Question by ellagirl: What is the difference between a panic attack, and a psychotic break?
What is the difference between a panic attack, and a psychotic break in regards to symptoms? How can one tell the difference?
Best answer:
Answer by Kate
A panic attack is a period of extremely heightened anxiety that is characterized by all the typical features of anxiety, but to an extreme degree. These symptoms include rapid heart beat, chest pain, hyperventilating, sweating, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, an overwhelming sense of something bad about to happen, etc. The person never loses touch with reality, even though they may feel like they are going to die.
On the other hand, a psychotic break is when someone goes into severe psychosis and completely loses touch with reality. They do not know what is real and what is not. They may have hallucinations (visual or auditory, usually) and/or delusions (of grandeur or paranoia). Psychosis can be dangerous not only to the person experiencing it but to those around them, whereas a panic attack is not actually dangerous at all.
They are completely different things. A panic attack is a form of anxiety, whereas a psychotic break is an acute psychotic episode, completely unrelated to anxiety. Hope that helps!
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