Question:
Have any researchers figured out yet why most people don't
have their first intense panic attack until their early 20's ?
Answer:
I wonder if it's hormone related or something. But when I think about it
now...I remember having PAs earlier than my 20's. I was an anxious/troubled
child.
I wish I could give you some actual information...but I'm just babbling as
usual. The Buspar is preventing me from sleeping at night...and even after
taking 2 Xanax...I'm still awake :-(
Interesting question, Tony and I have wondered at times about this. I know
I was a very anxious child, remember having some anxiety attacks in my teen
years but nothing like the BIG ONE that knocked me off my feet when I was
25...
It is my understanding it is associated with stress. The twenties,
trying to make a living, having choldren, buying a house, getting
married. All of the old stressers are there, there are now some great
big new ones to add to the mix.
I had my first attack at about 50. My therapist and I have established
that I have always had anxiety disorder. I was just able to develop
ways to cope and deal with it. At 50, my concentration, etc. was not
what it used to be. No penile jokes from the ladies please. I accept
some parts don't work as well as they used to, but others are better! ;-)
Hence, at 50 I could not cope anymore and I went over the edge. I had
never had medication before that, never seen a therapist/pdoc or had
never been diagnosed with AD. I am 53 now, but an engineer and study
this stuff like a fiend. I have to make sense out of things. The above
is my sense collobrated by my reading and therapist.
Anyway, I am no expert, but this is what seems to be true for me.
There are many changes going on during the late teens and
early twenties. For example, sleep architecture changes as
the REM/NREM cycle tends to spread out to the adult format.
More then likely, different genes are being expressed in
differing amounts during this time. If you're genetically
and environmentally predisposed to a disorder, then it's
likely to emerge at this time.
Considering this, it's extremely important for teenagers to
have good health habits such as good sleep, diet, and
exercise. Given the near epidemic of mental illness, it's
not surprisingly that it's exactly opposite to what is going
on in the US. I haven't seen any studies, but it could be
that a fair percentage of mental illness is preventable just
like, say, cancer, t2 diabetes, and heart disease.
