Anxiety attack vs panic attack

Hello. I was wondering what was the difference between an anxiety attack vs a panic attack. I have tried looking up the difference. Some say anxiety attacks don't exist while other (sites) say that they are more frequent, but less severe than panic attacks. I don't know the symptoms of anxiety attacks, but the symptoms of panic attacks are:

Four (or more) of the following symptoms occur:
1. Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate.
2. Sweating.
3. Trembling or shaking.
4. Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering.
5. Feelings of choking.
6. Chest pain or discomfort.
7. Nausea or abdominal distress.
8. Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed, or faint.
9. Chills or heat sensations.
10. Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations).
11. Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself).
12. Fear of losing control or “going crazy.”
13. Fear of dying

For me, I get 1, 2, 3, and 9 for my panic attacks caused by my social anxiety, but I sometimes get 4 with that. For my GAD ones, I get 1, 3, 8, and 9. I have never gotten more than 5 symptoms (I am pretty sure) of a panic attack, but it is still considered a panic attack.

Anyways, can someone explain the difference if there is a difference? Thanks .

good question, not sure.

Psych Central has this archived info that might help
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://...X9FFHdEzcdXOUA

I've never understood this either. I get some combination of 1,2,3,8,9,10,11 depending on how severe it is.

I have never called them panic attacks because I don't have any chest pain or any sort of feelings or dread or fear of dying.

I rarely get them anymore, thank goodness. I usually call them an anxiety attack for lack of a better term. Sometimes I say "hyperventilating freak-out episode" but that's the kind of thing you can only say about yourself.

I'm extremely likely to get one if I'm in a crowded room that I can't easily leave and some unpleasant sound starts. One of these days I'm going to lose control and stand up in church and say "PUT THE VIOLIN DOWN. NOW!"

hi nike ,
I think they are the same thing cuz I get them when I get overwhelmed by things in my life. im just glad that I have my therapist who specializes in anxiety and depression . she helped me when I have an anxiety attack .

Oh okay thanks. According to the DSM, that would be considered a panic attack but. Maybe people think they have to have chest pains and fear dying? Anyways, thanks for the response .

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I think they are too. I think people just don't know the meaning of a panic attack and assume things. Thanks for the response .

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My info. is old, I think.

When I'm having anxiety attacks, I can generally work myself through the feelings associated therewith, but when I get into a full blown panic attack, I can't ... Not sure if that makes sense or not, but I'm aware when my anxiety's growing and if I don't start doing things to take the edge off of it, then I find myself falling into a full blown panic attack and there's no taking the edge off of that until it's run its course!

Simplified: I can reason with my anxiety ... I cannot reason with my panic!

When I have panic attacks, I get every symptom but #3 (unless I don't realize it at the time because the other symptoms are more disturbing to me). Sometimes I also have light sensitivity in addition to those symptoms. At times, I will have balance issues, IBS, and heart palpitations that I guess can be classified as an anxiety attack, but I thought that the terms were pretty much used interchangably.

Thanks. I think they are interchangeable. For panic attacks though, some symptoms I didn't list are part of culture and background like headaches, screaming, crying, etc., and those symptoms aren't part of the panic attack criteria.

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That makes sense. Are the symptoms for your anxiety attacks different from what I posted about panic attacks? Are they the same? If they are the same, then it would probably be considered a mild panic attack. Thanks for the response .

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I might be wrong don't think I've ever had a panic attack. Panic sounds more incapacitating and alarming, like when you can't really think or react, just run like a scared cat.

As for anxiety, I get cold hands, my "insides" feel uneasy, my lungs feel heavy (but I hardly ever hyperventilate). I cough a lot and my feel like throwing up. I may get a discomfort around my chest. I will feel awful, I won't want to talk to anyone, but as someone said I can work my way, even in order not to show other what's happening.

Hoooweeever, I do have depersonalizations when my anxietys hits its maximum level, if I get way too sad and, when I get bad news and so. Maybe that's how I panic or why I don't panic? I don't know. When I was at school there was a girl who had panic attacks and I remember seeing her being taken by the hand to the medical care, having trouble to even walk, while she couldn't stop crying and hyperventilating. That never happened to me.

That does sound like a panic attack to me. I did post the criteria of a panic attack in my first post.

I feel like that is the worst thing possible to happen. Like a more severe case. With the girl you saw. I can still walk when I have my panic attacks, but I feel like crying and I am trembling badly. Panic attacks are alarming, even what you said. I guess it is based on what each person considers alarming. Thanks for the response .

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