A nervous breakdown is a serious mental health issue that requires prompt, professional treatment. It is triggered by excess stress and a lack of healthy coping mechanisms to manage that stress. The amount of stress that causes a breakdown varies by individual, with some being able to cope longer than others. The stress causing a nervous breakdown may come from any source and may build up slowly over time or occur all at once.
One of the most common triggers for a nervous breakdown is work-related stress. A nervous breakdown occurs when a person is no longer able to function normally, even doing small things like chores or personal hygiene. Going through a nervous breakdown, a person may not be able to work, go to school, take care of family, or do any of their usual activities.
While a nervous breakdown is temporary, it is serious and should be treated as a mental health crisis. An evaluation by a psychiatrist or other mental health professional can help determine if there is an underlying mental illness contributing to the breakdown that needs to be diagnosed and treated. The evaluation can also lead to treatment, often including a short residential stay in a treatment facility followed by ongoing therapy, medication if needed, lifestyle changes , and the regular use of stress coping strategies and relaxation techniques.
There may be any number of different factors that trigger a nervous breakdown in an individual, but generally what leads to a breakdown is a buildup of stress, pressure, and anxiety. One person might experience a slow building of stress that over months causes the eventual breakdown, while another experiences one big stressful situation that triggers a crisis. The commonality is stress and a feeling of being pressured to keep up and to continue to function normally.
Some examples of stress and situations that may lead to a nervous breakdown include:. Many people experience high levels of stress, but not everyone will have a nervous breakdown. What leads to a nervous breakdown during the experience of all that stress is an inability or poor ability to cope with and manage stress.
Experiencing a lot of stress, in combination with being unable to cope with it in healthy ways, is what really causes nervous breakdowns. It is important to remember, though, that even people who are generally good at coping with stress can reach a breaking point. It simply may take more stress for these people to have a breakdown. Managing and coping with stress is something that everyone does, but not always in healthy ways.
Some people may react to stress in negative ways, such as withdrawing from friends and family, turning to drugs or alcohol, yelling at other people, binge eating, or other unhealthy responses. These do not help to mitigate stress or manage it, and ultimately without good, positive coping strategies, a person under a lot of stress is likely to have a breakdown. Stress and an inability to cope with it is the general cause of having a nervous breakdown.
This can be highly individualized, though, with different types and amounts of stress affecting people differently. There are certain risk factors that make some people more vulnerable to ultimately having a nervous breakdown, including:.
Making lifestyle changes is one of the most important things a person can do to recover from a nervous breakdown and to prevent a future breakdown. Making these changes involves looking at the risk factors that led up to the breakdown and finding ways to change them.
For instance, a person may decide to work fewer hours, go to bed earlier, and make more time for socializing with friends and family.
A nervous breakdown triggered by work stress may also be called burnout syndrome. It is characterized by exhaustion and fatigue, reduced performance at work, feeling depersonalized or detached from work, and other symptoms of nervous breakdown. Reports have found that burnout syndrome is most common in certain areas of healthcare , like emergency medicine, critical care, and family medicine. These include: Financial problems.
Major life changes, such as divorce or moving home. Continual work stress. Stress in personal life such as having to regularly care for a sick or elderly relative. Inability to switch off and relax. Lack of sleep. Having an injury that affects quality of life. What can I do to avoid or deal with an emotional breakdown?
These are: Meditate regularly. Every morning has proven to be most beneficial to many people. Use breathing techniques to help relaxation. Take up enjoyable stress-busting hobbies such as yoga or golf. Have regular massages or do other relaxing things such as switching off devices, reading a book at bedtime or soaking in a warm bath. Exercise five times a week for 30 minutes. Even a walk is a start — walking in a forest will have beneficial effects on blood pressure, heart rate and the immune system.
Ensure there are sufficient breaks at work, and create a realistic to-do list. Learn to say no, so as to not take on too much at once. Be mindful, doing one thing at a time that you focus on. Reduce time spent at work and make sure to switch off from it in the evenings, at weekends and during holidays. See a therapist to learn how to reduce stress and to speak about underlying issues.
Avoid excessive drinking and be aware that certain drugs and caffeine can increase stress levels and adversely affect sleep. Sleep for at least seven hours every night. Realise that often an emotional breakdown is showing that things need to change. Ongoing treatment and self-care for anxiety or depression will help a person recover more quickly from a nervous breakdown, and it will also provide good coping strategies to help prevent one in the future. A mental breakdown can be caused by a number of factors , but for a lot of people stress from work is a major or sole cause.
Some professionals refer to a work-related nervous breakdown as burnout syndrome. The symptoms of burnout syndrome include three main signs that mirror what anyone experiencing a nervous breakdown of any type goes through:. As with other types of psychological breakdowns, a work-related burnout should be taken seriously. A person going through this should be professionally evaluated to determine if treatment is needed or if changes at work and the use of stress management strategies would be sufficient to reverse and prevent burnout.
A psychotic breakdown is any nervous breakdown that triggers symptoms of psychosis, which refers to losing touch with reality. Psychosis is more often associated with very serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia , but anyone can experience these symptoms if stress becomes overwhelming, triggering a breakdown. A common type of psychosis experienced during a nervous breakdown is a feeling of detachment or depersonalization.
A person may feel as if they are not really a part of any given situation, like work or dinner with family. This can also make someone feel as if they are not really themselves. These last two may take the form of being irrationally suspicious of family, friends, and other people.
A panic attack is not the same as a nervous breakdown, but it is very similar with symptoms that overlap. Multiple panic attacks may lead to a diagnosis of panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder. Some people may have just one panic attack, and this is not considered a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Symptoms of a panic attack include:. Panic attacks come on suddenly and without warning.
They are shorter-lived than nervous breakdowns and when they pass, they can leave a person feeling fatigued and stressed. While some people who have panic attacks may not have a lot of stress in their lives, these attacks can be triggered by a lot of stress, just like nervous breakdowns.
Panic attacks are very frightening because of how sudden they are and because they cause a lot of physical symptoms, more so than nervous breakdowns do. Because a nervous breakdown is not technically a mental health condition or diagnosis, there are no real defined types.
However, there are many different experiences that individuals experience when going through this kind of crisis. A breakdown may be sudden or build slowly; it may be the result of mental illness; it may be a psychotic breakdown; or it could be a panic attack. What these all have in common is that they are caused by stress and require treatment and ongoing care to recover from and to prevent in the future. Nervous Breakdown Treatment. I came to Bridges depressed, angry, and scared.
After settling in, I realized that I was in exactly the place I needed to be. Treatment Specialties. View Our Facilities. Meet Our Experts. We are here to listen compassionately. Our free, confidential telephone consultation will help you find the best treatment program for you. We can also guide you in approaching a loved one who needs treatment. Skip to content Admissions
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