Panic Attack VS Anxiety Attack: Symptoms and Treatments

Everyone gets anxious in their life at some point, like before an important job interview or finding out exam results. It is part of our everyday life to feel anxious and worried. Being anxious is a normal human reaction to something important to us. According to research, about 6 million Americans have panic disorder, and almost 7 million are struggling with generalized anxiety disorder. These feelings can lead to extreme fear and worry even without any reason for concern.

Stress and anxiety can affect anyone, and these feelings may lead to overwhelming physical symptoms. Difficulty breathing, shaking, tense muscles, and a fast heartbeat are the signs that show something is wrong. But what is wrong? Are these symptoms of an anxiety attack or a panic attack? How to know if there is any difference between the two?

Panic attacks and anxiety attacks have many similarities and are often used interchangeably. Both activate the nervous system and trigger a negative response, resulting in intense physical symptoms. However, there is a difference between them regarding what happens before the attack.

Understanding the difference between the symptoms of these two is important for effective treatment.

What is A Panic Attack?

A panic attack is an identifiable mental health condition. It is described by repeated and unexpected attacks. In these sudden episodes of fear, you may feel medical emergencies such as a heart attack, but in actuality, it is not; these symptoms can increase within minutes.Individuals with panic attacks also live in fear of having another attack. This constant fear impacts daily life, social relations, functionality, and independence. Research says that about experience panic attacks, and women are more affected.

What is An Anxiety Attack?

Most of the time, people use the term anxiety when they experience extreme fear and stress. This fear can be triggered by certain situations, such as relationship conflict, job interviews, exams, and more. Symptoms of an anxiety attack build slowly and last longer than panic attacks. Anxiety attacks interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, and can last for a long time. Symptoms of anxiety may start in childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.

Anxiety disorders are generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or specific phobias. Sometimes anxiety can also come from any medical condition that needs careful treatment. An individual can have more than one anxiety disorder.

What are the Symptoms of a Panic Attack and Anxiety Attack?

Symptoms of panic attacks and anxiety attacks are emotional and physical, including:

• Nervousness and worry
• Fear of dying
• Severe distress
• Fear of losing control
• Depersonalization or a sense of detachment from the world
• Fast Heart palpitations
• Chest pain or tightness
• Shortness of breath
• Throat tightness or feeling like you’re choking
• Drying mouth
• Sweating
• Hot flashes or chills
• Shaking or shivering
• Numbness (paresthesia)
• Feeling nausea
• Abdominal pain or upset stomach
• Headache
• Dizziness or feeling faint

It is somehow difficult to know when you are having a panic attack, so remember the following can help,

• Anxiety typically comes from something that’s perceived as stressful or fearful. Stressors don’t always trigger panic attacks. They most often occur suddenly and unexpectedly.
• Anxiety attacks can be mild, average, or severe; panic attacks are intense experiences. For example, when having a panic attack, you may be unable to move or react.
• When having a panic attack, the body’s independent fight-or-flight response is activated. Physical symptoms are often more intense in a panic attack than in anxious feelings.
• Panic attacks usually occur suddenly and can last a few minutes or hours.
• A Panic attack triggers feelings of worry or fear about having another sudden attack. This can affect your behavior and force you to avoid places or situations where you think you can have a panic attack.

What are the Types of Anxiety Disorder?

The following are different types of anxiety disorders,

Agrophobia

It is a type of anxiety disorder in which an individual fear and places or situations. These places of fear might cause them to panic, and they feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed.

Anxiety Disorder Due to Medical Condition

This disorder has symptoms like intense anxiety or panic due to any physical health condition. These conditions include muscle tension, heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, or difficulty breathing.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

In GAD, a person feels persistent, excessive anxiety, and worry about events or activities. The worry can be about even ordinary routine issues and out of proportion ot the actual circumstances. It is difficult to control these feelings, and it affects your physical health as well. This anxiety disorder often occurs with other disorders.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is a repeated episode of abrupt feelings of intense anxiety and fear that rise within minutes. You may feel upcoming failure, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a pounding heart palpitations. These panic attacks may create a sense of fear in you, happening again or avoid situations in which they have been triggered.

Selective Mutism

It is a severe anxiety disorder, which is a consistent failure of children to speak in certain situations. They can’t speak in situations such as school or even at home with family members. This disorder disrupts their school life and social functioning.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder is associated with a childhood disorder due to excessive anxiety and separation from parents or other loved ones. It affects the child’s development level and daily functioning.

Social Anxiety Disorder

It is described as a high level of fear, anxiety, and avoidance of social situations. An individual with this disorder feels embarrassment, self-consciousness, and fear of being judged negatively by others.

Phobias

Certain phobias are due to major anxiety. A person with a phobia, when exposed to specific situations and objects, feels intense anxiety and wants to avoid them. Sometimes phobias provoke panic attacks in some people.

Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder

An individual with this disorder has symptoms of intense anxiety or panic. These feelings are a result of misusing drugs, taking medications, exposure to a toxic substance, or quitting drugs.

Panic Attacks & Anxiety Disorders Treatment Approaches

You need an effective treatment when the symptoms occur for anxiety disorder and panic attacks. There are various treatments to deal with panic and anxiety disorders, and the most effective one is Psychotherapy. Often, psychiatrists help the patient with breathing exercises for panic attacks. The patient will recover soon, or it will take longer, depending on the condition of their mental health and how well they respond to treatment.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety Disorder

Psychotherapy is a talk therapy with different treatment methods to help the patient identify and change negative thoughts and actions. Mental health specialists talk to patients by using various strategies so you can understand and manage anxiety disorders. These strategic approaches include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT helps to reduce anxiety disorders. It is the most common type of psychotherapy to treat anxiety disorders. It teaches you to recognize your thought processes and behaviors that lead to unhealthy feelings. You will learn different ways to change your thoughts and reactions to triggering situations.

Exposure therapy 

In this therapy, the mental health specialists create a safe environment to help you to face and overcome your fears. Fears may be regarding things, situations, and certain activities. Exposure therapy helps show to see that you are capable of overcoming your fears. You’ll learn to adopt more realistic new beliefs about the things you were afraid of. It will make you more comfortable with the experience of fear.

Restore Your Mental Well-being with Renowned Mental Health Group 

Are you struggling with panic attacks or anxiety disorder? Here we are with professional therapy at Renowned Mental Health Group.

We offer accessible and comprehensive mental health treatments. Our team has mental health specialists to deal with different mental health conditions. Whether you are facing anxiety disorder, panic attacks, or any other disorder, we are here to help you.