What’s the difference between generalized anxiety disorder (anxiety attacks) and panic attacks?
Contrary to popular misunderstanding, attacks from anxiety disorders and panic disorders are two different things. An anxiety attack is characterized by feelings of anxiety or nervousness, while a panic attack is marked by sudden episodes of intense fear or excessive worry. Both can cause physical symptoms like heart palpitations, chest pain or abdominal distress, but panic attacks tend to have more severe symptoms. A panic attack can also come on suddenly and without warning, while anxiety attacks usually build up over time.
Physical Symptoms
| Anxiety Attacks | Panic Attacks |
|---|---|
| Heart palpitations | Chest pain |
| Nausea | Shaking |
| Shortness of breath | Blacking out |
Anxiety Attacks
- Heart palpitations are one of the most common physical signs of anxiety attacks. It typically manifests as pounding or racing of the heart and the need to sit down in order to reset. Palpitations are also frequently described as a persistent fluttering sensation in the chest.
- Nausea is often described as a feeling of sickness or queasiness in the stomach and can be accompanied by other symptoms such as sweating or dizziness. Nausea can make it difficult to concentrate or even stand up and leads to vomiting in severe cases.
- Shortness of breath is characterized by a sensation of suffocation, which can be extremely frightening with the potential to create additional anxiety and panic. Shortness of breath is caused by hyperventilation, which is when the body doesn’t have time to process excess carbon dioxide from breathing too rapidly, causing blood vessels to constrict.
Panic Attacks
- Shaking can manifest as trembling, twitching, or even full-blown convulsions in severe cases. The shaking from panic attacks can be so severe that it’s difficult to stand or sit still. In some cases, the shaking can be so intense that it can cause difficulty breathing. This can lead to a feeling of losing control or suffocation and further prolong the attack.
- Chest pain is characterized by sharp, stabbing sensations in the chest or a dull ache with every breath. It may be accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, and an increased heart rate. Chest pains are often one of the first symptoms of a panic attack in progress and can be very frightening when experienced for the first time.
- Blacking out can happen due to the extreme stress and anxiety that is associated with unexpected panic attacks. Individuals blacking out may also experience seizures, convulsions, or muscle spasms. In some cases, they may even stop breathing or lose consciousness for a brief period of time. This can be extremely dangerous and should be treated as a medical emergency.
Mental Symptoms
| Anxiety Disorders | Panic Disorder |
|---|---|
| Excessive worry | Derealization |
| Flashbacks | Depersonalization |
| Distress | Fear of dying |
Anxiety Disorders
- Excessive worry is characterized by constant preoccupation with things that seem minor or insignificant to others or matters that are impossible to control. Sufferers of this worry may have a hard time relaxing or difficulty falling asleep and may feel as though they’re always on edge. If left untreated, this constant worry and preoccupation can progress to physical symptoms.
- Flashbacks are intrusive, recurrent memories of traumatic events. They can cause significant distress and make it difficult to go about daily life. Individuals who experience flashbacks may feel as though they’re reliving the event when triggered by anything that reminds them of the original trauma, including specific smells, sounds, or sights.
Panic Disorder
- Derealization and depersonalization can cause a feeling of disconnection from one’s own body and surroundings. Derealization can best be compared to a dream or an out-of-body experience, while depersonalization is an emotional disconnect from an individual’s surroundings, as well as other people. In the case of recurring panic attacks, these mental symptoms can be extremely disorienting and frightening.
- Fear of dying is a largely psychosomatic symptom wherein sufferers become convinced that they’re about to die. This can be a particularly overwhelming feeling when the person experiencing it happens to be alone. The physical symptoms of a panic attack can further aggravate this fear of dying, as they can come off as the sudden onset of a heart attack or choking.
Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) & Anxiety Attacks
Symptoms
According to the American Psychiatric Association, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the United States, characterized by “persistent and obsessive worry about everyday things.” People with GAD may experience a variety of symptoms, including feeling restless or on edge, having difficulty concentrating, experiencing muscle tension, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additionally, people with GAD may also suffer from social anxiety, have trouble sleeping, and may often feel irritable.
Diagnosis
A mental health professional can distinguish between GAD and panic disorder based on the key characteristics of their symptoms. GAD is characterized by anxiety and worries progressing over a chronic and persistent course, with no periods of remission or abrupt surge of anxiety symptoms.
Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
Symptoms
Because of the nature of the condition, panic disorder often doesn’t occur in isolation. In many cases, it’s the root cause (or a contributing cause) to accompanying mood disorders or other psychiatric disorders. This can lead to a behavioral pattern of aversion and social phobia which only further isolates the individual, as he or she is almost completely occupied with avoiding or preparing for the next panic attack.
Diagnosis
The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders describes panic disorder as unpredictable rather than chronic, with rapid onsets and periods of remission between attacks. The attacks themselves are easily distinguished from anxiety attacks due to their intense physical symptoms, including stabbing pains in the chest, tremors and fainting.
Treating Anxiety and Panic Disorders
Aside from leading methods of professional treatment like cognitive therapy and exposure therapy, as well as conventional anxiolytic medications, there are a number of supplementary measures that can be taken to control anxiety and panic disorder; namely the use of nootropics, therapeutic tools like magnetic stress balls or even cannabinoids to reduce the severity of their symptoms.
Be sure to consult with your physician before starting any medical or dietary supplement to avoid undesirable side effects that may arise from conflicting prescriptions.
