What are anxiety attacks like
Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack: What’s the Difference?
An anxiety attack tends to occur in response to certain stressors and may build gradually while panic attacks can occur unexpectedly and abruptly. Both may indicate an underlying health condition.
You might hear people talking about panic attacks and anxiety attacks like they’re the same thing. But they’re different conditions.
Read on to find out more about the differences between panic attacks and anxiety.
The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition” (DSM-5) does not mention anxiety attacks, but it does define anxiety as a feature of a number of common psychiatric disorders.
This includes the following conditions:
- generalized anxiety disorder
- panic disorder
- separation anxiety disorder
- agoraphobia without history of panic disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- social anxiety disorder
- obsessive-compulsive disorder
- specific phobia
Anxiety is usually related to the anticipation of a stressful situation, experience, or event. It may come on gradually.
Symptoms of anxiety include:
- worry
- distress
- fear
The lack of diagnostic recognition of anxiety attacks means that the signs and symptoms are open to interpretation.
That is, a person may describe having an “anxiety attack” and have symptoms that another person has never experienced despite indicating that they, too, have had an “anxiety attack.”
Panic attacks come on suddenly and involve intense and often overwhelming fear. They’re accompanied by very challenging physical symptoms, like a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or nausea.
DSM-5 recognizes panic attacks and categorizes them as unexpected or expected.
Unexpected panic attacks occur without an obvious cause. Expected panic attacks are cued by external stressors, like phobias.
Panic attacks can happen to anyone, but having more than one may be a sign of panic disorder, a mental health condition characterized by sudden and repeated panic attacks.
Panic and anxiety attacks may feel similar, and they share a lot of emotional and physical symptoms.
You can experience both an anxiety and a panic attack at the same time.
For instance, you might experience anxiety while worrying about a potentially stressful situation, like an important presentation at work. When the situation arrives, anxiety may culminate in a panic attack.
A panic attack or anxiety attack can both cause physical and emotional symptoms, including:
- apprehension and worry
- distress
- fear of dying or losing control
- a sense of detachment from the world (derealization) or oneself (depersonalization)
- heart palpitations or an accelerated heart rate
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- tightness in the throat or feeling like you’re choking
- dry mouth
- sweating
- chills or hot flashes
- trembling or shaking
- numbness or tingling (paresthesia)
- nausea, abdominal pain, or upset stomach
- headache
- feeling faint or dizzy
It may be difficult to know whether what you’re experiencing is anxiety or a panic attack.
Keep in mind the following:
- The cause: Anxiety is typically related to something that’s perceived as stressful or threatening. Panic attacks aren’t always cued by stressors. They most often occur out of the blue.
- The level of distress: Anxiety can be mild, moderate, or severe. For example, anxiety may be happening in the back of your mind as you go about your day-to-day activities. Panic attacks, on the other hand, mostly involve severe, disruptive symptoms.
- Fight-or-flight: During a panic attack, the body’s autonomous fight-or-flight response takes over. Physical symptoms are often more intense than symptoms of anxiety.
- Speed of onset: While anxiety can build gradually, panic attacks usually come on abruptly.
- Effect: Panic attacks typically trigger worries or fears related to having another attack. This may have an effect on your behavior, leading you to avoid places or situations where you think you might be at risk of a panic attack.
Unexpected panic attacks have no clear external triggers. Expected panic attacks and anxiety can be triggered by similar things. Some common triggers include:
- a stressful job
- driving
- social situations
- phobias, like agoraphobia (fear of crowded or open spaces), claustrophobia (fear of small spaces), and acrophobia (fear of heights)
- reminders or memories of traumatic experiences
- chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, or asthma
- chronic pain
- withdrawal from drugs or alcohol
- caffeine
- medication and supplements
- thyroid problems
Anxiety and panic attacks have similar risk factors. These include:
- experiencing trauma or witnessing traumatic events, either as a child or as an adult
- experiencing a stressful life event, like the death of a loved one or a divorce
- experiencing ongoing stress and worries, like work responsibilities, conflict in your family, or financial woes
- living with a chronic health condition or life threatening illness
- having an anxious personality
- having another mental health condition like depression
- having close family members who also have anxiety or panic disorders
- using drugs or consuming alcohol
People who experience anxiety are at an increased risk of experiencing panic attacks.
But having anxiety does not mean you will experience a panic attack.
Doctors can’t diagnose anxiety attacks, but they can diagnose:
- anxiety symptoms
- anxiety disorders
- panic attacks
- panic disorders
A doctor will ask you about your symptoms and conduct tests to rule out other health conditions with similar symptoms, like heart disease or thyroid problems.
