Intense headaches, shaking, nausea, lightheadedness, irregular heartbeat, chest pains, trouble breathing, tightness in the chest, stomach pain, sweating, tingling. Numbness, intense hot or cold feelings, perceived choking, or being unable to speak. Each one of these symptoms on their own can be scary but sometimes people experience a number of these symptoms all together. When that happens, ruling a medical reason out, the individual may be experiencing a panic attack or an anxiety attack. And yes, those are two different things.
Anxiety Attack
An anxiety attack is a symptom of an anxiety disorder and has an identifiable cause or trigger. Anxiety attacks tend to start off with an escalation of anxiety symptoms due to exposure to an uncomfortable situation or trigger, getting increasingly more disruptive to the individuals functioning. Additionally, they are often fed by an individual’s thinking patterns if they go uninterrupted. This can also lead to difficulty in concentrating or completion of normal daily tasks leading up to and following an anxiety attack. These previous factors also mean that anxiety attacks typically last longer than panic attacks.
Panic Attack
A panic attack on the other hand is typically unpredictable, with a fast onset, and most of the time they do not last long. That does not mean however, that it doesn’t feel like it lasts forever to the person experiencing one. While a panic attack may have a trigger, they are often harder to identify. Additionally, panic attacks may be a symptom of an anxiety disorder, but panic disorders can also be their own diagnoses.
What you can do about it
If you are experiencing these symptoms there are several different treatment options. They can be used on their own or as part of an integrative treatment approach. A medical doctor may be able to rule out medical causes or possibly prescribe medications to help. A mental health professional can help you to identify triggers, understand your symptoms, increase coping skills, teach mindfulness, grounding, and help with anxiety management. Do not forget that medications work best when they are paired with therapeutic intervention.