Do you find yourself feeling anxious and panicky but aren’t sure what exactly is going on? There are several types of anxiety disorders that happen to people and knowing which kind you have is the first step to healing. For instance, there is a difference between panic disorder vs generalized anxiety disorder. New View Wellness in Atlanta employs a staff of counselors for our outpatient mental health treatment in Atlanta who provide an exact diagnosis for people struggling with anxiety. From there, they can begin therapy sessions that help them rise above their anxiety and develop the ability to overcome their illness.
What are Anxiety Disorders?
To understand the difference between panic disorder vs generalized anxiety disorder, it’s important to understand anxiety disorders. They are a mental health disorder that requires a diagnosis so that a person who has one understands their condition. From there, a plan for treatment can be made. Anxiety disorders can happen to anyone, regardless of their age, gender, race, or location. Having an anxiety disorder impacts every part of a person’s life. It can cause difficulty in personal relationships, on the job, and at school. While life with an anxiety disorder can feel overwhelming and hopeless, formal treatment can help improve a person’s symptoms so that their lives are no longer ruled by anxiety.
What is Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that causes a person to have frequent panic attacks. Some may be triggered by an identifiable reason while others seem to happen for no particular reason. Panic attacks can happen when a person is alone, with other people, at home, or in public places. When someone has repeated panic attacks, it causes them to feel anxiety about when the next one may occur. This often causes the individual to isolate and avoid going to certain places or even leaving their home. Panic disorder usually begins when the person is a teenager or young adult.
The symptoms of a panic attack include:
- Racing heart
- Feeling faint
- Numbness in hands or feet
- Shakiness
- Chest pain
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling out of control
- Fear of dying during the attack
- Nausea
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Generalized anxiety disorder, also called GAD, causes a person to experience consistent anxiety about any number of things. The person feels anxious about issues related to their personal and professional lives and finds it impossible to regulate their emotions. GAD often begins somewhere between childhood and middle age and comes on gradually. Approximately 6.8 million adults in the U.S. live with GAD in any given year, with women making up more than half of those who have it.
The symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder include:
- Constantly feeling some level of anxiety
- Worrying about what’s currently going on and future events
- Difficulty sleeping
- Shakiness
- Gastrointestinal difficulties (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)
- Headaches and body aches
- Moodiness
- Feeling tired
What Is the Difference Between Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
The main difference between panic disorder vs generalized anxiety disorder lies in the symptoms the individual experiences. Panic disorder causes a person to have repeated and often unpredictable panic attacks. While they may also sometimes feel anxious when not having a panic attack, they may also feel calm. Their main symptoms are panic attacks themselves. With generalized anxiety disorder, the main symptom is a consistent state of feeling anxious and worried. While someone with GAD may have panic attacks sometimes, they are not constant. In fact, many people with GAD never have panic attacks. Instead, they move through their days always feeling some level of anxiousness that interferes with their lives.
How are Anxiety Disorders Treated?
Whether a person has panic disorder vs generalized anxiety disorder, the treatment approach has certain factors in common. The primary approach is matching each person with the right types of therapy for their disorder. Treatment for both anxiety disorders will include individual therapy that helps the person open up about their symptoms and emotions. Other types of therapy that help include group therapy, family therapy, psychiatry, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Each type of therapy helps a person build up the ability to minimize their symptoms of anxiety and rejoin life with confidence and calmness.
The second approach that helps many people with anxiety disorders is the use of prescription medications. Many meds are available that help ease symptoms related to anxiety disorders.
Begin Treatment for Anxiety in Atlanta Today
Living with anxiety every day can feel like it’s not really living at all. The symptoms can overwhelm a person and make them give up hope of ever getting better. New View Wellness in Atlanta provides a unique approach to anxiety treatment in Atlanta. Our staff of compassionate therapists gets to know each person they treat and designs a plan of treatment that meets their unique needs. Our combination of multiple types of therapy and any necessary prescription medications gives people the leg up they need when it comes to putting anxiety behind them.
If you would like more information about how we can help you, visit our admissions page now. Our staff can answer any questions you have and get you started on a healing path.