Some people even mistake a panic attack for a heart attack.Īnxiety may come on gradually, while panic attacks tend to happen suddenly and often peak within minutes.Īnxiety can range from mild to severe, while panic attacks are typically acute and intense. Keep these three key differences in mind:Īnxiety is often linked to a stressor or perceived future threat, while panic attacks can feel like they came out of nowhere. While panic is a sudden, uncontrollable fear reaction, intense periods of anxiety are a response to general threats in the future. And it’s possible people may use the term “panic attack” in a casual way that indicates a sudden onset of intense anxiety - but not a panic attack. People may use “anxiety attack” to refer to an intense period of anxiety that lasts for a specific amount of time. It also categorizes panic disorder - which panic attacks are the main symptom of - as a type of anxiety disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR) defines the symptoms of a panic attack and panic disorder but makes no mention of anxiety attacks. This can get confusing because anxiety in general and panic attacks have some overlapping symptoms. In fact, even though a heightened state of anxiety can feel like an “attack,” anxiety attack is not a recognized clinical term. The terms “anxiety attack” and “panic attack” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing. What’s the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack? That doesn’t mean, however, you can’t experience a bout of anxiety that feels particularly intense. While a panic attack is an officially defined experience, an anxiety attack isn’t. But panic attacks and anxiety attacks are not the same. It can be hard to tease these emotions apart because they tend to blend together. While often uncomfortable, intense anxiety and even panic are normal emotions that can alert us to potential harm in our environment.
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