MHM 2022 - Difference between a panic attack and a heart attack

For all of you who have had a panic attack, myself included, I’m sure you were frantically Googling if what you were experiencing was “just” a panic attack or if it was a heart attack. The symptoms can be incredibly similar, and it’s hard to know what treatment approach to take.

While chest pain is common in both panic attacks and heart attacks, pay attention to where the pain is located and what it feels like. During a heart attack, pain will often radiate to other areas of the body, such as your arms, jaw, or neck. It may feel like pressure, squeezing, or burning. During a panic attack, the pain will mostly stay located in the chest. It can be sharp and stabbing (which is not typical in a heart attack) and feel more like racing or general discomfort.

Heart attacks are of course more likely during/after physical activity, whereas panic attacks are not. Panic attacks are also more likely to completely go away after time/treatment, while the pain from a heart attack never really goes away. If you’ve never had a panic attack and you aren’t sure if what you’re feeling is a panic attack or heart attack, go ahead and call emergency services. Better to be safe than sorry.

Additional resources: Cleveland Clinic - How to tell the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack