lately i’ve been having panic attacks, and I’m going to the doctor soon about it. But I want to know what is the difference between Panic attacks and anxiety attacks. Also when i do go to the doctor. what will they do actually, like how will I be test and what do I tell them.
Best reply by sandra:
The doctor will just talk to you and ask about your symptoms. Then if they feel that you need it, they will prescribe you medicine.
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What is the difference between Panic and Anxiety Attacks?
They are the same thing
Panic attacks and anxiety attacks are the same thing.
What type of doctor will you be seeing?
A psychiatrist will ask you to explain how you are feeling–how your body reacts when you have a panic attack.
Just be honest and try to tell him or her exactly how it feels.
Good luck.
They are both the same thing.
When I first went to the doctor they basically tried to figure out what was wrong with me just by asking me what happened, what I thought about the experience.
My doctor saw that I was nervous and was asking me about tourette’s, but it’s just their job to think about all the different conditions they have on the books and diagnose you. If you have anxiety the only thing they are going to tell you is that you have anxiety. If your really shy or amazingly quiet they might tell you that you have social anxiety… just be hones so they don’t screw up and misdiagnose because they might prescribe something that will make you worse.
Most of the time the terms panic attacks and anxiety attacks are used interchangeably. Panic and anxiety are different things though.
Panic is usually the feeling of intense pressure that you feel, such as when a panic attack sets on. It’s triggered by the ‘fight or flight’ response which is a system in our brain that triggers adrenaline when a threat is detected.
The idea is that when you face a threat you’re likely going to need to ‘fight’ that threat or ‘flee’ away from the scene. Either way you’ll need the extra energy the adrenaline will give you.
The only problem is sometimes this fight or flight response, which is actually a pretty handy in many cases, is triggered in situations where fighting or escaping aren’t the best options!
Anxiety on the other hand is usually used to refer to that general feeling of almost dread which you may feel in your chest or stomach.
The reason why ‘panic attack’ and ‘anxiety attack’ are used in place of each other is because anxiety often leads to panic and panic can lead to anxiety.
A strategy that I find particularly good is to relax your breathing as soon as you detect any panic setting in. By doing this you can counteract the effect of the fight or flight trigger by reassuring your brain that you are not actually in a life or death situation.
As for what the doctor will do: it’s always a great idea to see your general practitioner when something like this happens just to make sure that there is nothing physical wrong.
However that being said, most doctors will advise you to relax, deal with any stress and then recommend if the problems continue that you see a therapist who specializes in panic and anxiety who will teach you some strategies to help you deal with the problem.
If you’re interested you can find our more about this and several other simple but very effective psychological techniques in the free ebook ‘The 10 Psychological Secrets Of Eliminating Anxiety & Getting Confident Now’ at http://www.anxietytoconfidencenow.jfl.com
All the best with getting rid of your panic/anxiety attacks – I know you can do it. From my experience it is possibly to complete eliminate them.
This free ebook may help answer some of your concerns.
All the best
Sharon
Panic Attacks & Anxiety Attacks are the same thing. Unfortunatly I have been having them for 42 years. After many doctors visits, I have learned to control them most of the time. I was given xanax to take when I think one will come on. I was told it was a fear of something that will happen. It may be going where a large crowd may be or being the center of attention or maybe speaking in public. Could even be a job interview. The pill actually helps. I have not found a way to stop them. Only to try and control them. Hope this helps.