Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack: What's the Difference?

The terms panic attack and anxiety attack have become very interchangeable terms in modern mental health discussions. While they do share commonalities and have overlapping symptoms, the two, in fact, do describe different conditions.

Both of these can spiral into more debilitating conditions or indicate there is something bigger at play. It is important to understand the high-level differences in order to address them properly.

What is an Anxiety Attack?

An anxiety attack does not have an official diagnosis designation in the main mental health manual, the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 5th Edition). It typically falls into the classification of an anxiety flare-up or other anxiety disorders like OCD or PTSD.

Anxiety tends to kick in during stressful situations or those where you feel threatened. Anxiety can build up over some time or be more of a chronic, ongoing condition. Symptoms range in presentation, severity, and longevity based on each person.

Symptoms of an anxiety attack typically include extreme distress, fear, irritability, sleep disturbances, nervousness, racing thoughts, and restlessness. During an anxiety attack, you may feel sweaty, trembly, shaky, have shallow breathing, shortness of breath, or an elevated heart rate.

What is a Panic Attack?

Panic attacks can occur at any time to any person, with or without an additional mental health diagnosis. Unlike an anxiety attack, they typcially have a sudden onset and can make life very challenging while they’re occurring.

Unlike anxiety attacks, panic attacks are an official diagnosis of the DSM-5 categorized as unexpected or expected. Unexpected panic attacks have no specific cause. An expected panic attack is one that is related to a stressor or trigger. 

Symptoms of panic attacks include feelings of intense and overwhelming fear, dizziness, shaking, sweating and chills, nausea, lightheadedness, numbness, shortness of breath, and an elevated heart rate. In some instances, you may also feel a fear of loss of control or a fear of dying.

Similar to anxiety attacks, symptoms can vary from person to person. Some people may experience only a few of these, while others experience the whole list. There might even be additional symptoms outside of these listed.

Differences Between the Two

Since the two share many similarities, you may find it difficult to differentiate the two. There are a few things to consider to tell the difference. 

What is the cause? An anxiety attack is a slow-brewing thing. It’s common for it to be a response to some external stressor, a build-up of stress, or a specific trigger. With a panic attack, most have no specific cause. They are more likely to occur seemingly out of nowhere.

What is your level of distress? Anxiety can occur on a range from mild symptoms to severe ones. Panic attacks generally are more severe from start to finish.

How quickly did your attack occur? Anxiety attacks are more gradual. Panic attacks tend to be sudden.

What happens in conjunction with your attack? Not to say anxiety attacks are a walk in the park, but they tend to be less intense. With a panic attack, you typically find yourself fearful of the next one and what is going to set it off. You may have behavioral changes as a result such as trying to avoid any potential trigger or situation that induces this type of attack.

Treatment Options

Certain at-home remedies may address your anxiety or panic attack symptoms. Practicing breathing exercises, mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation techniques are all effective options for reducing onset.

Lifestyle changes can also help prevent attacks or help reduce symptom severity, including diet changes, incorporating an exercise regimen, changing sleep habits, and altering alcohol/caffeine consumption.

When more in-depth management is required, professional services such as mind-body focused psychotherapy and medication management are helpful to consider.

More often than not, both panic and anxiety attacks have an underlying cause that is usually discovered and can be addressed in a therapy setting. 

Are you experiencing anxiety or panic attacks that interfere with your well-being? Contact us to learn more about anxiety therapy.