It is common to hear the terms panic attacks and anxiety attacks interchangeably in our society, but are they really the same thing? Although anxiety and panic attacks have some shared similarities, there are several differences in what they are, as well as how and when they present.
So if you have ever wondered the difference between an anxiety attack versus a panic attack, this article will lay out the key differences between the two to help you identify which you may be experiencing.
Anxiety Attack vs Panic Attack: Why is it important to know the difference?
Knowing and being aware of which type of attacks you are experiencing can be informative for your treatment and overall course of mental health management. If you are not sure which one that you are suffering from, it can be difficult to know how to seek out the appropriate course of treatment or know which coping skills would be effective.
In essence, you may end up wasting some of your time trying to address the wrong issue and therefore not see much progress or relief. So in more fully understanding the matter of an anxiety attack vs panic attack, you are more likely to be able to have success in addressing your mental health involved with the attacks themselves as well as the underlying issues that are spurring the occurrence of the attacks.
What Determines What Anxiety and Panic Attacks Are?
When looking clinically at defining what anxiety and panic attacks are, clinicians base their distinction on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed (DSM-5). This is a handbook put out by the American Psychological Association to classify and distinguish between mental health diagnoses.
Panic attacks are generally indicated as a trademark feature that is often seen with panic disorder, but panic attacks can also occur and be present in other conditions or disorders as well. It is important to note that the term anxiety attack is not necessarily defined within the DSM-5, however anxiety is a term used to describe fundamental features of many conditions that would fit under the categories of Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, as well as other Trauma-Related Disorders.
Several of the most common conditions that would fall under the above mentioned disorder categories include: Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
When identifying differences between the experiences of panic and anxiety attacks, intensity of the symptoms occurring as well as the length of time that the main symptoms are present can be used to identify the differences in the two occurrences.
If you are experiencing either panic or anxiety attacks, a trained health provider can help to classify what may be going on. Below are some of the basics about anxiety and panic from the DSM-5.
Anxiety in general is something that typically intensifies over time and is highly associated with experiencing excessive worry or fear of a potential “danger.”
Since the term anxiety attack is not actually a clinical term from the DSM-5, but instead a colloquial term used to describe an intense and often extended period of anxiety, there has been more research around it to formulate a clearer definition, although there is not one commonly used as of yet.
Anxiety attacks are the experience of intense and/or extended period of anxiety that is often more severe than the common feeling of anxiety, yet is less severe than that of a panic attack. This period can last anywhere from a couple of minutes, to hours, and even up to days or weeks.
The anxiety can be centered around the apprehension about possible or upcoming events and is often the prelude to experiencing a panic attack. The physical symptoms of an anxiety attack can be comparable to those of panic and include the following symptoms:
- Easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sleep disturbances
- Stomach discomfort
- Restlessness, wound up, on edge
- Muscle tension
- Worry that is difficult to control
- Increased heart rate
- Feeling as thought you are in danger
It is important to note that, unlike panic attacks, experiencing an anxiety disorder does not necessarily qualify or indicate as a sign that an anxiety disorder is present.
Anxiety is actually a natural part of our lives in response to situations such as work or school stress, relationships issues, loss of someone you care about, financial concerns, and even symptoms or side effects from medication or illnesses.
It is normal to experience anxiety in response to particular situations or stimuli, and the occurrence of anxiety attacks are only more intensified forms of that emotional experience.
It is not uncommon for someone who is experiencing chronic anxiety attacks to begin to develop patterns of avoidance or excessive caution with regard to the situations or stimuli that incite the anxiety attacks.
For instance, someone who has previously experienced an anxiety attack due to social anxiety may begin to avoid certain places or situations in which they have experienced anxiety in the past.
Panic attacks are generally more easily defined because of a clinical consensus from the DSM-5. According to the DSM-5, a panic attack is “a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause.”
It is not unusual for someone experiencing a panic attack to feel an overwhelming sense of an immediate threat, which may cause them to respond by crying for help or attempting to escape whatever situation or circumstance they find themselves in at the moment.
The symptoms of a panic attack typically last for a shorter period of time, only lasting 10-15 minutes and may include at least a few of the following symptoms:
- A sense of impending danger or threat
- Rapid, pounding heart rate
- Shortness of breathe
- Fear of death or loss of control
- Chest pain
- Chills or hot flashes
- Abdominal cramps
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Feeling detached from reality or as though things are unreal
Panic attacks are very frightening and can lead to a person suffering from panic attacks to have a fear or worry about when and where they may experience another panic attack.
Because the symptoms can come on so suddenly and with such severity, it can be extremely debilitating and even embarrassing to the person experiencing the panic attack. This worry can lead to the experience of more anxiety. Sufferers can feel as though their panic attacks come out of the blue without warning or cause. This can significantly impact a person’s ability to function in life.
