A man slashed his wife's throat after an argument at home, a court heard.
Shaheed Shah, 40, admitted attempted murder following the incident at a house in Oldham.
A court heard Shah is mentally ill, and is undergoing treatment at a secure hospital.
He may later be transferred to prison, depending on his mental health.
Shah and his wife had been having an argument that had been 'simmering for some time', Manchester Crown Court was told.
The defendant had claimed that his wife had been 'disrespecting' him.
"He had built up into something of a rage," prosecutor Paul Brookwell said.
Shah picked up a knife in the kitchen of their home.
His wife backed away and 'begged' him not to hurt her, the court heard.
He then 'slashed out' at her throat.
"She held onto her throat, thinking she was going to die," Mr Brookwell said.
Following the attack, Shah went into the front garden of their home and stayed their until the police arrived.
His T-shirt was covered in blood.
The police arrived at the property on Hereford Street at about 3.45pm on September 2, 2018.
The woman suffered a four centimetre cut to the front of her neck, a wound described as 'superficial', but she now has 'prominent' and 'permanent' scarring.
The court was told she has now moved to a different part of the country following the incident.
Shah, who has no previous convictions, gave a 'no comment' interview with police.
Doctors appearing at his sentencing hearing said that Shah had not been known to mental health services prior to the attack.
But they said it was likely he was already suffering from mental health issues at the time of the incident, despite him being able to complete much of his day to day activities as usual.
Shah has since been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Defending, Jonathan Turner said one of the manifestations of Shah's illness was that he believes he is being monitored by the security services.
Judge Patrick Field QC said that Shah's culpability for the crime was reduced, but not removed altogether.
He told Shah: "What you did that day was at once brutal and shocking.
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"These events were profoundly distressing, and plainly they have left psychological as well as physical scars.
"There is strong evidence in this case that you suffer from a significant mental illness, and that you did so at the time of committing this offence.
"You remained aware of your mounting anger. You were aware of what you were doing, and aware what you were doing was wrong."
Shah was sentenced to a 'hybrid' hospital order, including a 12 year prison sentence.
He will be detained in a mental health unit to continue undergoing treatment.
If he is deemed to no longer require treatment he will be transferred to prison, if there is any of the sentence left to serve.
