Table of contents:

1. Possible causes of a nervous breakdown
2. Symptoms of a nervous breakdown
3. How to cope with a nervous breakdown?
4. When is it necessary to see a specialist with a nervous breakdown?

Nervousbreakdown is a term that is not found in medical classifications - neither in the ICD-10 nor in the DS-5 - but it is quite often used by patients and, for this reason alone, is worth taking a closer look at. A nervous breakdown is typically regarded as a condition in which a person - suddenly and temporarily - becomes unable to function on a day-to-day basis. He or she may be unable to attend work, may have problems with family functioning or may even feel unable to live... with themselves.

Typically, anervous breakdown is indeed transient, however, this does not mean that it is a trivial problem - in certain situations, there is a risk that the patient's mental state will not return to normal at all, but will instead develop a far more serious mental disorder. But let's start at the beginning - what can lead to a nervous breakdown anyway?

Possible causes of a nervous breakdown

In general, stress - especially severe and prolonged stress - is considered to be the primary cause of a nervous breakdown. In fact, stress in life is probably unavoidable, after all we are all exposed to it whether at home, at work or in any other environment. Stress is harmful, however, if it is somehow reduced, then it does not generally lead to threats to the integrity of our psyche. Worse still is the situation when stress is constantly accumulating and negative emotions are not being discharged - in such a situation, the "internal dam" may simply not be able to withstand the pressure put upon it, the patient's psyche may "burst" in some way and a nervous breakdown may occur.

There are many situations that can be a source of severe, chronic stress and at the same time can be the cause of a nervous breakdown.

However, the most frequently mentioned events and situations are:

• separation from a long-term partner,
• constant problems at work (e.g. constant exposure to co-workers or constant dissatisfaction with one's work on the part of one's superior),
• family problems (e.g. illness of one of the family members, child-rearing problems or difficulties in building a relationship with the partner),
• professional burnout,
• illness (illnesses that are chronic and require life-long treatment may lead to nervous breakdown),
• financial problems,
• significant life changes (e.g. change of employer after many years of working for one company, moving to a completely foreign city).

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown

Anervous breakdown does not have a one-size-fits-all definition, nor is it possible to list a single pattern of symptoms that would be characteristic of this particular problem. In fact, just as many different situations may be the cause of a nervous breakdown, people who develop this problem may have a variety of compilations of its manifestations.

In general, the symptoms of a nervous breakdown may include such phenomena as:

• mood disorders (typically in the form of a lowering of mood, but it is also possible for a person with a nervous breakdown to be irritable or to have an extreme tendency to outbursts of anger or even aggression),
• a sense of anxiety,
• inner restlessness,
• sleep disturbances (usually in the form of insomnia),
• a tendency to neglect hygiene,
• loss of appetite,
• somatic complaints of various kinds (patients may have somatic manifestations of anxiety, such as increased heart rate or a feeling of shortness of breath and increased sweating, but other problems such as pain in various parts of the body),
• a reluctance to leave the house (the patient may prefer to be in his or her own company both on non-work days and may wish to stay at home when he or she should be at work),
• feelings of hopelessness,
• loss of motivation to do anything,
• significant impaired concentration, attention and memory.

Nervous breakdown, photo: panthermedia

Essentially, the symptoms of nervous breakdown resemble those of various psychiatric entities - such as depression or anxiety disorders - but it should be emphasised that in order to speak of nervous breakdown, the patient's abnormalities must not correspond to the diagnostic criteria of any psychiatric disorder (in which case a diagnosis of one of these entities would have to be made).

How to deal with a nervous breakdown?

Typically, a nervous breakdown is indeed a temporary condition which, after a fairly short period of time - when the level of stress experienced by the patient is reduced - usually passes spontaneously. However, this does not mean that one should wait for the problem to go away. For if someone has a nervous breakdown, it simply means that situations have occurred in his or her life that he or she has not been able to cope with - there is a possibility that when an emotional crisis occurs again, the problem will recur.

For the reasons mentioned above, it would be most beneficial to seek the help of a psychological counselling centre if a nervous breakdown occurs. The counsellors there will be able to advise and, if necessary, also recommend therapy for the patient. The psychologist will also be the person who, if necessary, will be able to point out to the patient the need to visit other specialists, such as a psychiatrist.

When is it necessary to see a specialist with a nervous breakdown?

Many people experience a nervous breakdown and recover from it without going to a psychologist - they are helped, for example, by various relaxation exercises or the support of loved ones. Sometimes, however, it is not possible to go without professional help, as a nervous breakdown can be a prelude to the development of even more serious disorders, such as depression. Therefore, if the symptoms of a nervous breakdown persist over a long period of time and are very severe, it is not worth delaying in seeking specialist help.