Panic Attacks Vs Anxiety: What’s The Difference?

Introduction

While it’s wonderful that we’re all collectively starting to talk more about mental health and discomforts like anxiety, a “side effect” of this developing dialogue is that many terms are misused.

The terms ‘anxiety’, ‘panic’, ‘anxiety attack’ or ‘panic attack’ are often used interchangeably. But are they the same? Or is there a difference between panic and anxiety, or an “attack” of either? 

While anxiety is a general feeling of worry or fearfulness, a vague sense of something being “off”, panic is an intense and sudden feeling of doom or fear. Anxiety is something all of us feel, and in mild doses, it is useful for us - it alerts us to danger and helps us prepare for challenging situations.

Panic, on the other hand, can be all-consuming and create a feeling of dread. Panic often sets in all of a sudden, in the form of what we call an “attack”. We will look further into panic attack symptoms, triggers and coping strategies in the sections that follow. 

For now, it’s important to understand that while anxiety is more of an ongoing, generalized feeling of worry, panic comes suddenly and takes the form of an “attack”. 

The terms ‘panic attack’ and ‘anxiety attack’ are commonly used interchangeably, but only ‘panic attack’ is a clinically recognized term, while ‘anxiety attack’ is not a formal medical term. It would be most beneficial for us to understand the difference between panic attacks and generalized anxiety. So, let’s dive in! 

Understanding Panic Attacks and Generalized Anxiety

Panic Attacks

A panic attack is a sudden and intense bout of fear that may seem to come out of nowhere. Panic attack symptoms include: 

• Rapid heart rate 
• Sweating 
• Trembling or shaking
• Nausea 
• Headache
• Chest pain 
• Dizziness 
• Feeling out of control 
• Intense feeling of doom 

Many people describe having a panic attack as feeling as if they are dying or having a heart attack. It’s also common for people to rush to the hospital while having a panic attack because the extreme discomfort combined with feelings of doom or dread can be quite a scary experience, leaving one wanting medical care.

Anxiety 

Anxiety is a part of being human. It is what we feel before doing something new or important, or while waiting for an exam or interview result. Anxiety is also a response to feeling unsafe or threatened, and in such situations, it serves the important function of alerting us to danger. Some amount of anxiety is important for healthy development and growth. 

However, some of us experience prolonged anxiety or worry even when there is no danger or threat to our safety. This is called ‘generalized anxiety’ and when unmanaged or severe, it can become an anxiety disorder. 

While anxiety may sometimes feel like an “attack” when it becomes intense, it usually builds up more gradually and can be identified and managed before it becomes too intense. Anxiety can be best understood as ongoing worry. 

Symptoms of generalized anxiety include:

• Excessive and ongoing worry about most things 
• Feeling restless or “on edge” 
• Overthinking, and having trouble concentrating on tasks 
• Sleep disturbances 
• Tension or discomfort in the body, which may include headaches, nausea, increased heart rate or breathlessness 

Key Differences Between Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Common Questions and Misconceptions

"Is an anxiety attack the same as a panic attack?"

While the two terms are used interchangeably, there’s only one that is a formal medical term - panic attack. Anxiety attack is sometimes used to describe panic attacks, and at other times, it may be used to describe intense feelings of anxiety. However, it is important to recognize that while a panic attack is sudden, anxiety slowly builds up and an “attack” in this context is simply the gradual intensification of feelings of anxiety. 

"Are all panic attacks the same?"

Yes and no. While there no different types of panic attacks, there are some variations based on comorbidity and frequency. 

Panic attacks can sometimes be a part of other anxiety disorders such as claustrophobia or agoraphobia. If someone is claustrophobic, for example, they may experience panic attacks in closed spaces. In such cases, there may be panic attack “triggers”. When panic attacks are frequent and unexpected, it may suggest a panic disorder. 

Coping with Panic and Anxiety 

While we don’t fully understand what causes panic attacks, long-term stress and proneness to stress seem to be a risk factor. In this section, we discuss strategies coping with daily anxiety, as well as some tips on how to stop a panic attack. 

Coping with daily anxiety: 

1. Include periods of rest and relaxation in your daily life. For example, you can take 10-15 minutes in the morning to ground yourself before starting the day, or try to incorporate 10-15 minute breaks for downtime during the day. 
2. Identify your patterns and triggers. Most individuals living with anxiety tend to have some patterns or triggers. Learning about this can help one gain more insight and feel more in control 
3. Incorporate movement in your daily life. Increasingly, research is showing that regular exercise helps ease the symptoms of anxiety. Find a movement-based practice that you enjoy and look forward to doing. 

