Apr 23, 2025
Panic attacks and anxiety attacks are both terms used to describe a surge in anxiety that results in intense physical reactions. However, whereas a panic attack is a set of symptoms described by mental health professionals, an anxiety disorder has no set description and is often used colloquially to describe a severe rise in anxiety that is not as intense as a panic attack.
The difference between the two is nuanced and important to understand, as it will inform treatment options.
Panic Attack vs Anxiety Attack
Both panic attacks and anxiety attacks are exhausting, intense, and terrifying. It’s not fun to feel overwhelmed by your anxiety. Regardless of which one you think you had, seeking treatment is a good idea. Neither an anxiety attack nor a panic attack is a normal experience and could signify a deeper mental health condition, like Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Panic Disorder.
Read the list of symptoms below, and if you think you’ve experienced either a panic attack or an anxiety attack, reach out to a therapist.
Symptoms of a Panic Attack
Panic attacks, as defined by professional therapists and psychiatrists, must include at least 4 of these symptoms:
- Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- A 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
A panic attack will come on suddenly and be an intense experience. Panic attacks can have no triggers and feel like they come out of nowhere.
Symptoms of an Anxiety Attack
An anxiety attack is not a medically accurate term, but people have found it useful to describe the experience of heightened anxiety without it being a panic attack. Symptoms of an anxiety attack can include:
- Excessive worry and fear
- Restlessness and agitation:
- Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest tightness, sweating, trembling, gastrointestinal discomfort, or muscle tension.
- Racing or intrusive thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Feelings of impending doom
- Nausea or dizziness
In general, an anxiety attack is less severe than a panic attack and is always triggered by something that causes the person anxiety. Just because it is less intense doesn’t mean it is normal or okay; an anxiety attack is a sign something is wrong. It could be a sign of stress or of a mental health issue. Talk to a therapist if you frequently have anxiety attacks.
What is the Difference between a Panic Attack and an Anxiety Attack?
There’s no official description for what an anxiety attack is, as it is not listed in the DSM-5, the handbook for diagnosing and treating mental health conditions for therapists. However, “anxiety attack” has come to colloquially mean a surge of stress and anxiety which is different from a panic attack. When trying to distinguish between the two, keep in mind these factors:
- The Cause: What caused the attack? Anxiety attacks will always have a trigger, but panic attacks can come from nowhere and take you by surprise.
- Intensity: A panic attack is an intense, severe experience of anxiety. Anxiety attacks can be severe as well, but they will always fail to reach the level of intensity of a panic attack.
- Physical Symptoms: You’ll feel the physical symptoms of anxiety during an anxiety attack, but they will be much worse during a panic attack. It can feel like you can’t breathe, are going to pass out, or are dying during a panic attack.
- Speed of onset: An anxiety attack is more often to rise gradually in its severity. What starts out as stress turns into anxiety, which turns into an anxiety attack. A panic attack can go from zero to a hundred in the span of minutes or even seconds. You might not have time to prepare for it, and calming yourself down from a panic track is incredibly difficult once it’s started.
- Effect: Both anxiety and panic attacks will result in exhaustion and feeling emotionally drained. While you may dread having another anxiety attack, you might out-right fear a panic attack. Because panic attacks can come from nowhere and are so intense so immediately, they can provoke real fear about having another one, resulting in behavioral changes like avoiding places you’ve had panic attacks in the past. An anxiety attack is unlikely to result in this type of long-lasting impression.
There are levels of severity in a panic attack as well. If you think you’ve had a panic attack, it’s worth talking to a therapist about. You don’t have to wait for it to get “bad enough” before seeking treatment; whether you’re having anxiety attacks or panic attacks, it’s already bad enough and you deserve to feel better.
What Causes Anxiety Attacks?
Anxiety attacks are triggered by something, usually something you have anxiety around. For example, if you are afraid of public speaking, you may have an anxiety attack before having to give a presentation. If you’re afraid of flying, you might experience anxiety attacks when you think about flying or at the airport.
It can help to create a list of triggers and track how often each trigger results in an anxiety attack or increased stress. This will help you manage anxiety attacks and prevent them from occurring.
How Long Can a Panic Attack Last?
Most panic attacks will last around 10 minutes, with some reaching 20 minutes. Rarely, someone may experience a “rolling panic attack”, or waves of panic attacks that peak, come down, and then peak again. Remember that panic attacks cannot kill you. Try to get somewhere you feel safe and take deep, slow breaths.
How to Stop an Anxiety Attack
An anxiety attack is an intense spike of fear and stress. It can be exhausting and terrifying. If you’re in the middle of an anxiety attack, follow these steps:
- Get somewhere safe: If you are in public, try to find a calm, empty space.
- Focus on your breath: Controlling your breathing taps into the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls your fight or flight response. Take deep, slow breaths and focus on the feeling of air coming and leaving your body. Learn specific techniques in our guide to mindfulness exercises for anxiety.
- Listen to a comforting song. It doesn’t have to be slow, if you normally listen to rock music, put on your favorite rock song. Really focus on the lyrics, singing along if you can to distract yourself.
- Distract yourself. Put on a TV show or call a friend. If the physical symptoms aren’t too bad, you can even engage in a hobby like a video game or cooking.
- Color scanning. Scan the space you are in from left to right. Count all the instances of red. Do the same for orange, then yellow, blue, green, and purple. Try to find all instances of these colors, down to the smallest things.
If anxiety attacks persist, contact a therapist. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
A therapist can help you manage your triggers and stress levels so anxiety attacks are less likely to occur. Anxiety attacks are usually not just the result of one trigger. Instead, they are caused by many triggers stacking on top of each other and eventually triggering your fight or flight response. By managing your stress levels and engaging in stress relieving activities, you can reduce the chance of having an anxiety attack.
Contact Lifebulb to be matched with an anxiety therapist near you.