It is not uncommon for someone experiencing a panic attack to believe that they are having a heart attack and even go to the hospital or call 911 because they are unaware that it is a panic attack. If someone is experiencing re-occurring panic attacks, they should consult a health professional as it is generally a symptom of a panic disorder.
How can I tell the difference?
The two conditions originate in differing parts of the brain. Anxiety is biologically associated with a place in the brain called the prefrontal cortex that is involved with anticipation and planning. So anxiety occurs when this part of the brain goes into overdrive and becomes too anticipatory. This causes a person to experience extreme worry.
In comparison, the biological systems that are associated with panic attacks are the autonomic nervous system and the amygdala (which is considered the fear center in the brain) that are designed to be able to detect signs of any threat or danger.
You may have heard of the fight-or-flight response — our body and mind’s way of attempting to protect or help us out of a situation. A person experiencing this may believe that they are experiencing an immediate threat or danger to themselves.
The symptoms of a panic attack are more intense and severe in occurrence than symptoms of an anxiety attack. Also, panic attacks are quicker in their onset and last for a shorter period of time.
One of the biggest differences between a panic attack and a panic attack is the trigger. Anxiety attacks can generally be pinpointed to an identifiable stressor whether immediately or with a little bit of effort in examining what they have been feeling anxious or worried about. Then when the stressor goes away, so does the anxiety. However, with a panic attack, it will seemingly come out of nowhere and be difficult for the sufferer to know why it has occurred. It doesn’t come in response to a stressor and feels unpredictable.
What can I do?
Self-help techniques for anxiety and panic attacks can include: exercise, good sleep, journaling, and facing fears. These all seem like basic things, and they are!
Exercise can be a fantastic help in reducing anxiety. Why? For several reasons. First, when you exercise, your body releases natural ‘pain killers,’ known as endorphins, in our brains. This creates a good feeling and helps you to experience a relaxed mood.
Secondly, the effects of exercising can reduce the symptoms of anxiety. For instance, it’s harder to experience muscle tension when your muscles are relaxed after exercise and sleep is easier because your body needs the rest to recover from the exercise.
When the symptoms of anxiety are weaker, you actually experience less anxiety in the future because it gets easier to cope with. Lastly, there is no denying the powerful effect that exercising has on mental health. Getting outside, improving your overall health, and engaging in healthy activities can all contribute to lower levels of anxiety.
Keeping a thought journal is another way that you can consider using to examine what your thought life is like, both anxious and otherwise. Often times individuals with anxiety try to just push all of the feelings and thoughts away to try and rid themselves of the anxiety, but this does not work.
To begin to control anxiety, you have to be able to identify the thought patterns so you can begin to re-train your mind to think in healthy thought patterns. This is where a journal can be a huge benefit. Journaling can help your brain not focus on the thoughts as much themselves, be a therapeutic experience of getting your thoughts on paper and out of your brain, and also can help in examining how irrational some of the fears or worry may actually be.
You can begin introducing positive thinking into your journaling by daily writing down things you are grateful for — positive things that you have experienced in that day.
How can a counselor help?
Seeking help from a counselor is a good step when you feel as though you are struggling to manage your anxiety or panic attacks. A counselor is able to assess and diagnose whether or not there is an underlying disorder present as well as help you to form a treatment plan to assist you in finding relief from your symptoms.
Both anxiety attacks and panic attacks have been shown to respond well to similar types of treatment. Utilizing therapy, meditation, occasionally medication, as well as other self-help techniques can be effective in the treatment of both conditions.
As mentioned above, taking time to examine what stressors or thought patterns may be exasperating the issues of fear or worry can be a great place to start. A counselor can help you to examine any unhealthy or unhelpful thought patterns and introduce new positive and healthy patterns of thinking.
Also, assisting you in learning coping skills to be able to deal with stress and anxiety as we experience it in life is another way that a counselor can support you in your journey toward freedom from anxiety and panic.
So if you have been suffering from either anxiety attacks or panic attacks, know that you don’t have to suffer alone. Reaching out to a counselor who can come along beside you as you find what works to decrease your anxiety is a courageous step.
A counselor at Seattle Christian Counseling would love to meet with you to examine what is happening as well as support you as you find healing and relief from your symptoms.
“Rainy Day,” courtesy of Nik, Flickr Creative Commons, CC0 License; “Window,” courtesy of Pai Shih, Flickr Creative Commons, CC0 License; “Ora et Labora,” courtesy of Alessandro Bonvini, Flickr Creative Commons, CC0 License; “Scenic View,” courtesy of mendak, Flickr Creative Commons, CC0 License