How do our bodies decide which reaction is appropriate? Or they feel lightheaded and think they’re having a stroke. A person could have a pain in the chest and interpret that as a heart attack. Panic attacks also can be triggered by subtler cues, like certain bodily sensations. But if you’re walking down that alley and somebody jumps out with a knife, then you’re likely to have a panic attack - an overwhelming urge to escape a situation that is dangerous. Warren: So if you’re walking down a dark alley, you are probably thinking that there could be potential danger that anxiety of anticipation, the feeling in your stomach, the elevated heart rate. SEE ALSO: How Diet Influences Mood and Mental Health When might one or the other occur? It’s associated with a very abrupt onset of intense fear because of a sense of threat happening right now, the fight-or-flight response that we’re hardwired to have in order to deal with immediate danger. And it usually comes on gradually.Ī panic attack is different. It’s often involved with muscle tension and a general feeling of uneasiness. Warren: Anxiety is basically what we experience when we are worrying about some future event - anticipating a bad outcome that might happen. What is the difference between a panic attack and anxiety? These episodes can send patients to the emergency room, as they are sometimes mistaken for a heart attack. Typically lasting fewer than 30 minutes, they could occur once or repeatedly - sometimes without reason. Panic attacks, on the other hand, are short bursts of intense fear often marked by increased heart rate, brief chest pain or shortness of breath. Symptoms include fatigue, hypervigilance, restlessness and irritability - and are often chronic. “They’re very different emotional conditions,” says Ricks Warren, Ph.D., a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan.Īnxiety is a condition defined as excessive, persisting worry over an imminent event such as death or illness, or even minor events such as being late for an appointment or other uncertain outcomes. It’s likely you’re experiencing either anxiety or a panic attack. Such discomfort, particularly if the sensations are new, could prompt a person to ask: Am I experiencing a panic attack? Or is it an anxiety attack?īut that’s not quite the right question. MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter Sweating, shakiness or feelings of nausea, among other things, might occur. When you feel a sudden rush of nerves or high emotion, it’s likely that your body responds in turn.