A mental breakdown is a term used to describe an event in which someone undergoes a sudden and severe bout of depression, anxiety or stress. It can be triggered by any number of things: death of a loved one, harassment at work, unemployment, or something else. Mental breakdowns are usually short-lived and can be treated with therapy and/or medication.
The symptoms can vary from person to person, but they all have one thing in common: they are overwhelming and difficult to cope with. Fortunately, there are treatments for these problems and people who experience them should not feel hopeless or alone.
What Is a Mental Breakdown?
A mental breakdown is a term used to describe when someone experiences some sort of mental health crisis, like depression or anxiety. This can lead to a person having thoughts that they don't feel are their own and even suicidal ideation. It's important for people who have never experienced this type of crisis before not to be alarmed if a loved one reveals these symptoms as it doesn't necessarily mean they want to die.
It is important to note that the terms “mental breakdown” or “nervous breakdowns” are not medically accredited. However, these are commonly used descriptions for a group of symptoms some individuals may experience.
A mental breakdown is not something to be ashamed of. It's just one person trying to cope with the day-to-day stresses and anxieties that are simply too much for them.
It can happen at any time in your life, but it most often occurs during periods of high stress, such as when you're juggling school work and extracurricular activities or if you have recently experienced major losses like a death in the family or divorce.
A mental breakdown is not dangerous by default; however, there are some warning signs that should cause concern:
- Suicidal thoughts
- Feeling hopeless all the time
- Constant feelings of worthlessness
What Are the Symptoms of a Mental Breakdown?
A mental breakdown is a time when someone's coping abilities have been pushed to the limit and they are unable to continue providing for their emotional needs. A person might start breaking down mentally after experiencing intense or traumatic events such as abuse, neglect, divorce, natural disasters or being in an accident.
If you notice that your loved one has any of these symptoms, it's important to help them get professional treatment right away:
- Feeling like life isn't worth living: This symptom is referred to as anhedonia, and it can be a terrifying experience.
- Inability to sleep well at night: For example, if you have insomnia or simply cannot sleep at night because your mind won't shut off.
- Sudden lack of appetite: It is common for people under great stress to forget to eat or simply not have any desire for food.
- Unusual outbursts of anger: This is one of the most common symptoms of mental breakdowns and may also include paranoia, or even violence.
- Lack of concentration: This also includes short-term memory struggles.
- Feeling depressed or anxious for no apparent reason: This includes random crying
Remember that the term “mental breakdown” or “nervous breakdown” doesn't refer to one single mental health condition. This means the help of a behavioral health professional is necessary to identify which condition is the root cause of an individual’s symptoms. Once the causes of the symptoms have been properly diagnosed, individual treatment and recovery plans can be started.
How You Can Find Help
The process of finding the cause of a mental breakdown, then healing the factors that contributed to it, can be an exhausting, difficult process. But if successful, the treatment restores a quality of life and sense of inner peace that was missing.
One of the most successful approaches to healing from a mental breakdown is to begin with Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. We offer a variety of treatment programs that can provide the help and care you or your loved one needs. Our patients are supported by trained professionals and specialists. These professionals can carefully monitor progress, create relaxing environments, and adjust treatments based on whether or not the treatment is showing results.
People who need help recovering from a mental breakdown or nervous breakdown can access treatment at Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. To get started, the first step toward treatment is to contact our team. You can call us directly at 972.982.0897 at any time. A team member is available 24/7. Alternatively, you can contact us online, and we will reach out to you as soon as possible.
We can help answer any question you have about our programs and our behavioral health hospitals. Additionally, a member of our team can help schedule you or a loved one for a free, confidential mental health assessment.