be lacking both Vitamin B and Iron in their systems. They also show a lower level of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps calm our minds. Once the levels of these substances have been regulated with vitamin supplements or medications, anxiety attacks can diminish greatly.

You may never be able to pinpoint the exact cause of your anxiety, so it may help to get professional help for panic attacks. Therapy can teach you how to recognize when an attack is about to occur and help you learn to manage the symptoms before they manifest into a full-blown panic attack.