Is this a panic or an anxiety attack? Although the two are distinct, the terms are frequently interchanged. At the same time, excessive thoughts and feelings of irrational fear and worry are signs of anxiety. Periods of panic attacks that include physical symptoms are signs of a panic disorder. In comparison, experiencing anxiety can result in faster heartbeats, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath. Furthermore, there are significant distinctions between anxiety and panic disorder.

In this article, we will discuss Generalized Anxiety Vs. Panic Disorder, types of Anxiety, symptoms, Treating Panic Attacks And Anxiety and so on. Let’s start.

What is Anxiety?

Your body's natural response to stress is anxiety. It is a feeling of dread or worry about what is ahead. Before a speech on the first day of class or a job interview, some people may feel anxious and worried.

Find out whether you are suffering from anxiety or not. There are also several quizzes available to detect your anxiety or not. These anxiety quizzes will help you figure out the symptoms and let you find ways to cope with them.

But, you may suffer from anxiety disorder if your symptoms are severe and persistent for at least six months. Anxiety disorders can be categorized into five primary groups:

Disorder of Generalized Anxiety

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is defined by continuous anxiety, increased worry, and tension, even without a trigger.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Recurrent, unwanted thoughts or repetitive activities define the anxiety disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To stop or drop obsessive thinking, repetitive actions like hand washing, counting, checking, or cleaning are carried out. However, engaging in these alleged "rituals" only reduces anxiety. While refraining from engaging in them increases it.

Panic Disorder

Anxiety disorders like panic disorder are characterized by sporadic, acute episodes of fear followed by physical symptoms. For example, shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations, nausea, and stomach discomfort.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can appear after exposure to a terrible experience in which severe injury happened. Violent personal attacks, natural disasters, man-made disasters, accidents, and war. These are examples of traumatic events that might set off PTSD.

Social Anxiety (or Social Anxiety Disorder)

A type of anxiety illness is a social phobia or social anxiety disorder. It is characterized by extreme self-consciousness and overwhelming anxiety in routine social situations. In its most severe form, a social phobia may be so pervasive that a person experiences symptoms almost whenever they are around others. Examples of situations where social phobia include a fear of speaking in formal or informal settings, of eating or drinking in public, and of speaking in front of others.

Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder

Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

  • Feeling nervous, restless or tense
  • a feeling of impending peril, terror, or disaster
  • Having an increased heart rate
  • Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Feeling weak or tired
  • difficulty focusing or thinking about anything but the current issue
  • Having trouble sleeping
  • Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
  • Having difficulty controlling worry
  • A need to stay away from things that make you anxious

What is Panic Disorder?

Recurrent, unexpected panic or dread attacks are a symptom of a type of anxiety disorder termed panic disorder. Everyone experiences anxiety or panic. It's a typical reaction to tense or hazardous circumstances.

Symptoms of a Panic Disorder

Recurrent panic attacks are a defining feature of a panic disorder. A panic attack is far more intense and powerful than an anxiety attack, although it lasts much less. Moreover, the physical symptoms can range from a few minutes to an hour. These are some signs of panic disorder:

  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Chills or hot flashes
  • Excessive sweating
  • Feelings of choking
  • Fear of dying 
  • Fear of losing control 
  • Feeling dizzy or unsteadyFeelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
  • A beating heart, palpitations, or increased heart rate
  • Nausea or abdominal distress
  • Numbness and tingling sensations (paresthesias)
  • Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
  • Trembling or shaking

Anxiety vs. Panic Attack

What differentiates panic attacks from anxiety attacks, if you've ever heard of either? Re panic episodes and anxiety related? Simply put, these are 2 different conditions. The distinction between anxiety and panic attacks is discussed here.

Anxiety Attack

  • Anxiety attacks have a known cause. These can include stressing out about a test you have coming up, challenges at work, your health, or a troubled relationship.
  • Anxiety attacks are not thought to be a disorder that can be diagnosed.
  • Compared to panic attacks, anxiety attacks are less severe.
  • Only when someone is worried do these attacks happen.
  • It involves physiological signs like "knots in the stomach" or a beating heart.

Panic Attack

  • Panic attacks do not have a specific cause.
  • They could be a sign of panic disorder, a diagnosable and curable condition.
  • Panic attack symptoms can be very unpleasant.
  • They happen when a person is relaxed or worried.
  • Intense physical symptoms and emotions of anxiety brought on by panic 

What Makes a Diagnosis Important?

The first step to healing is a diagnosis. The treatment procedure depends on your understanding of your mental disease type. Since anxiety disorders are treated individually. Furthermore, No two treatments are ever precisely the same. Less than half of persons who suffer from anxiety disorders seek therapy, even though many conditions are very treatable. 

