A panic attack can be physically debilitating and feel terrifying—at least until symptoms resolve minutes or hours later. However, some people may refer to a panic attack as an anxiety attack and vice versa.
You may be wondering about the differences between a panic attack vs. an anxiety attack. The primary distinction is that panic attacks are an official medical term referring to physical body symptoms. Anxiety attacks don’t have a specific definition. Here’s what you need to know.
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Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack
“Anxiety attack” doesn’t appear in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM),” the compendium of criteria clinicians use to diagnose mental illnesses. Psychologists don’t have this descriptor in their vocabulary. The term could mean anything, and it means different things to different people.
Some people may be using “panic attack” and “anxiety attack” interchangeably, Lily Brown, PhD, director of research with the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, told Health.
Other people might use “anxiety attack” to describe anxious feelings that don’t rise to the level of panic, Russell Hunter, PsyD, Manassas, Virginia-based clinical psychologist and author of Attacking Panic: The Power To Be Calm, told Health. “They don’t get to the fear or dread,” said Hunter, but they may feel shaky or nervous.
What Is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is a collection of bodily symptoms that can occur during episodes of sudden fear or anxiety, known as panic disorder. Panic attacks may not have obvious triggers and may last minutes to hours. People can experience panic attacks at different frequencies as well; the attacks can happen often or occasionally.1
Example Scenario
If you’re worried about having the next panic attack, that’s “anticipatory anxiety—the worry of, Oh, no, I’m going to have a panic attack,” said Brown. On the other hand, “The emotion I’m feeling when I’m having a panic attack we would think of as fear.”
What Is an Anxiety Attack?
Since an anxiety attack is not an official medical term, there’s no official definition for it. You can, however, have bouts of anxiety due to stressful life events. Sometimes, people stress over things that haven’t happened yet, and their worries spin out of control.
So, if you find yourself being anxious a lot, you might be diagnosed with a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).2 GAD is defined as excessive anxiety and worry with symptoms that are present most of the time and persist for more than six months. GAD is characterized by feelings such as nervousness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating and sleeping.3
Example Scenario
A person with GAD will tell you they cannot stop worrying, explained Brown. It can be almost a pathological level of worry. They might say, “Every time my child leaves the house, I have to have him call me every half hour to make sure he’s OK, and if he doesn’t, I get really worried and I start calling him incessantly, even calling the authorities.”
Symptoms
The following table contains the symptoms a person might experience with a panic attack, anxiety, or both:123
| Panic Attack and Anxiety Symptom Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Panic Attack Symptoms | Anxiety Symptoms | Shared Symptoms |
| An out-of-body feeling | Concentration problems | Problems with breathing |
| Arm, feet, hand, or leg numbness or tingling | Fatigue | Racing or pounding heart |
| Chest pain or discomfort | Having body aches like headaches, stomachaches, or pain you can’t explain | Sweating |
| Chills or hot flashes | Muscle tension or aches | |
| Dizziness or weakness | Problems going to sleep, staying asleep, or achieving quality sleep | |
| Feeling that you’re choking | Problems with controlling feelings of worry | |
| Nausea | Restlessness while awake | |
| Sense of unreality or dreamlike sensations | Upset stomach | |
| Shaking or trembling | ||
Causes
The causes of panic attacks and anxiety or anxiety attacks are unknown. However, genetics, stress, brain biology, and a person’s environment may all play a role.4
Risk Factors
Risk factors can vary when it comes to attacks of panic and anxiety but generally include:2
- Certain physical health conditions like irregular heartbeat or problems with a person’s thyroid
- Family history of anxiety or other mental health disorders
- Stressful or negative life event exposure
- Stressful or negative environmental events
- Traumatic events experienced in childhood or adulthood
Treatment
Many of the treatment options for anxiety and panic attacks overlap. They can include:
- Psychotherapy: Also called talk therapy, it’s a treatment with different subtypes for helping people determine and change worrisome thoughts, feelings, and actions. Types of talk therapy that may be helpful for anxiety and panic attacks include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).2
- Medications: Various types of medications can be helpful for panic attacks and anxiety, including anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, and beta-blockers.52
Home Remedies
There are things you can do beyond a provider’s office or facility to help with anxiety and panic attacks. They include:262
- Doing yoga, tai chi, and qigong
- Eating at regular times
- Getting regular exercise and enough quality sleep
- Going to support groups
- Limiting or avoiding caffeine or other stimulants and certain cold medicines
- Trying stress management techniques, meditation, and mindfulness
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When To Contact a Healthcare Provider
If you think you’re experiencing anxiety or panic attacks, see a healthcare provider or mental health professional. They can diagnose your symptoms and guide you toward the right treatments. It’s also important to see a provider if your anxiety or panic attacks interfere with aspects of life like relationships, self-esteem, and work.27
A Quick Review
The terms panic attack and anxiety attack are often used to refer to the same feeling of sudden anxiety. However, panic attacks are an official term in the DSM, while the definition of an anxiety attack depends on how an individual describes it.
The causes of panic attacks and anxiety are unknown, but several factors can play a role, like genetics and stress. The two conditions may also be treated with the same options, but see a healthcare provider or mental health professional if you have symptoms of panic attacks or anxiety.