How to stop a panic attack:

According to the NHS, here are two ways one can curb a panic attack: 

1. Practice breathing exercises: 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, exhale for 8 counts) and 5-5-5-5 breathing technique (inhale for 5 counts, hold for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts) are found to be helpful for dealing with panic. 
2. Tune your attention outward: You can listen to a song, touch or hold something soft and comforting, look around and notice your environment. 

In the next section, we will look at these two strategies a bit more in depth. 

Calming Techniques:

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

In an anxious or panicked state, our attention is turned inward. 54321 grounding technique is a simple and easy technique which helps us connect with our surroundings. If you’re feeling anxious or panicky, look around and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can touch. By doing this, you engage all your senses which ultimately helps one feel calmer. You can read more about it here. 

Other Grounding Techniques

There several ways to feel more grounded. Breathing exercises, mindfulness movement, visualizations and progressive muscle relaxation are a few ways to help one combat anxiety and panic. 

Anxiety and panic are mind-body experiences wherein we have immediate and noticeable physical symptoms. Through techniques like deep breathing and muscle relaxation, we can address the anxiety at both these levels and come a centered and calm state of being. 

Triggers and Prevention

Common Triggers for Panic Attacks:

As discussed, panic attacks often come suddenly and don’t have identifiable triggers unless there is also the presence of other anxiety related concerns. Having said that, since individuals who are prone to panic attacks are also prone to high stress, it may be useful to consider unmanaged stress as a contributing factor for panic attacks. 

Common Triggers for Anxiety:

Anxiety can be brought on by any stressful life event. Illness, loss of a loved one, loss of job, moving to a different city or country, chronic stress from work or lack of work-life balance, interpersonal conflict - all these can be “triggers” for anxiety.

Tips for Prevention:

The best way to prevent anxiety is to catch it early and establish a healthy and balances lifestyle. Here are some ways to do that: 

1. Work with a mental health professional to learn about your triggers and vulnerabilities, learn coping strategies and process challenging or difficult situations 
2. Maintain a healthy and balanced routine where you incorporate regular exercise, a nutritious diet and adequate rest
3. Practice relaxation and grounding exercises regularly to help maintain a baseline state of calm 
4. Invest in healthy and supportive relationships and spend time with loved ones 
5. Do more joyful activities that don’t compromise your health 

Seeking Help and Treatment Options

When to Seek Professional Help:

Professional help can be both preventative and treatment-oriented. If you’re going through a stressful period in life, or a transition like graduating from college, getting married, having a child or looking after ailing and ageing parents, it’s a good idea to reach out to a therapist to help you process the changes without feeling overwhelmed by it. 

Alternatively, if you begin experiencing symptoms of anxiety or panic attack, and you’d like more insight around it, or the symptoms are impacting your daily funcitoning, it’s a good idea to reach out to amental health professional. 

Treatment Options:

Depending on the severity of symptoms, treatment may include medication and psychotherapy, or psychotherapy alone. Various therapy modalities like psychodynamic therapy and CBT are helpful for anxiety. One can also include mindfulness based practices in their life as they help reduce the symptoms of anxiety. 

Importance of a Support System:

Having healthy relationships can not only protect us from anxiety, but also be therapeutic. The presence of calm and supportive friends and family can help us deal with the ups and downs of stress and anxiety. While you work on learning how to cope with anxiety, also pay attention to your social support systems. 

Conclusion

While anxiety builds up gradually and is characterized by ongoing worry, panic often comes about suddenly. Both anxiety and panic, however, are related to high, unmanaged stress. For this reason, anyone experiencing anxiety or panic would benefit from seeking professional help. You can find qualified and experiences mental health professionals on Mave Health’s Therapy Club, and while you look for a suitable therapist to work with, you can always start including some rest and relaxation practices in your daily life!  

Citations

Ankrom, S. (2008, July 4). Anxiety Attacks vs. Panic Attacks. Verywell Mind; Verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/anxiety-attacks-versus-panic-attacks-2584396 

‌Did You Know There Are Different Types of Panic Attacks? (n.d.). Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/types-of-panic-attacks-2584251#toc-types-of-panic-attacks 

Holland, K. (2018, May). What Triggers Anxiety? 11 Causes That May Surprise You. Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/anxiety-triggers#triggers 

‌How to deal with panic attacks. (n.d.). NHS Inform. https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing/anxiety-and-panic/how-to-deal-with-panic-and-anxiety/ 

‌Mayo Clinic. (2017, September 27). Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495 

‌Mayo Clinic. (2018, May 4). Panic attacks and panic disorder - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021 

NHS. (2021, February 16). Panic disorder. Nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/panic-disorder/ 

‌NHS. (2021, February 3). Signs of an anxiety disorder. Nhs.uk; NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/anxiety-disorder-signs/ 

Vandergriendt, C. (2017, November 15). What’s the Difference Between a Panic Attack and an Anxiety Attack? Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/panic-attack-vs-anxiety-attack