What Is An Anxiety Attack?

Medically reviewed by Melissa Guarnaccia, LCSW
Updated October 14, 2024by BetterHelp Editorial Team

An anxiety attack involves the intense onset of mental and physical anxiety symptoms, which may occur as a result of life stressors and/or a diagnosable mental health condition like an anxiety disorder. Here, we’ll discuss the differences between anxiety attacks and panic attacks, how to recognize an anxiety attack, common anxiety disorders that may cause one, and tips for recovering from an anxiety attack.

Getty/AnnaStills
Gain control over anxiety attacks

Recognizing the signs of an anxiety attack

Feeling some level of anxiety from time to time is considered a normal part of life. When you feel stressed or anxious, your body automatically engages its fight-or-flight response, which helps you address a situation that’s a threat, challenge, or form of pressure. In the short term, some anxiety may help you stay alert, focused, and motivated in order to resolve a stressful situation. However, when the stress response is engaged chronically over time, health problems can result. Anxiety that’s excessive for the situation and/or persistent even when there’s no direct threat may also represent an anxiety disorder.

Being able to recognize symptoms of anxiety such as the signs of an anxiety attack can be helpful for more than one reason. First, it can equip you to know what’s happening and take appropriate action to calm yourself down if you experience an anxiety attack. In addition, noticing that you’re feeling symptoms of anxiety can help you decide when it may be time to seek professional support. Anxiety disorders typically don’t resolve without treatment. Plus, untreated anxiety can put a person at increased risk of:

  • Depression

  • Worsened chronic pain

  • Elevated blood pressure

  • Cardiovascular disease

  • Substance misuse or dependency

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.

10 signs of anxiety attacks

Anxiety attacks are not part of diagnostic criteria for any disorder per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) like panic attacks are. Instead, “anxiety attack” is more of a colloquial term used to describe the experience of becoming overwhelmed by anxiety symptoms. An anxiety attack is usually triggered by something specific, such as an unwelcome memory, relationship conflict, or nerves about an upcoming stressful event, but the anxiety and stress that fuels them has usually been building for a while. 

Again, since anxiety attacks aren’t formally diagnosable, they can take many different forms depending on the person and the situation. That said, 10 potential signs of an anxiety attack can include:

  1. Feeling emotionally stressed to the point of overwhelm

  2. Being unable to stop worrying about a certain situation

  3. Feeling hopeless

  4. Muscle tension

  5. Rapid breathing

  6. Sweating

  7. A stomachache

  8. Loss of appetite during and after 

  9. Trouble concentrating before and during

  10.  Problems falling asleep before and after

Ilona Titova/EyeEm

Tips for coping with an anxiety attack

When you’re experiencing an anxiety attack, your fight-or-flight response is likely engaged, which means the most helpful course of action is usually to try to elicit the relaxation response instead. One of the most powerful ways to do this is through breathing exercises. Certain deep breathing techniques can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with a state of calm. Box breathing and deep belly breathing are two examples; you can find a wealth of resources online on how to practice these. It’s usually helpful to learn them when you’re feeling calm so you can engage in them when feeling tense.

Other methods for calming yourself down during or after an anxiety attack can include engaging in progressive muscle relaxation, going for a walk, visualizing the details of a place you find calm and comforting, listening to calming music, and talking to a friend. 

Anxiety attacks vs. panic attacks

Anxiety and panic attacks are often confused with each other; many people mistakenly use the term “anxiety attack” to describe a panic attack and vice versa. While both are distressing experiences related to stress, anxiety, or fear, they have a few important differences. 

First, panic attacks are recognized psychological phenomena listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Anxiety attacks are not diagnosable symptoms per the DSM-5. Panic attacks are also associated with a diagnosable mental illness called panic disorder. Symptoms of panic disorder include having panic attacks and an intense fear of having another. In contrast, anyone can have an anxiety attack in response to a stressful situation, whether they’re experiencing other signs of a diagnosable anxiety disorder or not.

In addition, panic attack symptoms typically arise without a specific cause, while anxiety attack symptoms usually occur in response to something specific after stress or worry has been building for some time. For example, someone with a specific phobia may experience an anxiety attack when confronted with the subject of their fear, while someone with panic disorders can experience panic attacks while going about everyday life. 

