I can tell by some of the questions that people have asked me about panic attacks that they are using this term interchangeably with the term "anxiety attacks." This doesn't mean that these folks are misinformed. This is a very common mistake. In fact, before I had personal experience with this, I assumed that these were the same as well. I can tell you that they aren't. There are some very real differences and distinctions, which I will discuss below.

A Panic Attack Vs An Anxiety Attack. What Is The Difference?: The main difference is typically that an anxiety attack comes as the result of something around you or something that is troubling you and causing you anxiety and you are quite aware of this. You often see this coming a mile away. Here's a couple of examples. You have a huge mid term coming up at school or a project coming up at work. You are so worried about this, that you can't even bring yourself to sit down and prepare so you procrastinate and you put it off. Of course, this lack of control continues to feed your anxieties and so you brainstorm, with troubling frequency, of the worst case scenario with this. It's no wonder then, that when the big day of the test or the presentation gets here, your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, you have trouble concentrating, and you might even feel dizzy.

However, in general, once the days has passed and the project deadline is out of the way, you will generally feel a huge sense of relief and the "attack" is generally considered to be over. That's not to say that you always see anxiety attacks coming. Sometimes, you do not. Here's another example. Say, you just attended an event that was a lot of fun. You have to head home so you say goodbye to your friends. You're happy and upbeat and you have no reason to feel anxious now. However, as you approach your car to go home, you notice that it's dark and there's someone that you don't know standing next to it. Luckily, you pass by until you can call someone, but in those few moments, you're likely to have those same types of symptoms - your respiration is much more rapid and you're on hyper alert. You might have a real sense of danger or harm. Still, once you return to your car with a friend, see that no one is now there, and get home safely, you're generally OK after the fact. And also, while the attack is going on, you're generally quite aware that what is happening is a direct result of your surroundings or situation.

That's not to say that once these events are "over," they don't affect you or stay with you. Many people are prone to these anxiety attacks because they are just more prone to feeling worried or out of control. They begin to live (or have always lived in some cases) with a sense of fear and dread, or, alternatively, it does not take all that much for them to feel anxiety because they are just more sensitive to this than others -- which is why these attacks are just as important to address and treat as are panic attacks. They can be every bit as debilitating.

Now, let's move on to full blown panic attacks. Often with these, you really don't have much warning. There's not nearly as much as a "cause and effect" correlation. They are often a over the top response to a mundane stimulus. You can be having a great day and have a panic attack out of seemingly nowhere. Your body is reacting as though you are in imminent danger or quite ill when in fact this isn't the reality of the situation.

And, often, the symptoms are much more dramatic and troubling. While you will generally be fully aware that an anxiety attack is due to feeling like you are in harm's way (and can somewhat separate yourself or see what is happening somewhat objectively), this is not always the case with a panic attack. It's completely possible to feel quite well one second, and then to feel like you are dying or having a heart attack the second. The symptoms of these attacks are often quite physical in nature. This will often go beyond a racing pulse or heart. You may literally have severe chest pain. You might go beyond nausea and actually throw up. It's actually quite common for people having their first or even third panic attack to end up in the emergency room, completely sure that they are having a real medical emergency.

In fact, often this experience leaves such a memory or negative experience that the person having the attacks will often begin to be held prisoner somewhat. They become so afraid of having another attack that they may begin to avoid the places or things that they theorize brought on the attack. In this way, they could well be setting themselves up for a chain of anxiety attacks as the result of this and this too makes it harder to tell the difference between the two and begins a cycle where the two are happening simultaneously. It is quite possible to suffer from both of these. Sometimes, It's the fear and anxiety that come from these experiences that unfortunately makes their recurrence that much more likely. That's why, in my opinion, It's so important to pause this cycle before you attempt treatment or expect it to make a real and lasting difference.