To get a diagnosis, a doctor may conduct:
- a physical exam
- blood tests
- a heart test, like an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- a psychological evaluation or questionnaire
Speak with a doctor about other treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. Here are some treatments they may discuss with you.
Counseling and psychotherapy
Talking therapies for anxiety and panic disorders can involve the following, often in combination.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This type of therapy can help you see things that worry you in a new way.
A counselor can help you develop strategies for managing triggers when they arise. - Cognitive therapy: This can help you pinpoint, reframe, and neutralize the unhelpful thoughts that often underlie an anxiety disorder.
- Exposure therapy: This form of therapy involves controlled exposure to situations that trigger fear and anxiety, which can help you learn to confront those fears in a new way.
- Relaxation techniques: These include breathing exercises, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, biofeedback, and autogenic training. A doctor can talk you through some of these.
A doctor may suggest attending individual sessions, group sessions, or a combination of the two.
Medication
Examples of medications your doctor may prescribe are:
- Antidepressants: These medications include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
- Beta-blockers: These medications can help manage certain physical symptoms, like a rapid heart rate.
- Anti-anxiety drugs: This includes benzodiazepines, a sedative medication that can suppress symptoms quickly.
All these drugs can have adverse effects. SSRIs and SNRIs are for long-term use, and it can take time to feel the effects. Benzodiazepines are for short-term use only, as there is a high risk of dependence.
Oftentimes, a doctor will recommend a combination of treatments. They may also need to alter your treatment plan over time.
You should speak with a doctor or mental health professional to find out what you can do to both prevent and treat anxiety- and panic-related symptoms. Having a treatment plan and sticking to it when an attack happens can help you feel like you’re in control.
If you feel an anxiety or panic attack coming on, try the following:
- Take slow deep breaths: When you feel your breath quickening, focus your attention on each inhale and exhale.
Feel your stomach fill with air as you inhale. Count down from four as you exhale. Repeat until your breathing slows. - Recognize and accept what you’re experiencing: If you’ve already experienced an anxiety or panic attack, you know that it can be incredibly challenging. Remind yourself that the symptoms will pass and you’ll be alright.
- Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. Mindfulness is a technique that can help you ground your thoughts in the present. You can practice mindfulness by actively observing thoughts and sensations without reacting to them.
- Use relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques include guided imagery, aromatherapy, and muscle relaxation. If you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety or a panic attack, try doing things that you find relaxing. Close your eyes, take a bath, or use lavender, which has relaxing effects.
Lifestyle changes
The following lifestyle changes can help you prevent anxiety and panic attacks, as well as reduce the severity of symptoms when an attack occurs:
- Reduce and manage sources of stress in your life.
- Learn how to identify and stop negative thoughts.
- Get regular, moderate exercise.
- Practice meditation or yoga.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Join a support group for people with anxiety or panic attacks.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine as well as the use of drugs.
Panic attacks and anxiety attacks are not the same. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, only panic attacks are identified in the DSM-5.
Anxiety and panic attacks have similar symptoms, causes, and risk factors. But panic attacks tend to be more intense and are often accompanied by more severe physical symptoms.
You should contact a healthcare professional if anxiety- or panic-related symptoms are affecting your everyday life.
Read this article in Spanish.
Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack: What’s the Difference?
An anxiety attack tends to occur in response to certain stressors and may build gradually while panic attacks can occur unexpectedly and abruptly.
Both may indicate an underlying health condition.
You might hear people talking about panic attacks and anxiety attacks like they’re the same thing. But they’re different conditions.
Read on to find out more about the differences between panic attacks and anxiety.
The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition” (DSM-5) does not mention anxiety attacks, but it does define anxiety as a feature of a number of common psychiatric disorders.
This includes the following conditions:
- generalized anxiety disorder
- panic disorder
- separation anxiety disorder
- agoraphobia without history of panic disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- social anxiety disorder
- obsessive-compulsive disorder
- specific phobia
Anxiety is usually related to the anticipation of a stressful situation, experience, or event. It may come on gradually.
Symptoms of anxiety include:
- worry
- distress
- fear
The lack of diagnostic recognition of anxiety attacks means that the signs and symptoms are open to interpretation.
That is, a person may describe having an “anxiety attack” and have symptoms that another person has never experienced despite indicating that they, too, have had an “anxiety attack.”
