Have you known anyone who had one?

Two of my sisters have had nervous breakdowns where they were hospitalized. I can't tell you much about them other than they spent a huge amount of time crying. I think it's a condition where a person can't function normally anymore and has seek a doctor's care.

A severe or incapacitating emotional disorder, especially when occurring suddenly and marked by depression.

The term "nervous breakdown" is sometimes used to describe a state in which a person is so severely and persistently distraught that he or she is unable to function at a normal level. Nervous breakdown isn't a medical term, however, nor does it indicate a specific mental illness.

Often, a nervous breakdown indicates depression. Signs and symptoms of depression may include:

Loss of interest in normal daily activities
Agitation or restlessness
Persistent crying
Appetite changes
Sleep disturbances
Trouble concentrating and making decisions
If you're concerned that you're experiencing a nervous breakdown, seek medical attention. If you have a primary care doctor, talk to him or her about your signs and symptoms — or seek help from a mental health provider.

What is a Nervous Breakdown?
A nervous breakdown can be described as an acute emotional or psychological collapse. The term nervous breakdown is not a medical term, but rather a colloquial term used by the general public to refer to and characterize a wide range of mental illnesses.

It generally occurs when a person is unable to function in social roles anymore, experiencing severe depression or feelings of being out of touch with reality. This often occurs after a long period of stress which has not been adequately dealt with.

This inability to function can occur in both work and personal arenas, resulting in difficulty in fulfilling obligations. It also causes the individual to develop physical, mental and emotional symptoms. A person experiencing symptoms of a nervous breakdown may feel extreme tiredness, weakness, episodes of uncontrollable crying, confusion, disorientation and feelings of worthlessness.

There may also be a loss of self-esteem and confidence, extreme weight loss or weight gain, disrupted sleep patterns and feelings of guilt and despair. In severe cases, an inability to move, called catatonic posturing, may result. This is a serious psychiatric condition and should not be taken lightly.

what made you ask?????

myfavorite said:

I've heard about nervous breakdowns, but I've never known anyone close to me who has ever experienced this, or deicided to share. I have suffered from anxiety attacks, but wanted know if there's a difference. They sound very close in discription.
If the symptoms listed above are true, then the world maybe having a nervous breakdown in this economic crisis and troubled times.

Mach said:

yeah, I think a lot of people may have them and not know it because there is no sneezing or chest pain to indicate it's happening. But sometimes a person realizes that the stress has gotten to them in a way that their bodies aren't really able to handle anymore. When you can't shake the anxiety or the depression.

Something like sleeping for 15 hours might signal that you're out of balance.

On the other hand some people might say they're having one every week

NDRU said:

I never really thought about it that way.

Wow. I've definitely had one, maybe two or three over the span of my life.

I thought that when my father died a few weeks ago that I would have one. I experience all of those symptoms lately, but I still manage to function. I've got too many obligations to allow myself to crumble.

Obligations like posting here on the Org.

GetAwayFromMe said:

Sorry about your dad.

I heard my 16 yr. daughter tell her sister the other day that she has nervous breakdowns all the time for all her stress.
Ah...to be 16 again.
[Edited 1/15/09 10:59am]

rnljs said:

Thank you....yes, to be a teenager again. I did think about this the other day. When I remember all of the stupid things I used to stress over in high school, I just laugh. They weren't anywhere near as important as my father being gone.

rnljs said:

Being a teenager IS incredibly stressful. To add to that you’ve got all these crazy hormones making you crazy and you don’t recognize it as such yet.
Going by the definitions above, my first breakdown happened when I was 15. My niece has been going through similar for a few years now - she's 18.

I've had a nervous breakdown but it was connected to physical illness. I was so sick for an extended period of time that I just couldn't hold it together anymore and that is where my panic issues started. Thankfully I'm healthy again (apendix removed) and only in certain circumstances (extremely tired or sick) will the panic come back. It was no fun losing my grip. Not at all. Frightening really.

