what's the differance between anxiety attacks and nervous breakdowns.?

Answer 1

An attack usually lasts a short time minutes to maybe an hour for a bad one. Breakdown is just that, being out of it and youre nervous system is "broken" and totally frayed.

Answer 2

A nervous breakdown, also known as a mental breakdown, is a sudden, acute attack of mental illness such as depression or anxiety. Like “sanity” and its derivatives, the term is not recognized by the psychological community. In part, this is because the term has pejorative connotations, while this phenomenon is a normal and relatively common response to chronic stress. Often, the emerging illness is only described as a "breakdown" when the person becomes unable to function, at which point the disorder is advanced. Often, the supposed breakdown is a manifestation of career burnout.

The psychiatric community rejects the term "nervous breakdown", in part, because it is not descriptive enough of the actual disorder and symptoms. A common diagnosis that follows such an event is “brief reactive psychosis.”

panic attack is a period of intense, often temporarily disabling sense of extreme fear or psychological distress, typically of abrupt onset. Though it is often a purely terrifying feeling to the sufferer, panic attacks are actually an evolutionary body response often known as the fight-or-flight response. Symptoms may include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, sweating, nausea, dizziness (or slight vertigo), hyperventilation, paresthesias (tingling sensations), vomiting, and sensations of choking or smothering. During a panic attack, the body typically releases large amounts of adrenaline into the bloodstream. Many first time sufferers of a panic attack believe they are dying or going insane. It is a feeling that cannot be described until one has had an attack. Many often say panic attacks are one of the most frightening experiences in their lives. Repeated and apparently unprovoked panic attacks may be a sign of panic disorder, but panic attacks are associated with other anxiety disorders as well. For example, people who suffer from phobias may experience panic attacks upon exposure to certain triggers. Recreational drugs have also been known to provoke panic attacks in certain people

Answer 3

An anxiety attack is where you feel like you can't breath, everything seems to be pressing in on you and things seem to be moving either really fast or really slow--but not at a normal pace.

A nervous breakdown is when you just check out. You are practically unaware of checking out. It feels like you are extramelieu. Like you are looking through a plate of glass at the world. Not physically freaking out--just checked out.

Answer 4

Anxiety attacks are typcially shortly lived and can come on suddenly - you start feeling veary anxious, sweaty palms, can't breathe, etc.

A 'nervous breakdown' is a psychotic break that last a lot longer and is more disruptive of your entire life. People can have different types of these.

Answer 5

Anxiety attacks are momentary - you panic, and then calm down afterwards.

Nervous breakdowns are longer and deeper - you literally cannot take any more stress on a life level.

Answer 6

I had a nervous breakdown or depressiona nd it lasted a year... an anxiety attack lasts a few mins or maybe hours

Answer 7

This is a very good blog, a beginner’s guide to abnormal psychology.
Short, clear and simple; and you can even post your question and contact the author regarding particular subject you are interested in, for FREE

http://sensitive-psychoworld.blogspot.com/