Panic attacks come on suddenly and involve intense and often overwhelming fear. They’re accompanied by very challenging physical symptoms, like a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or nausea.
DSM-5 recognizes panic attacks and categorizes them as unexpected or expected.
Unexpected panic attacks occur without an obvious cause. Expected panic attacks are cued by external stressors, like phobias.
Panic attacks can happen to anyone, but having more than one may be a sign of panic disorder, a mental health condition characterized by sudden and repeated panic attacks.
Panic and anxiety attacks may feel similar, and they share a lot of emotional and physical symptoms.
You can experience both an anxiety and a panic attack at the same time.
For instance, you might experience anxiety while worrying about a potentially stressful situation, like an important presentation at work.
When the situation arrives, anxiety may culminate in a panic attack.
A panic attack or anxiety attack can both cause physical and emotional symptoms, including:
- apprehension and worry
- distress
- fear of dying or losing control
- a sense of detachment from the world (derealization) or oneself (depersonalization)
- heart palpitations or an accelerated heart rate
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- tightness in the throat or feeling like you’re choking
- dry mouth
- sweating
- chills or hot flashes
- trembling or shaking
- numbness or tingling (paresthesia)
- nausea, abdominal pain, or upset stomach
- headache
- feeling faint or dizzy
It may be difficult to know whether what you’re experiencing is anxiety or a panic attack. Keep in mind the following:
- The cause: Anxiety is typically related to something that’s perceived as stressful or threatening.
Panic attacks aren’t always cued by stressors. They most often occur out of the blue. - The level of distress: Anxiety can be mild, moderate, or severe. For example, anxiety may be happening in the back of your mind as you go about your day-to-day activities. Panic attacks, on the other hand, mostly involve severe, disruptive symptoms.
- Fight-or-flight: During a panic attack, the body’s autonomous fight-or-flight response takes over. Physical symptoms are often more intense than symptoms of anxiety.
- Speed of onset: While anxiety can build gradually, panic attacks usually come on abruptly.
- Effect: Panic attacks typically trigger worries or fears related to having another attack. This may have an effect on your behavior, leading you to avoid places or situations where you think you might be at risk of a panic attack.
Unexpected panic attacks have no clear external triggers. Expected panic attacks and anxiety can be triggered by similar things.
Some common triggers include:
- a stressful job
- driving
- social situations
- phobias, like agoraphobia (fear of crowded or open spaces), claustrophobia (fear of small spaces), and acrophobia (fear of heights)
- reminders or memories of traumatic experiences
- chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, or asthma
- chronic pain
- withdrawal from drugs or alcohol
- caffeine
- medication and supplements
- thyroid problems
Anxiety and panic attacks have similar risk factors. These include:
- experiencing trauma or witnessing traumatic events, either as a child or as an adult
- experiencing a stressful life event, like the death of a loved one or a divorce
- experiencing ongoing stress and worries, like work responsibilities, conflict in your family, or financial woes
- living with a chronic health condition or life threatening illness
- having an anxious personality
- having another mental health condition like depression
- having close family members who also have anxiety or panic disorders
- using drugs or consuming alcohol
People who experience anxiety are at an increased risk of experiencing panic attacks.
But having anxiety does not mean you will experience a panic attack.
Doctors can’t diagnose anxiety attacks, but they can diagnose:
- anxiety symptoms
- anxiety disorders
- panic attacks
- panic disorders
A doctor will ask you about your symptoms and conduct tests to rule out other health conditions with similar symptoms, like heart disease or thyroid problems.
To get a diagnosis, a doctor may conduct:
- a physical exam
- blood tests
- a heart test, like an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- a psychological evaluation or questionnaire
Speak with a doctor about other treatments for anxiety and panic attacks. Here are some treatments they may discuss with you.
Counseling and psychotherapy
Talking therapies for anxiety and panic disorders can involve the following, often in combination.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This type of therapy can help you see things that worry you in a new way.
A counselor can help you develop strategies for managing triggers when they arise. - Cognitive therapy: This can help you pinpoint, reframe, and neutralize the unhelpful thoughts that often underlie an anxiety disorder.
- Exposure therapy: This form of therapy involves controlled exposure to situations that trigger fear and anxiety, which can help you learn to confront those fears in a new way.
- Relaxation techniques: These include breathing exercises, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, biofeedback, and autogenic training. A doctor can talk you through some of these.
A doctor may suggest attending individual sessions, group sessions, or a combination of the two.
