Although people may use the terms interchangeably, panic attacks and anxiety attacks are distinct conditions.
Anxiety attack?
Anxiety attacks are not specifically mentioned in the psychiatric guidelines (DSM-5), but anxiety is defined as a symptom of various psychiatric disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia without a history of panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and specific phobia. Typically, anxiety is associated with the expectation of a stressful situation, experience, or event and may develop slowly.
Anxiety symptoms encompass feelings of worry, distress, and fear. Due to the absence of a definitive diagnosis for anxiety attacks, the indications and manifestations can be interpreted differently. This implies that someone who reports having an anxiety attack may display symptoms that another individual has never encountered, despite both experiencing anxiety attacks.
Panic attack?
A panic attack is a sudden onset of intense fear that is often accompanied by challenging physical symptoms such as a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or nausea.
DSM-5 classifies panic attacks as either unexpected or expected, with unexpected attacks occurring without an apparent cause and expected attacks being triggered by external stressors such as phobias. While anyone can experience a panic attack, experiencing multiple attacks may indicate the presence of panic disorder, which is a mental health condition characterized by sudden and recurrent panic attacks.
Although panic and anxiety attacks may seem alike, they share many emotional and physical symptoms. It is possible to experience both attacks simultaneously.
For example, one may feel anxious while anticipating a stressful situation such as an important work presentation. As the situation approaches, anxiety may escalate into a panic attack. Both types of attacks can result in physical and emotional symptoms such as fear, worry, distress, a sense of detachment from oneself or the world, heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, throat tightness or choking sensation, dry mouth, sweating, and chills or hot flashes, trembling or shaking, numbness or tingling (paresthesia),nausea, abdominal pain, or upset stomach, headache, feeling faint or dizzy.
Differentiating between anxiety and a panic attack can be challenging. Remember the following: Anxiety is usually triggered by a perceived stressor or threat, while panic attacks can occur unexpectedly. Anxiety can range from mild to severe, whereas panic attacks typically involve severe and disruptive symptoms. During a panic attack, the body’s fight-or-flight response takes over, resulting in more intense physical symptoms compared to anxiety. The speed of onset for anxiety can be gradual, but panic attacks tend to hit suddenly. As a result, they often cause concerns or apprehensions about experiencing another attack. This can impact your actions and cause you to avoid certain places or scenarios where you feel a panic attack could occur.
It’s important to note that panic attacks and anxiety attacks have distinct differences. While people may use these terms interchangeably, it’s worth mentioning that only panic attacks are recognized in the DSM-5.
