What's the difference between panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder?

[Draconess25]

Is it possible to have both? More importantly, is it possible to have one or both AND social anxiety? Like, I'm paranoid about everything from housefires to spirits attacking be, but my MAIN trouble is with social situations. So is it possible to have all three?

 

[HexNoir]

I'm not a professional, but I think so, since I know exactly what you're talking about. I think there's an overlap. Generalized anxiety can also make social situations more painful, and even overlap into horrible things like hypochondria (according to one book I've been reading).

 

[Kiwong]

Yes it is. I have been diagnosed with them all. For me the thoughts associated with anxiety build up towards me having feelings of panic, dizziness, chest tightness, and that has led to me having a series of panic attacks.

I saw a therapist and she reckoned I had generalised anxiety disorder, but for me the social situations are worse. Another therapist suggested I had moderate to severe social anxiety.

 

[Kiwong]

The way I thought of panic disorder was that my mind got so filled up with anxious and angry thoughts that they boiled over and my mind said "no more" and gave me something else to worry about and that was the fear that I was dieing.

 

[Draconess25]

I'm not a professional, but I think so, since I know exactly what you're talking about. I think there's an overlap. Generalized anxiety can also make social situations more painful, and even overlap into horrible things like hypochondria (according to one book I've been reading).

Oh, I think I may have that too.

 

[Draconess25]

Yes it is. I have been diagnosed with them all. For me the thoughts associated with anxiety build up towards me having feelings of panic, dizziness, chest tightness, and that has led to me having a series of panic attacks.

I saw a therapist and she reckoned I had generalised anxiety disorder, but for me the social situations are worse. Another therapist suggested I had moderate to severe social anxiety.

I took this test that said I have "very severe" social anxiety. I'm not quite sure how to feel about that.

 

[Psychedelicious]

Difference

Of course it's possible to have all three. These disorders are very similar, and thus often overlap with each other. That's not to say that having one of these disorders means you have one or both of the others, but it's not at all uncommon. Sometimes it is difficult to tell where one disorder ends and the other begins, so I wouldn't recommend diagnosing yourself simply off of what you read, unless you're entirely positive. I'm not even sure what all the disorders I have are, since I'm reluctant to diagnose with myself with anything without further proof.

 

[Draconess25]

Re: Difference

Of course it's possible to have all three. These disorders are very similar, and thus often overlap with each other. That's not to say that having one of these disorders means you have one or both of the others, but it's not at all uncommon. Sometimes it is difficult to tell where one disorder ends and the other begins, so I wouldn't recommend diagnosing yourself simply off of what you read, unless you're entirely positive. I'm not even sure what all the disorders I have are, since I'm reluctant to diagnose with myself with anything without further proof.

I mainly go by what runs in my family. But no one else in my family has SA, just GAD and PD....

 

[Draconess25]

Yes it is - comorbidity is common when it comes to diagnosing mental illness, and as already mentioned there is large overlap.
There is diagnostic criteria that suggests paranoia, worry and social anxiety could be a type of personality disorder, for example schizotypal, although in saying that whether or not those symptoms are primary or secondary to some other underlying problem - you would really need to be assessed professionally.

Yeah, but they'd probably try medicating or institutionalizing me, plus I don't wanna tell strangers my business. At least on here, it's relatively anonymous. xD

 

[MUSE]

I have both GAD and suffer from panic attacks. It's VERY possible.