You may have heard or even said the phrases “We have an exam?” or “Homework? What homework?” with an excited “You almost made me have a panic attack!” following shortly after a short explanation but what is a panic attack and how is it different from an anxiety attack. While anxiety and panic attacks are often misinterpreted as the same thing and are used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Here is how they are different:
Hormones
Anxiety and panic attacks are different down to the hormones involved in each phenomenon. In panic attacks there is a surge of adrenaline in the body. The adrenaline is pumped into the blood stream in an attempt to allow the body to respond to a threat. The main hormone involved in an anxiety attack is cortisol; cortisol is produced by the body when under stress.
Causes
The different causes for both phenomena go hand in hand the hormones involved with the separate attacks. The cause of a panic attack is fear, in order to handle the threat causing the fear the body produces adrenaline. The cause of an anxiety attack is slightly different, it is worrying. Because fear and panic often lead to worry, the two are often mistaken for each other. Anxiety is often a response to unknown outcomes and distant threats while panic is typically a response to immediate danger and imminent threats.
Symptoms
Panic attacks feel much more intense than anxiety attacks do. Often times after a panic attack or a bad anxiety attack a person may worry themselves into an anxiety attack. According to Allen France’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5, a panic attack is a combination of at least four of the following symptoms:
- heart palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
- excessive sweating
- trembling or shaking
- sensations of shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or smothering
- feeling of choking
- chest pain or discomfort
- nausea or abdominal distress
- feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
- feelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
- fear of losing control or going crazy
- fear of dying
- numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesias)
- chills or hot flushes
Anxiety has less intense symptoms including:
- Muscle tension
- Disturbed sleep
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Increased startle response
- Increased heart rate
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
Being worried about an assignment you aren’t prepared for is probably just a bit of anxity not a panic attack.