Medication
Examples of medications your doctor may prescribe are:
- Antidepressants: These medications include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
- Beta-blockers: These medications can help manage certain physical symptoms, like a rapid heart rate.
- Anti-anxiety drugs: This includes benzodiazepines, a sedative medication that can suppress symptoms quickly.
All these drugs can have adverse effects. SSRIs and SNRIs are for long-term use, and it can take time to feel the effects. Benzodiazepines are for short-term use only, as there is a high risk of dependence.
Oftentimes, a doctor will recommend a combination of treatments. They may also need to alter your treatment plan over time.
You should speak with a doctor or mental health professional to find out what you can do to both prevent and treat anxiety- and panic-related symptoms. Having a treatment plan and sticking to it when an attack happens can help you feel like you’re in control.
If you feel an anxiety or panic attack coming on, try the following:
- Take slow deep breaths: When you feel your breath quickening, focus your attention on each inhale and exhale.
Feel your stomach fill with air as you inhale. Count down from four as you exhale. Repeat until your breathing slows. - Recognize and accept what you’re experiencing: If you’ve already experienced an anxiety or panic attack, you know that it can be incredibly challenging. Remind yourself that the symptoms will pass and you’ll be alright.
- Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. Mindfulness is a technique that can help you ground your thoughts in the present. You can practice mindfulness by actively observing thoughts and sensations without reacting to them.
- Use relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques include guided imagery, aromatherapy, and muscle relaxation. If you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety or a panic attack, try doing things that you find relaxing. Close your eyes, take a bath, or use lavender, which has relaxing effects.
Lifestyle changes
The following lifestyle changes can help you prevent anxiety and panic attacks, as well as reduce the severity of symptoms when an attack occurs:
- Reduce and manage sources of stress in your life.
- Learn how to identify and stop negative thoughts.
- Get regular, moderate exercise.
- Practice meditation or yoga.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Join a support group for people with anxiety or panic attacks.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine as well as the use of drugs.
Panic attacks and anxiety attacks are not the same. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, only panic attacks are identified in the DSM-5.
Anxiety and panic attacks have similar symptoms, causes, and risk factors. But panic attacks tend to be more intense and are often accompanied by more severe physical symptoms.
You should contact a healthcare professional if anxiety- or panic-related symptoms are affecting your everyday life.
Read this article in Spanish.
Panic attacks and anxiety disorders
Sometimes a panic attack or unreasonable anxiety visits a person only once, and then does not recur. It happens that the problem manifests itself several times, and also disappears on its own.
However, if you regularly encounter such disorders, you should not wait until they go away on their own, because this may not happen.
ACME Center has been helping patients overcome panic attacks and anxiety disorders for over 10 years. Using an integrated approach, we find the root cause and eliminate it, returning patients to a calm and comfortable life.
What are panic attacks? Normally, these states occur due to ongoing events; this is a normal reaction of the body to the stress experienced, which allows you to instantly mobilize forces to overcome it. Fear, panic is a reaction to a sudden threat. Anxiety, in turn, is associated mainly with the expectation of a dangerous event.
But sometimes these states arise completely without reason, pursuing a person in situations where there is not a single reason for fears and worries.
This anxiety disorder is expressed by the following symptoms:
- Unreasonable fear or anxiety,
- insomnia, the inability to relax,
- pain, pressure in the chest,
- Dizziness
- Pre-syncope.
While these sensations normally occur during stress, in anxiety disorders they may appear suddenly, and the manifestations may be more severe.
Panic disorder is associated with the occurrence of panic attacks, psychophysical distress in the complex. In some cases, with a high intensity of the attack, a person can commit suicidal acts. Often, panic attacks are combined with other mental disorders, representing a complex disorder - depressive, post-traumatic.
Doctors - there are three types of panic attacks:
- Spontaneous - characteristic of panic personality disorder, occurring suddenly and without reference to circumstances. A person may wake up from a panic attack that began in a dream. There is no binding to a place, circumstances, situations.
- Situational. Panic disorder can manifest itself in some specific situations, without fear of a specific place or process. Sometimes a person experiences a panic attack just by walking in the park.
Such attacks can become aggravated for periods or vice versa, subside. - Specific. With these attacks, a person reacts to specific situations. So, a patient with social phobia may experience panic if necessary to speak with the seller when it comes to his turn.
Anxiety syndrome is common among the population, it is typical for more than 13 percent of Russians. Panic attacks are also quite common. But these phenomena are curable, you can get rid of them. There are a number of techniques that allow you to forget about the problem forever.
