what are common causes of brief panic/panic attacks?

[markidee]

I have thought/feelings. Trying to understand what they mean/where they come from is a mistake.

Some are about "homelessness," some are "meaningless abstractions"--terrify me even though they make no sense.

I know many underlying causes are circumstantial (work stress, relationships), but these thought/feelings are terrifying and haunting. Is this a symptom of a worse disease?

Thanks!

[Bama21]

No worse disease.  Just a mind with anxiety.  An anxious mind can catastrophize just about any seemingly meaningless thought.

[tigerpaw]

Consider the book by Claire Weeks, Hope and Help for Your Nerves...................