Panic Attack Vs Anxiety Attack: What’s The Difference?

Modern lifestyles are about living on the edge – this leads to a lot of anxiety, so what is the difference between a panic attack vs anxiety attack? Everything is online and our jobs are demanding and fast-paced. Some thrive in this environment, but some of us have constant knots-in-the-gut-anxiety or quick flashes of heart-beating-wildly-in-the-mouth panic attacks.

Anxiety is essentially instinct letting everyone know when to fight, run or stay at a standstill in the presence of danger. But living on the edge all the time, our capacity to fight or flee responses is over-extended. We are inundated with false alarms.

According to Mcleanhospital.org, we are in a constant alert state assessing real or imagined scenarios – and never switch off the mind.

What Is An Anxiety Attack?

Anxiety builds up over time. It can be caused by many circumstances such as

Having to do a presentation.
Seeing a low bank balance.
Workplace bullying.
Having to visit relatives.

Whatever is causing your anxiety is valid and should be addressed.

Physically, you have to push through tiredness to get through the day. There are dizzy spells, shifting aches and pains throughout the body. You might be feeling nauseous and overwhelmed with a tight knot in your stomach.

Anxiety is a persistent low hum every minute of the day and severe bouts can last from a day to months in extreme cases. It is usually a hereditary condition running in families. The condition is manageable with lifestyle changes such as:

Mindfulness practices.
Breathing exercises.
Getting enough sleep.
Exercise.
Behavioural changes.
Journaling the incidents.

Problematic avoidance may make the sufferer feel safe for a while. But it will eventually lead to life paralysis, with them always having chronic anxiety. The only way to overcome the underlying causes of your anxiety is to face it head-on, usually with the help of a therapist.

Anxiety attacks can manifest in many ways, including selective mutism, separation anxiety, generalised anxiety and agoraphobia etc. There are common symptoms that overlap all of these, though.

Common anxiety symptoms include:

Nervousness, restlessness or tension in the muscles
An inexplicable sense of impending doom
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Hyperventilation
Trembling or weakness
Lethargy
Trouble concentrating
Insomnia
Experiencing gastrointestinal problems
Avoiding things that trigger anxiety

What Is A Panic Attack?

The lines are often blurry between anxiety and panic attacks, as there are many common symptoms such as irrational thoughts, intense emotions, shortness of breath, fear and light-headedness.

According to Simplypsychology.org, panic attacks are usually a result of phobias that range from being in a specific place, fear of spiders, being out in the open or claustrophobia. Still, external stressors may trigger an attack that panic attacks have in common with anxiety.

These stressors can include any of the following:

Work stress.
Phobias.
Chronic illness.
Pain.
Drinking too much coffee.
Withdrawal from drug and alcohol abuse.
Social situations and relationships.
Grief and other losses.
Remembering the traumatic experience.
Memories.
Moving to another place.
Starting over in a new job.
Chronic medication.
Money problems.

The big difference is that panic disorder can be diagnosed while mild to severe anxiety, which is event-based, is not easily diagnosable.

A panic attack can happen suddenly, usually caused by triggers that sufferers may be unaware of. An episode usually lasts from 10 minutes to an hour with intense physical and mental reactions such as heart palpitations, sweating, gasping for air, a deep sense of unreality, almost like an out-of-body experience and tremors and, in severe cases, chest pain.

The sufferer is incapable of functioning during that time, and afterwards, their entire day is disrupted by feelings of stress, worry and feeling brittle and on edge.

Panic disorder, a type of severe anxiety disorder, is a serious mental health disorder that requires understanding and careful monitoring of physical states that may be a warning of a manic episode.

Diagnosing a panic attack follows a complete physical exam and tests to rule out a medical condition. An evaluation determines whether the episodes include at least four of the abovementioned symptoms and if these attacks recur. Also, the doctor checks to see that the attacks aren’t due to substance abuse or allergic reactions to medication.

Medication may be prescribed together with therapeutic practices such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Some new treatments, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, may also be used to treat the disorder.

Live Better: When To See A Doctor

There are certain lifestyle changes that have assisted millions of anxiety sufferers. They are:

Nature walks
Sleeping well
Having a good support network
Limiting alcohol and coffee intake
Mindful breathing exercises

There are, however, certain times when medical assistance is needed as a result of anxiety. Look out for the following:

You feel like you’re worrying too much.
Stress and worry are interfering with your work life and romantic life, or even other parts of your life.
Your fear is upsetting to you and difficult to control.
You feel depressed and sad.
You cannot stop using alcohol or drugs to feel happier.
You think your stress could be linked to a physical health problem
You have suicidal thoughts or behaviours. This is an emergency.

Your worries may not go away on their own, says Mayoclinic. If you don’t seek help, your symptoms may worsen and become unbearable. You can visit a Medical Society facility for help managing the physical symptoms of anxiety.