Treatment of panic attacks and anxiety disorders
Panic attacks can worsen over time, leading to suicidal attempts, resulting in heart attacks and other serious consequences. Anxiety disorders are also not safe, they create a huge burden on the body, on the psyche and nervous system of a person, provoking other diseases. With these painful manifestations, as well as with any others, it is worth fighting in a timely manner, because all the possibilities for this exist today.
Doctors emphasize that complete and lasting relief is achieved by lowering the level of anxiety over a long period of time. At the same time, stabilization of the autonomic nervous system is achieved, the hypothalamus ceases to come into an excited state, adrenaline in the blood falls. A person not only parted with the symptoms of the disease, but also experiences general comfort and tranquility. His performance improves.
In order to receive a full-fledged treatment, it is necessary to consult a psychotherapist. These problems relate specifically to the sphere of the psyche, and therefore it makes no sense to isolate some part of the symptoms and refer to other specialists with it - for example, to detail only the sensations in the heart area, and contact a cardiologist.
Antipsychotics are also prescribed for severe cases of panic disorder. They are taken for a short period of time in order to suppress excessive symptoms - in this case, complete relief from the symptoms of a vegetative nature does not occur, and therefore it is necessary to use other categories of drugs.
Tricyclic antidepressants may be prescribed.
Psychocorrection or hypnotic influence in panic disorder are of an auxiliary nature. These measures do not remove vegetative manifestations, but they allow you to endure the next attack more calmly, realizing that this does not threaten death. The effectiveness of the techniques is manifested only in mild forms of disorders, which often go away on their own even without it. However, activities aimed at relaxation and peace, such as meditation, spa visits or yoga, do help reduce the severity of symptoms. And therefore, psychotherapeutic techniques can also become part of the course of treatment of these pathologies.
Professional help from doctors allows you to get rid of panic attacks and groundless anxiety - do not delay contacting specialists!
Why patients choose ACME Center
Our specialists have been helping patients with panic attacks for more than 10 years. In our practice, we use proprietary methods and an integrated approach that allows us to most effectively carry out rehabilitation.
Tired of panic attacks and want to return to a calm life and healthy sleep? Call right now at +7 (495) 792-1202 and we will help you get back to a comfortable lifestyle!
How to distinguish a panic attack from a heart attack? An expert tells
Back to list
10/18/2022
Severe stress, depression or exhaustion of the body can cause panic attacks.
This is a state of severe anxiety or panic fear, which is accompanied by a rapid heartbeat and a feeling of suffocation. How to distinguish a panic attack from a heart attack? What to do in case of a panic attack? Which doctor should I contact for help? - 9 told about it0077 Irina Golotina, general practitioner, INVITRO-Rostov-on-Don LLC.
What are the similar symptoms and differences between a panic attack and a heart attack?
Panic attack and heart attack have similar symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain. However, in the case of a panic attack, the symptoms may last for about 20 minutes and then disappear, while the symptoms of a heart attack do not go away until medical attention is received.
In addition, patients feel warning symptoms before a heart attack, usually a few days before, and the heart attack itself most often occurs during physical activity. Panic attacks occur regardless of physical activity.
If a young person with no risk factors has chest pain, the chance of a heart attack is very low, but chest pain in a 50-year-old man who smokes for many years and has diabetes most likely signals a heart attack, and that he needs urgent medical attention.
The main risk factors for panic attacks are mental health, but in the case of a heart attack, the main role is played by the physical condition of a person, where the main indicator is age, cholesterol, body weight, blood pressure and other factors.
The nature of the pain may determine the type of attack it accompanies. Sharp pain behind the sternum or pain concentrated in one small area is associated with a panic attack. This pain is stabbing in nature, and it is also short-lived and lasts about 5-10 seconds.
During a heart attack, they complain of pressing, squeezing chest pains that spread to the left arm, can radiate to the right arm, neck, interscapular region, that is, they are most often associated precisely with physical exertion - physical and emotional overstrain.
What to do if a panic attack occurs?
If you have a panic attack, first of all pay attention to your bodily condition: you need to focus on breathing: breathe with your stomach, focusing on exhalation, try to find your body, become aware of its presence. To do this, you need to stand on both legs, “ground yourself” - imagine that fear goes through you into the ground, like an electric current, grab onto something or start shaking your hands, shaking off the tense state. If there is someone nearby, then it is better to tell him about it, that you are experiencing a panic attack and you need help. You can try to verbalize your feelings: say each sensation out loud, tell others that you are afraid.