CarrieMpls said:

I think I had one, but it's tough to say because you tend to blame your feelings on life circumstances. It's hard to see when your stress passes that point where it reinforces itself and you're "sick."

CarrieMpls said:

I guess as the parent, you think your adult stress is so much more, and a good deal of it is related to the child.

In her life, she doesn't have any responsibility except to do her best in school. She went on to say that her stress is having to deal with us, the parents. She feels she should make all her own rules, and we are too old to understand how things should go. It's hard to get her to understand that our experience is what helps us make better decisions. And, in a couple of years, she will be out in the world, having to follow rules too.

At this age, they do a lot of talking, but not a lot of listening.

rnljs said:

Hormones. I remember flipping the fuck out for no reason. We adults have to remember what that was like

Had one - in the fall of 2003.

worst.time.ever

tricky2 said:

I've had one in 1997, took me more than a year to recover. I couldn't work, sleep, eat etc. I even wanted to die.
I think it's a combination of mental and physical things that go severely wrong. Bottling up things inside yourself that go 200% against your nature and crossing your limits (e.g. little sleep, no balanced food, doing things you hate to do).
I was ignoring signs, lots of signs for a very long time, I was so stupid. Eventually I ended up being tensed night and day, not being able to sleep for months, having one inflammation after another and after a ski holiday with lots of pain the bomb exploded.
Every night I sat for hours on the couch thinking I felt physical pain inside but I couldn't point where, wishing I had a broken leg or something I could point at. That were probably my nerves in my entire body being damaged.
I started getting anxiety/angst attacks that boiled up through my neck and thinking I would get them triggered them even more, anxiety for anxiety. These attacks could stay for hours, shaking like crazy, devouring the little energy that I had left.
At my peak I had hallucinations during the one or two hours I slept at night, seeing colors, hearing things, it was plain horrible. Looking at something silly like a table or a car could start it, I really thought I was going mental, developing some mental illness. I would never wish my worst enemy that. I had to leave hubby and live at my mom's house for 2 months, she patched me up.
Whenever I'm below my level (stress at work or my kid not sleeping for weeks) I feel that anxiety sneeking up, only now I recognise it, some breathing techniques makes it go away.
It's like there's this damaged place and you have to take care of it very well for the rest of your life.

Look it up in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of ----> me.

I have had a couple. All I wanted to do was stay curled up on the couch,and either sleep or zone out on the TV. I did'nt want to eat,shower,or really move,it was like I had taken shelter on the couch,and was comfortable to just stay there. It was aweful,and not only affected me,but my family as well.

rnljs said:

I don't doubt you have stress in your life as well, I think every parent of teenagers goes through some form of hell during those years.
Just don't forget that you have many more years of experience in learning to cope with what you're going through. She hasn't. You're the adult, she's the child. Doing your best in school can be damn difficult. Even if that's the "only" responsibility she has.

EmeraldSkies said:

The last one I had, I could barely get out of bed for weeks. I slept 12 hours at night and napped all day, crying when I was conscious and trying my best to simply sleep so I wouldn't cry.

CJanssen said:

It's the worst because you find yourself at the brink and the point where you don't even feel like you are human anymore. It's awful. I hope never to have one again. I feel for everyone here who's dealt with one. It's not cute.

minneapolisgenius said:

u must be my twin then

I had minor ones as a teenager, and a very bad one in October. I think my best friend probably saved my life, though she doesn't know it.

CarrieMpls said:

I think most of us have had one of varying degrees at one point or other.

Mach said:

um, ok...

it seems likely that it could happen. most of us:

don't cry,
don't complain,
get duped everyonce in while,
get stepped on,
gotta constant hustle going
do this life thing alone
have issues in doing the life thing
experience lifes roadblocks..etc.

going to a doctor wouldn't change those variables, it would change me. so i'd be a drugged up person who:

doesn't cry, or complain....etc.

I think after one good long cry.....