Panic Attacks Anxiety Disorder – what is it and are panic attacks and anxiety even the same thing?

Panic attacks and anxiety are actually two separate issues but can often be related.  It is quite common for a person that suffers from anxiety disorder can go on to develop panic attacks and a panic disorder.

Let’s take a closer look at anxiety disorder vs panic disorder.

Anxiety Disorder

Everyone will suffer from anxiety at some point in their life and this is a perfectly normal reaction to certain situations.  For example, let’s say I have to give a speech in front of 100 people tomorrow, then today I might be feeling anxious about giving that speech.  If I’m not very comfortable with public speaking then this is a situation that could cause me quite a bit of anxiety.  And that’s ok, that is perfectly normal.

However, if you are feeling anxious for no particular reason and you tend to feel anxious all the time, then this is when it becomes a problem.  To have that anxiety on a constant basis for no reason then you are likely suffering from anxiety disorder.  When suffering from anxiety disorder you may find yourself worrying about everything, even things that are probably not even likely to happen.

Panic Disorder

As with anxiety, everyone will also suffer from panic at some point in their life.  Let’s look at an example of panic, I walk out my front door and a huge spider drops down and lands on my top – my reaction:  panic.  I hate spiders and especially big ones so if one is sitting on my top I am sure I would panic (in fact I’ve been in this situation and yes I did panic).

This is perfectly normal if faced with a scary or fearful situation the normal human response is to panic.

Panic disorder however is if you are panicking regularly over situations that really don’t require a panic response.  Panic disorder usually begins with a panic attack and once a person experiences one panic attack then the fear of having another is enough to bring another attack on.  So then you may have recurring attacks and a full panic disorder.  An example of panic disorder could be when a person is too frightened to even walk into a supermarket for fear of having a panic attack while they are in there and often this fear will drive them to have an attack when they are in the supermarket.

Conclusion

Panic attack anxiety disorder is really a mixture of two different disorders – panic disorder and anxiety disorder.  You may suffer from just one of these disorders or perhaps you suffer from both.  The good news is that these disorders can be treated and often quite successfully.  There is no reason to live your life in fear and anxiety, seek treatment and get rid of your disorder and go back to living a happy life.

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