The 4 differences between Panic Disorder and Phobia

Despite its bad reputation, fear is a natural and necessary emotion for human survival. Thanks to it we were able to identify dangers in the environment and respond effectively to them. If we never felt fear, we simply would not have made it to the present moment as a species.

Fear can start to be a problem when it appears in situations that are not objectively dangerous or when its intensity is excessive according to the context. In these cases, it is possible that the person is suffering from some type of psychopathological disorder.

It should be noted that there are numerous problems in psychology that have fear as a central element in common. However, there are also important differences between them that need to be known.

In particular, in this article we will talk about the differences between panic disorder and phobias.

What is panic disorder?

He panic disorder It is defined as an anxiety disorder in which the person suffers recurrent crises that appear without any apparent danger. These crises start suddenly and are accompanied by marked physical symptoms.

(tachycardia, sweating, difficulty breathing, tremors, tingling...), which makes the individual believe that they are suffering from a serious medical problem, such as a heart attack.

The seizures that make up panic disorder can last for several minutes, although this depends on the person. What is usually common to all patients is the intense fear of a new panic episode in the future. This gives rise to a series of avoidance behaviors, through which the person tries not to frequent those scenarios that he considers to be more propitious for the crisis to happen. This tendency can start little by little, although it progressively leads the individual to a significant isolation from his environment. Daily activities such as going on public transport or walking down the street can be experienced with very intense anguish.

Panic attacks are not life-threatening or dangerous, but they do cause a lot of discomfort and interfere with the normal functioning of the individual.. The person feels that they are going crazy, that they are losing control and that they may even die.

In some patients, the crises occur a few times, and are usually linked to moments of great stress. However, in other cases these can be repeated on many occasions, extending the disorder over time with all that this implies.

What is a phobia?

The phobias They are also recognized as a type of anxiety disorder. However, they are characterized by a reaction of extreme fear to a specific stimulus, which can be an animal, an object, a situation, etc. Generally, the elements that generate phobias are not objectively dangerous. However, they induce intense discomfort in a part of the population.

As we have already commented, fear is a necessary emotion for the survival of the human being. Since childhood, we all experience evolutionary fears typical of the early stages of development. Among them, the fear of the dark, strangers or certain animals are especially common. However, these fears usually fade with the simple passage of time, and as a general rule no type of professional intervention is necessary.

However, adults can also feel intense fears directed towards very specific elements. In these cases, it is often necessary to have the support of a professional, since these fears usually constitute phobias that interfere with normal life. Phobias differ from evolutionary fears in that they are not usually adaptive. While childhood fears often favor the child's proximity to her care-giving figures to keep him away from danger, phobias are often an obstacle to well-being.

Phobias are usually classified into two categories. On the one hand, those that are simple or specific. These refer to concrete and well-defined elements. The most common refer to animals (spiders, snakes, mice), the environment (germs, heights), the body (blood, vomit, injections), sexual (STDs) or situational (stage fright, fly). On the other hand, complex phobias are those related to more complex scenarios, among which agoraphobia (fear of open and public spaces) or social phobia stand out.

The 4 differences between panic disorder and phobia

As we discussed earlier, panic disorder and phobia share the common element of fear. However, since these are separate issues, they also have some important differences. Next, we are going to talk about them.

1. Identification of the source of fear

One of the most relevant differences between panic disorder and phobia lies in the identification of the source of fear. In panic disorder, the person does not identify a specific focus that generates fear. In fact, their crises break out suddenly and unpredictably without any apparent danger. This generates confusion in the patient, who does not know when and where the next crisis can take place.

On the contrary, in phobias the person does know well what is the focus of their fear. The phobic stimulus is well identified, which makes the person only feel fear when it appears. In short, the anxiety response is much more predictable than when we talk about a panic disorder.

• Related article: "What is hidden behind our Fears?"

2. Concern about future episodes

In relation to the previous point, another of the main differences between phobia and panic disorder lies in the concern that the person feels about the future. In the case of panic disorder, concern about the possibility of future crises becomes the core of the person's life. She begins to avoid certain places for fear of experiencing that feeling of loss of control again or going crazy.

On the contrary, in phobias there is not so much concern about the future. The person knows what the focus of his fear is and can predict to some extent whether he will be exposed to it. If, for example, you have a phobia of blood, you may not feel any concern unless an analysis with your doctor is close in time. In general, we can say that there is less uncertainty than in panic disorder.

• You may be interested in: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

3. Duration

The duration of the emotional reaction of fear can also be a point of difference. In panic disorder, the attack usually lasts a few minutes. It is a self-defined episode, which ends as soon as it starts. It is something like a wave that grows until it finally breaks and falls on the shore.

Instead, the emotional reaction of phobias is maintained while the person is being exposed to the phobic stimulus. If, for example, a person suffers from a phobia of heights and goes up to a roof, it is possible that his anxiety will not subside until he goes back down and stops exposing himself to said situation.

4. Treatment

Since these are different problems, the treatment of each one also implies different nuances.

In the case of panic disorder, the mental health professional usually focuses on helping the patient to recreate the symptoms with which panic attacks occur. This way, the sessions are a kind of simulation in which the person can relive those sensations in a controlled and safe way.

Over time, the goal is to stop these feelings from being perceived as a threat or a sign that you are going to lose control. In phobias, the core of the treatment is usually oriented towards progressive exposure to phobic stimuli. To make this process easier, the psychotherapist teaches the person some relaxation techniques that are useful for instilling a state of calm incompatible with the anxiety typically associated with such situations.

• Related article: "What is psychotherapy? Main characteristics of this process"

conclusions

In this article we have talked about some differences between panic disorder and phobias. Fear is a natural and necessary emotion for our survival, since thanks to it we are able to detect the dangers of the environment and react accordingly. However, the truth is that fear can also be a problem when it appears in situations where there is no real danger. If this happens, the person may be suffering from a psychological disorder linked to anxiety.

Among these types of problems, there are two especially common: panic disorder and phobias. Although both share fear as a central element, the reality is that they also have some differences.

On the one hand, phobias are linked to a specific stimulus that triggers fear in the person. However, in panic disorder, the person feels terrified suddenly and unexpectedly, without any apparent danger. Added to this, phobias are not usually related to worry about the future, while in panic disorder the person lives worried about the possible appearance of new crises in the future. Finally, the treatment of each one is also focused in somewhat different directions.