Treating Panic Attacks And Anxiety

Despite the complex nature of anxiety and panic disorders, they are treatable with expert care. Medication, psychotherapies, or a combination of both therapies may be used to treat anxiety disorders. When left untreated, panic disorders can become chronic and even worsen. To rule out significant medical conditions like heart disease, you must speak with your doctor about panic attacks because they can produce certain physical symptoms.

Can a panic attack and GAD last for a long time?

Usually, panic attacks last five to twenty minutes. Even so, some people have described having an hour-long attack. On the other hand, GAD lasts for An anxiety illness known as panic disorder and causes frequent, unexpected panic or dread attacks. Moreover, there are times when everyone feels anxious or panicky for 6 months or longer.

Panic disorder treatment

Treatment

Therapy can help you live a more active everyday life by reducing the severity and frequency of your panic attacks. Psychotherapy and medicine are the two basic forms of treatment. The severity of your panic disorder will depend on your preferences, history, and other factors. One or both forms of treatment may be suggested, depending on whether you have access to therapists with specific training in treating panic disorders.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or "talk therapy," is one of the most effective first-line therapies for panic attacks and disorders. During psychotherapy, you can learn stress management for panic attacks and disorders.

You can learn this lesson by engaging in cognitive behavioural therapy, a type of psychotherapy. Panic attacks are not harmful. Furthermore, your therapist will work with you to safely and repeatedly recreate the signs of a panic attack. Attacks begin to lessen as soon as the visible symptoms of panic stop feeling dangerous. Moreover, you may be able to conquer circumstances that you have avoided due to your fear of them with successful treatment.

It may take some time and effort to see the effects of treatment. During a few weeks, you can see a decrease in panic attack symptoms, and within a few months, symptoms are frequently greatly reduced or completely gone. In addition, you can plan sporadic follow-up appointments to help keep your panic attacks under control or to manage recurrences.

Medications

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): Because they are often safe and carry a minimal risk of serious side effects, SSRI antidepressants are commonly suggested as the first line of treatment for panic episodes. Panic attack symptoms no longer feel dangerous. For the treatment of the panic disorder, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the SSRIs fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil and Pexeva), and sertraline its approval (Zoloft).
  • Norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): These medications belong under a separate category of antidepressants. The FDA has approved SNRI venlafaxine (Effexor XR) to treat panic disorder.
  • Benzodiazepines. These tranquillizers inhibit the central nervous system:The FDA has approved the use of two benzodiazepines as treatments for panic disorder: clonazepam and alprazolam (Xanax) (Klonopin). Benzodiazepines are frequently only used short-term due to their propensity for habit formation and mental or physical dependence development.

Generalized Anxiety disorder treatment

Treatment

The intensity of how your capacity to operate in daily life is affected by a generalized anxiety disorder will determine how you will be treated. The two most common therapies for generalized anxiety disorder are psychotherapy and medication. Furthermore, you might discover that the two work together best. Finding the remedies that work best for you may take some trial and error.

Psychotherapy

The goal of psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or psychological counselling, is to minimize your anxiety symptoms. Cognitive behavioural therapy is the most effective psychotherapy approach that treats generalized anxiety disorder.

The goal of cognitive behavioural therapy, often a short-term treatment, is to help you learn specific ways to regulate your anxieties directly and support you as you gradually resume the activities you avoided out of worry. Moreover, when you continue after your initial accomplishment, your symptoms improve through this procedure.

Medications

The following drugs, among others, are used to treat generalized anxiety disorder. Discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and side effects with your doctor.

  • Antidepressants. Antidepressants. Antidepressants include medications from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) groups, the first-line pharmacological therapy.
  • Buspirone. Buspirone is an anti-anxiety drug that may be continuously taken. Like most antidepressants, it may take a few weeks to begin acting efficiently.
  • Benzodiazepines. Under certain circumstances, your doctor could advise using a benzodiazepine to manage your anxiety. These sedatives are often only used to treat acute anxiety temporarily. Moreover, these drugs shouldn't be used if you now have or have ever had issues with alcohol or drug abuse because they have the potential to become habit-forming.

Conclusion (Generalised Anxiety Vs. Panic Disorder)

To sum up, In this blog, we discussed Generalised Anxiety Vs. Panic Disorder, symptoms, and treating Generalised Anxiety and Panic Disorder. The symptoms of panic disorder and GAD can negatively impact the quality of life and daily functioning of a person. The good news is that most persons with panic disorder or GAD can experience significant symptom reduction with skilled treatment. It is best if a diagnosis is made and therapy starts quickly. Speak to your physician or another healthcare professional if you experience panic disorder, GAD, or both symptoms. Sometimes, the hardest step is reaching out, but you'll be glad you did. I hope all your doubts are related to Generalised Anxiety Vs. Panic Disorder.