What makes an anxiety attack different from a panic attack? Is GAD different from panic disorder? Let’s take a look at the differences between anxiety vs panic.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States.
Are you dealing with some mental health concerns and don’t know whether it is panic or anxiety?
There are many facets to both anxiety and panic, which makes it difficult to see the differences, but there are key distinctions that may help you figure out what’s going on.If you are trying to determine the difference between anxiety vs panic, keep reading to learn more.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. This stress could be positive stress or negative stress (eustress or distress).
It’s a feeling we get when the future is uncertain or we are not sure about what exactly will happen next. You may get anxious before a job interview or before speaking in public or talking on the phone. There are several day-to-day anxiety triggers.
Everyone has anxiety to some extent, but if it is interfering with your daily life, it may be more serious.
There are several anxiety disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5), which is the latest edition, that have specific criteria. Even if you meet these criteria, the anxiety disorder would need to be diagnosed by a mental health professional for you to receive treatment.
Can You Have an Anxiety Attack?
An anxiety attack is not a medical condition defined in the DSM-5, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Anxiety can creep up on your gradually over time or it can manifest into something that hits you all at once.
A lot of people live with low levels of anxiety every day. As anxiousness starts to increase, it may cause an “anxiety attack” because it is more than the person is used to.
Symptoms of an anxiety attack are more severe that general anxiety, but less severe than a panic attack (which we will discuss below). Anxiety attacks can last for just a short period of time or for days or weeks.
Symptoms that you may experience could include:
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Periods where your mind is blank
- Difficulty sleeping
- Inability to control worries
There could be instances where an anxiety attack preludes a panic attack. You may have an anxiety attack on the way to a place that you once had a panic attack, for example, because you’re scared of it happening again.
An anxiety attack doesn’t always mean a person has an anxiety disorder, but it could be linked to a mental health concern.
What Is GAD?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is sometimes difficult for mental health professionals to diagnose. A lot of people automatically think of panic attacks when they think about anxiety disorders, but GAD is different because not many people that have it will have panic attacks as part of the condition.
If a panic attack isn’t present, you may not realize your anxiety is abnormal. You could just think you are “worrying too much” and dismiss it when proper treatment is necessary.
Anxiety is normal, but there is such a thing as too much anxiety. The main criteria for a GAD diagnosis are:
- Excessive anxiety and worry
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Increased body pain
- Difficulty sleeping
- Impaired concentration
- Irritability
The amount of time you’ve had symptoms, the number of these symptoms you’re experiencing, and your age will all impact diagnosis based on the DSM-5.
What Is Panic?
Panic attacks are a recognized disorder by the DSM-5 and also have a criterion that has to be fulfilled before a diagnosis can be made.
A panic attack is a sudden instance of intense fear that will trigger physical reactions even though there is no real cause or danger. They can be very scary to experience and you will feel like you are losing control, having heart failure, or even dying.
Most people that have panic attacks will only have one or two in their lifetime. They may occur when a person has a serious problem and stop when that stressful problem goes away.
However, if you have had recurrent panic attacks that come on unexpectedly and spend your time in fear of it happening again, you may meet the criteria for panic disorder.
A panic attack may include symptoms such as:
- Sense of danger
- Fear of losing control
- Rapid heart rate
- Trembling
- Chills or hot flashes
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Numbness or tingling
- Headache
- Chest pain
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
One of the worst things that people may experience with a panic attack is the fear afterward that it is going to happen again.
How to Tell the Difference: Anxiety vs Panic Attack
You may be asking yourself “how are anxiety attacks different from panic attacks?” and the answer is not always clear, but there are some distinctions that may help you identify what you’re experiencing.
In general, a panic attack has more physical symptoms that you feel throughout your body while an anxiety attack is usually more in your brain. Anxiety attacks the way you’re thinking and panic attacks the way your body is feeling.
With that being said, everyone has slightly different experiences with these instances. Just because one person has nausea and shortness of breath during a panic attack doesn’t mean the next person will also have those symptoms.
You don’t have to have all of the symptoms to be experiencing these attacks either, which makes it even more difficult to pinpoint in some individuals.
Coping With Anxiety or Panic
If you’re dealing with these problems, speak to a professional.
Now that you know the difference between anxiety vs panic attack, you may be able to identify which symptoms you’re experiencing and get the help you need.