Nervous breakdowns

According to the Mental Health Foundation one in 20 of us will suffer clinical depression including a 'breakdown' at some stage in our lives.

What is a breakdown?

The term actually refers to a wide range of experiences when someone has hit rock bottom. There is no such thing in medical terms, and making a diagnosis based on such a flimsy term is near impossible.

Severe depression: This is the most common type of breakdown, where someone develops severe depression over a few weeks, where they can't sleep, feel on edge, have negative thoughts about themselves, feel more and more hopeless and then one day just can't get out of bed.
Collapse in social roles: Inability to keep doing day-to-day job and playing your usual part in family/ social life.
Loss of sense of reality: When the person becomes delusional, 'has lost the plot'. A psychotic breakdown, although this is not always indicative of schizophrenia.

Warning signs of immobilising stress:

Physical: Diarrhoea, constipation, IBS, back pain, breathing problems, migraines, insomnia, low libido, a disrupted menstrual cycle.
Emotional: Constant worrying, anxiety, feeling everything is out of your control and you are trapped.
Behavioural: Mood swings, tantrums, constant fidgeting, withdrawal from normal life.

Why does it happen?

Breakdowns are caused by the interaction of the internal and the external, yet there is always a trigger or catalyst. Breakdowns are often associated with a major life event, such as a bereavement or a broken relationship. Whether such life events cause a breakdown depends upon the individual's ability to cope with the situation. Those who are more vulnerable at the time are therefore more at risk.

Breakthrough

It's not all bad - if you receive the right treatment a breakdown can be turned into a breakthrough. If well managed it can enlighten the person as to what went wrong, and help them to come out the other side as a better person. It can teach you about yourself and your coping strategies and help you deal better with stress and challenging situations in the future.