Panic attacks also tend to be shorter and more intense than anxiety attacks. Some people who experience panic attacks mistake them for heart attacks because of severe symptoms like chest pain, trouble breathing, a choking sensation, heart palpitations, a sense of impending doom, and an overwhelming fear of dying, although these episodes are not life-threatening and don’t usually require medical help.

Anxiety attacks and anxiety disorders: What to know

Though anxiety attacks are not always a sign of a diagnosable anxiety disorder, they can be. Learning a bit about anxiety disorders in general may help you understand when it may be time to seek help for any symptoms you’re experiencing.

Types of disorders that may cause anxiety attacks

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common type of anxiety disorder. GAD is thought to be caused by a combination of genetics/family history and environmental factors such as stressful life events, like many anxiety disorders. It’s characterized by excessive, persistent, near-constant fear or worry that’s difficult to control. A person with GAD may also experience anxiety attacks as one of their symptoms, as it may be easier for them to feel overwhelmed with anxious thoughts. 

Someone with social anxiety disorder (SAD) or a specific phobia could also experience anxiety attacks. A person with SAD usually has a debilitating fear of being watched, judged, or embarrassed in front of other people, and they may feel overwhelming fear and intense anxiety symptoms—potentially including anxiety attacks—when thinking of or faced with social situations. A person’s symptoms related to a specific phobia could also include an anxiety attack when faced with the object of their fear. For example, someone with a fear of flying could experience an anxiety attack or other symptoms before boarding a plane, during a flight, or even while watching a movie that takes place on a plane.

Finally, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could also cause symptoms like panic attacks. Although PTSD is not categorized as an anxiety disorder per the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, it often manifests as symptoms related to anxiety. For example, a person who experienced traumatic events related to a car accident may develop PTSD. Later, walking on streets with lots of car traffic or being in a moving car may trigger an anxiety attack, a flashback, or another PTSD symptom that reminds them of their initial trauma. Since self-harm and suicidal thoughts can be symptoms of PTSD, it’s usually important to seek professional support for signs of this disorder right away.

If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 988 to talk to someone over SMS. Support is available 24/7.

When is it time to seek professional help for anxiety or panic disorder?

If anxiety attacks, panic attacks, excessive anxiety, or other symptoms of other anxiety disorders are causing you distress and interfering with your daily life or relationships, it’s typically recommended that you meet with a healthcare professional. 

A doctor can do a physical examination and review any medications you’re taking to see if any underlying medical conditions—such as thyroid problems—or a prescription may be causing your symptoms. Next, meeting with a mental health professional like a therapist can be helpful. They can help you identify what’s causing your symptoms and develop healthy coping mechanisms to reduce symptoms, whether they represent diagnosable anxiety disorders or not.

Getty/Vadym Pastukh
Gain control over anxiety attacks

Treatment options for anxiety

Research suggests that psychotherapy is typically the most effective option for treating anxiety symptoms. Anti-anxiety medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may also be prescribed in some cases.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common talk therapy methods for treating generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, and nonclinical feelings of anxiety. CBT is a way to explore thought patterns that can trigger anxiety. To engage in CBT, you’ll work with a licensed therapist to identify and challenge your beliefs while developing methods to change or improve unhelpful thought patterns. Another form of therapy for anxiety, exposure therapy, can help you confront your fears through gradual exposure.

If you don’t feel you’re ready to work with a therapist in person to engage in CBT or exposure therapy to address symptoms of anxiety and panic, you can take advantage of online therapy services instead. Working with a licensed mental health professional through an online therapy platform can empower you to get the help you deserve from the comfort of your home. 

Research suggests that online therapy can be an effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and related mental health challenges. Remember that you can seek out and potentially benefit from talk therapy whether you have a diagnosable anxiety disorder or are simply looking for support in managing stress and difficult emotions.

Takeaway

Anxiety attacks are not clinically identifiable symptoms per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), unlike panic attacks. Instead, “anxiety attack” is a colloquial term that refers to more intense or overwhelming anxiety symptoms that have built up over time in response to a specific stressor(s). Anxiety attacks can sometimes be a sign of a diagnosable anxiety disorder, or they can appear as a common response to high stress. If you’re experiencing anxiety attacks or other symptoms in everyday life, you may benefit from meeting with a mental health professional. 
Regulate anxiety in a compassionate environment
The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.
Get the support you need from one of our therapistsGet started