A nervous breakdown happens when a person is unable to function normally because of a stressful situation or event. This typically occurs when life’s pressures are unbearable physically and psychologically. This expression was often used in early days to coin a lot of psychological conditions. Now though it is an obsolete term in the medical field since DSM is now the standard for diagnosing mental dysfunction.

The term nervous breakdown is not a medical term but is commonly used in laymen’s language to depict someone literally collapsing because of some kind of anxiety. It is also not the proper term to use to describe a specific kind of mental disorder. But this type of coping method is pondered upon as not normal in managing stress. Hence, it is possible that a nervous breakdown is a form of symptom of an underlying mental illness.

The symptoms of a nervous breakdown can be arranged into three distinct categories: physical, emotional and behavioral. A handful of the physical symptoms are loss of memory, depleted libido levels, panic attacks, insomnia and abdominal discomfort. Emotional symptoms would include depression, agitation, indecision, very low self-esteem and confidence, hallucinations and even paranoia. The behavioral symptoms are changes in mood, sudden outbursts of anger, weird behavior and to some extremes, psychosis.

There are plenty of factors that incite symptoms of nervous breakdown but they are usually manageable. This would include plenty of exposure to stress, prolonged episodes of extreme sadness, abuse of alcohol and /or drugs, hereditary, underlying medical conditions, getting anxious because intolerable stresses from bad circumstances, being strained for a decision, impractical demands, lingering too much about misfortunes from the past and even tremendous feelings of guilt can cause a nervous breakdown.

There is no standard cure for nervous breakdowns. It can be a single approach or a combination of treatment modalities. It is usually combination of drugs, behavioral therapy, counseling, emotional release, hypnosis and other modalities. It is the doctor who will determine on which combination is the right one for the patient once a diagnosis is made. However, they say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that is true. Preventive measures are very important and some of them would include relaxation and meditation, supplementation, exercise and many more.

However, the best way to prevent a nervous breakdown is by knowing what it really is. If you known what the symptoms of nervous breakdown are, you can do what is needed in order to stop it. Most of all, you will not live in fear and you can also help others.

Tags: factors that incite symptoms of nervous breakdown, symptoms of a nervous breakdown, stressful situation, symptoms of nervous breakdown, medical term, feelings of guilt, Health, obsolete term