ARE ANXIETY ATTACK AND PANIC ATTACK THE SAME THING?

No, the word “anxiety attack” is a misnomer, because it is often used interchangeably with the word “panic attack”.

A panic attack is a sudden onset of intense and acute physiological arousal with shaking, fast heartbeats, sweating, and other common symptoms. Fear is the characteristic emotion.

Anxiety, not anxiety attack, is a continuous feeling of discomfort with milder physiological arousal like muscle tension. Irritability and worry are the characteristic emotions.