Panic Attacks and Anxiety Attacks: How the Symptoms Differ

The terms ‘panic attack’ and ‘anxiety attacks’ do not mean the same thing even though they are often used interchangeably. While the symptoms are similar, there are important differences between the two. As the treatments for each are different, it is vital to differentiate between them.

Panic attack symptoms come on suddenly. The onset of a panic attack is characterized by heart palpitations, shortness of breath, trembling, a cold sweat, nausea and feeling you may faint. These are some of the physical symptoms and the sufferer may feel all of them, some of them or some of the symptoms not listed here. Panic attacks are also responsible for a variety of emotional reactions, the main ones of which are a cold dread and intense fear. Many feel that they are losing their minds or fear that they are going to die.

The focus of the person having the attack is centered on what is going on in their bodies and minds.

The cause of the attack, while posing an acute threat to the sufferer, is usually something or some place that in actual fact holds very little or no danger at all. Because of this, they may find they get little sympathy from their friends or family who tend to think they should just pull themselves together.

However, it is the very arbitrariness of the cause which becomes the biggest problem. The sufferer may be able to understand that the trigger is basically harmless but they are still unable to control how they react to it. This feeling of not being able to control their reactions leads to avoidance behavior which could then result in drastic lifestyle changes.

Anxiety attacks, on the other hand, are something different. Unlike panic attacks which come on suddenly, anxiety is more long term.  The cause or causes are easier to verify as they are things in that person’s life which they worry about excessively and have done for a long time. This anxiety may reach a crisis level and the result is an anxiety attack.

The physical manifestations of an anxiety attack can be similar to those of a panic attack with the difference that they tend to be less intense but longer lasting. There is the increased heart rate and shortness of breath found in panic attacks as well as muscle tension, irritability, muscle tension and a difficulty in concentrating on tasks.

The main focus of a person suffering from anxiety is what is going on in their lives. If long term pathological anxiety is not treated, then it could turn into a more specific disorder such as panic disorder or phobia.