While the two are used to mean the same thing, anxiety attack and panic attack are loose definitions to describe an attack that has characteristics of both anxiety and panic. While there is no psychiatric diagnosis for an anxiety attack or panic attack, both anxiety and panic can manifest in a variety of diagnoses.
What is Panic?
Panic is generally determined by mental health professionals to be a chronic disorder that is characterized by a spontaneous, short-lived bout of intense fear along with physical symptoms which may include heart palpitations.
It should be noted that there is a diagnosis of panic disorder, which is characterized by unexpected panic attacks. However, there are times when panic attacks happen in specific situations which are usually an indication of a variety of conditions which may include:
- Substance withdrawal or intoxication
- Specific and/or Social Phobia
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Depressive Disorders
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety, unlike panic, is determined by two components: physiological sensations (these include sweating, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath) and having a sense of nervous awareness or fright.
Causes of anxiety may be due to general medical conditions or substance induced anxiety disorder. It should also be noted that anxiety can be caused by mixed anxiety depressive disorder.
All of these anxiety issues can have similar symptoms. Some of the disabling results of anxiety can be:
- The inability to rest
- Constant feeling of agitation
- Raised blood pressure
- Feeling that you cannot catch your breath
- Dizziness
Interested in finding out about additional symptoms in regard to anxiety attacks and/or panic attacks? Read our post about anxiety symptoms.
So what is an Anxiety Attack?
Now that we have established what anxiety and panic can lead to, it is easy to surmise that an anxiety attack will have similar symptoms. However, with an anxiety attack, the sufferer will experience these symptoms at an overwhelming degree. The key component to an anxiety attack is its intensity and shorter duration. The average length of time for an anxiety attack lasts from 20-30 minutes, and rarely last an hour. Often, the anxiety attack will be characterized by ten minute window of rapidly increasing symptoms which may leave the patient confused.
While an anxiety attack may not cause permanent damage, it could be a symptom of a longer-lasting issue that needs to be diagnosed.
While the term panic attack and anxiety attack can be used interchangeably, it should be noted that these symptoms can be experienced differently by each individual and may be caused by underlying issues that should be addressed by a mental or medical professional. Its possible that someone experiencing an anxiety attack or panic attack may require anxiety treatment from a psychotherapist.