It’s often confusing to tell the difference between anxiety and PTSD. Although they have some overlapping symptoms, they are different. Read on to learn about each of these conditions and why they may be confused.

Is it Anxiety or PTSD?

In a word, PTSD is the result of something traumatic that actually happened such as a fire, war or sexual abuse. Anxiety may happen without a precipitating event. It arises from thoughts about circumstances, often imagined, with feelings of intense, excessive and persistent worry or fear about everyday situations.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a stress response that plays a role in protecting us and alerting us to things that need our attention. However, anxiety that is out of proportion to a situation, with sustained distress, worry or fear in response to an emotional trigger, or affects our ability to function, could indicate an anxiety disorder.

There are a number of possible factors that can increase the likelihood of anxiety including: 

Environmental factors: For example, a person’s family composition, their cultural and religious upbringing, and many other childhood experiences can influence anxiety levels.

Life stressors: There are many and they can affect people in different ways. 

• Social anxiety affects us when we need to perform in public situations and have a fear of scrutiny or judgment
• Concerns about being stigmatized and marginalized because of gender and sexual identity can cause anxiety
• Psychological distress can be caused by systemic racism or socioeconomic marginalization
• Eco-anxiety, or worry about the environment is a growing form of anxiety. 
• Medical issues also frequently cause us to feel anxiety about our health or that of a loved one

Genetics: These may vary among age groups, demographics, and genders. Research on identical twins who have been separated indicates that there is likely a genetic component to anxiety. However more work is needed to understand which genes cause anxiety and how this interacts with environmental factors. 

Forms of Anxiety Disorders

There are a number of types of anxiety disorders, as follows:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Chronic anxiety about common, everyday experiences and situations. Extreme and unrealistic worry and tension about health, work, school and relationships.— even if there’s nothing to trigger these feelings. You may feel that the worry continues from one thing to the next. Physical symptoms of GAD can include restlessness, difficulty concentrating and sleeping problems

• Panic disorder: Frequent, intense, sudden recurring panic attacks. Often with stronger, more intense feelings than other types of anxiety disorders. Feelings of terror may start suddenly and unexpectedly or they may come from a trigger, like facing a situation you dread. Panic attacks can resemble heart attacks

• Phobias: Intense fear of a specific thing or situation e.g. barking dogs or heights

• Social anxiety disorder: Intense, overwhelming fear and anxiety about social situations. Extreme self-consciousness with daily social situations with fear of embarrassment or judgment.  Possible avoidance of social situations entirely

• Agoraphobia: Intense fear of being overwhelmed or unable to get help with a fear of enclosed spaces, lines or crowds and open spaces among others. May involve a fear of even leaving the house

• Separation anxiety disorder: Intense fear of losing the people you love or important people in your life. Typically felt more by children and teens who fear their parents may not return as promised

What is PTSD?

You may have seen people use the word PTSD to describe feelings of uncomfortable experiences on social media or pop psychology forums—but in reality, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) is a serious clinical mental health condition that causes intrusive symptoms after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic experience. 

This can be a sudden event like a terrorist attack; or an ongoing period of extreme stress such as growing up in a home with domestic violence. Studies have confirmed links between childhood traumas and an increased likelihood of having PTSD symptoms later in life. 

The types of traumatic experience include:

• Direct exposure or experience
• Witnessing trauma
• Learning that trauma occurred to a close friend or family member
• Experiencing trauma through aversive details, e.g. as a first responder

During a period of trauma the mind goes into “survival mode”. The body is flooded with cortisol. This can cause debilitating symptoms and make a patient lose their basic sense of safety and trust. 

Unlike anxiety, the experiences that cause PTSD go above and beyond a simple change in environment or “normal” stressor. PTSD is specifically related to a traumatic experience, much more severe than a typical experience of stress. 

Some experiences that may cause PTSD symptoms include: 

• Military combat
• Sexual assault or abuse
• Physical assault or violence
• Environmental catastrophe
• Witnessing a death or injury
• Car accident

The response to extreme stress found in patients with PTSD is much more severe than in those with Anxiety. PTSD symptoms can vary from person to person, but they typically fall into four categories, must last more than a month and significantly impact daily functioning.

• Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks or nightmares 
• Avoiding people, places, or things that remind a person of the traumatic event 
• Feelings of guilt, shame, or depression
• Being in a state of hyper arousal which can cause anger, irritability or hypervigilance 

PTSD is not just a psychological condition; it also has physiological and biological components. In response to a traumatic event, the body releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones help the body respond to stress in the short term. Over time, they can cause damage to the body and brain.

PTSD can severely disrupt a person’s life, causing other symptoms such as:

• Headaches, gastrointestinal issues and problems sleeping
• Severe anxiety
• Depression
• Substance abuse
• Difficulties in maintaining relationships and employment

Why Do People Confuse Anxiety with PTSD?


Confusion arises because there is some overlap in symptoms. However with Anxiety, the intrusive thoughts, persistent worry and other difficulties are generally not tied to a specific past event, whereas in PTSD they are.

Anxiety vs PTSD

This table summarizes main differences between Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GSD) and PTSD. These can occur separately or impact each other.

When to Seek Professional Help?

It’s time to reach out for professional help if If you or a loved one experience symptoms of anxiety, and it starts to get in the way of the ability to: 

• Enjoy life
• Interact at school
• Work
• Hang out with friends
• Or it causes problems at home

Corner Canyon Can Help

Treatment is available in Utah. Are you or a loved one looking for a compassionate space to heal from anxiety, trauma, PTSD, other mental health issues or addictions? Our licensed professional therapists and counselors can provide compassionate help using a range of holistic techniques.

Reach out to our Admissions team now at Corner Canyon Health Centers. We’re in a peaceful setting bordered by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.