Anxiety Attacks vs Panic Attacks

It’s easy to confuse an anxiety attack for a panic attack, and vice versa. 

Both experiences share many of the same physical symptoms and can feel completely mentally and emotionally overwhelming. To add to this confusion, they often feed into each other, so it’s possible to be suffering from both.

Despite these similarities, anxiety attacks and panic attacks aren’t the same thing. Each of these mental health “attacks” comes with unique signs and causes, and understanding these differences can help you determine which one you’re experiencing.

What Are Anxiety Attacks?

The term “anxiety attack” is an informal way of saying a period of severe anxiety. While it isn't a clinical term or formal diagnosis, most people say they’re having an anxiety attack when they notice their anxiety symptoms are more intense or overwhelming than normal.

Signs of Anxiety Attacks

Since anxiety attacks aren’t a clinically diagnosable experience, there isn’t a definitive list of symptoms to look out for. However, people often describe having symptoms such as:

• Rapid heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Racing thoughts
• Intense emotions
• Persistent worry or fear

Anxiety attacks can sometimes catch you off guard, but they don’t really come out of the blue. Instead, they often build gradually due to prolonged stress and fade away slowly as the stressor passes. This is one of the most noticeable distinctions between an anxiety attack and a panic attack.

Anxiety Attack Causes

Anxiety attacks are usually caused by an underlying mental health condition, such as:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Social anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Phobias, such as agoraphobia 
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Rather than viewing anxiety attacks as a separate condition or experience, it’s helpful to think of them as a temporary surge or flare up of your usual anxiety symptoms.

Underlying stress and anxiety keep your nervous system activated. When you encounter a stressor, your body’s fight-or-flight response can become further heightened. This causes a noticeable spike in your anxiety symptoms, which is what most people refer to as an “anxiety attack”. 

What Are Panic Attacks?

Unlike anxiety attacks, panic attacks are clinically defined experiences. According to the DSM-5, a panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes. 

Panic attacks are considered to be episodic events, rather than an ongoing condition. This means that they occur at irregular intervals, seemingly out of the blue, and they don’t always reflect someone’s baseline state.

Signs of Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are terrifying experiences, especially if you’re having one for the first time. Symptoms come on rapidly and intensely, and at their peak, you may even feel like you’re dying.

The DSM-5 lists 13 signs of a panic attack, and they include:

1. Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
2. Sweating
3. Trembling or shaking
4. Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
5. Feelings of choking
6. Chest pain or discomfort
7. Nausea or abdominal distress
8. Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed, or faint
9. Chills or heat sensations
10. Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
11. Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
12. Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
13. Fear of dying

Because panic attack symptoms can feel similar to serious medical conditions like heart problems, it can be difficult to tell the difference in the moment. 

One key feature of a panic attack is that its symptoms tend to peak and dissipate rather quickly. In contrast, symptoms caused by medical conditions may continue, worsen, or feel consistently intense. 

If you are ever unsure or experiencing symptoms for the first time, it’s important to seek medical attention to rule out other causes.

Panic Attack Causes

Panic attacks are usually caused by underlying mental health conditions, such as PTSD or one of many different anxiety disorders. Panic disorder is a specific anxiety disorder that involves repeated, unexpected panic attacks and a fear of having more.

Certain factors can increase the risk of having a panic attack, including:

• Prolonged stress or anxiety
• Major life transitions
• Genetics
• Physical illness or exhaustion
• Burnout
• Stimulants like caffeine or certain medications

These factors keep your nervous system in a high state of alert, which increases the likelihood of having a panic attack. “Anxiety attacks”, or periods of severe anxiety, can also escalate into a panic attack.

Anxiety Attacks vs Panic Attacks: How to Tell the Difference

Generally, if you feel much more anxious than normal and these feelings intensified gradually, then you’re likely experiencing what many call an anxiety attack. While they can feel overwhelming in the moment, anxiety attacks don’t always escalate into a panic attack and will gradually dissipate as your anxiety symptoms ease.  

If you suddenly feel an intense surge of fear with strong physical symptoms appearing all at once, you’re more likely experiencing a panic attack. Panic attacks can come out of the blue and peak within minutes, then quickly go away as your body’s stress response naturally winds down.

Solutions for Anxiety

Healthy habits, such as adequate sleep, regular exercise, and practicing mindfulness, all work together to calm your nervous system. This will reduce your baseline stress and help prevent your anxiety symptoms from flaring up or turning into an anxiety attack.

Solutions for Panic Disorder

Panic disorder and other anxiety disorders can be treated with the right combination of therapy, lifestyle support, and sometimes medication. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered one of the most effective treatments for panic disorder. This therapy modality helps people change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to panic attacks. It also teaches them healthier coping strategies for managing stress and reducing anxiety.

Certain medications may also be prescribed to help manage panic attacks. For example, SSRIs or SNRIs can help manage the long-term symptoms of anxiety, while medications like benzodiazepines can help alleviate panic attacks in the moment.

Take the First Step Toward Feeling Better

If stress, anxiety, or panic attacks are interfering with your daily life, reaching out for professional help is an important first step toward feeling better.

At Sequoia Behavioral Health, our holistic, individualized care treats the root causes of your mental health concerns, not just the symptoms. With our therapeutic and psychiatric care, you can feel safe, grounded, and empowered to live the life you want.

Reach out today to connect with a mental health professional here at Sequoia.