A panic attack is sometimes confused with anxiety. Anxiety is progressive. When we think of negative thoughts, the anxiety becomes worse when we do not try to relax and it reaches to a point when we're out of control. A panic attack is not progressive, when we think of negative thoughts, a panic attack goes straight to us feeling out of control and people think they're having a heart attack because an anxious heart feels very similar to a heart attack. A panic attack is far worse than an anxiety attack, though both attacks require the person to learn how to calm down or get professional help if it becomes a problem in their daily lives. 