A nervous breakdown is now called a bipolar disorder mood swing.
However, we find that many clients are misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder because careful attention has not been paid to their symptomatology. Rapid mood changes or dysregulation is mistaken for “rapid cycling” and is followed by a diagnosis of the mania commonly associated with Bipolar II.
Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions.
Anxiety disorder.
These negative feelings interfere with normal daily activities. Untreated and combined with a lot of stress, this can trigger a nervous breakdown.
A nervous breakdown can last from a few hours to a few weeks. If your breakdown has been going on for a while, and you need some relief, the following ten tips are for you. They will help you not only survive this difficult time, but they might even help you grow from this difficult experience.
A “nervous breakdown” can be a serious health issue if you can't perform everyday activities because of your stress and struggle to cope. Everyone handles stress differently. Some people are better able to cope with stress than others.
Panic attacks are very frightening because of how sudden they are and because they cause a lot of physical symptoms, more so than nervous breakdowns do.
During a manic episode, people with bipolar disorder can have what's called a bipolar blackout. During a blackout, the individual is not aware of their surroundings or actions and has trouble remembering them afterward. This can make interacting with someone in a blackout very frustrating, but it doesn't have to be.
Signs of A Bipolar Meltdown
The extreme mood swings that occur in bipolar disorder are accompanied by changes in sleep patterns, eating habits, emotions, and behaviors. People with bipolar disorder can experience periods of mania and depression, and the timing of these episodes can be difficult to predict.
Talking rapidly, sudden changes in topic, or “leaps of logic.” Having more energy than usual, especially if needing little sleep. Being intensely focused, or finding it hard to focus. Involuntary facial movements, such as twitches or mouthing.
The most common misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder is major depressive disorder (MDD). The symptoms of major depression last for at least two weeks and can include: persistent feelings of sadness or low mood.
Bipolar disorder often runs in families, and research suggests this is mostly explained by heredity—people with certain genes are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than others. Many genes are involved, and no one gene can cause the disorder. But genes are not the only factor.
It's important to remember that even if you or a loved one is having or has had a mental breakdown, it is a temporary condition. With the right treatment, you, or your loved one, can recover and begin to heal.
Untreated mental health conditions can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, and suicide, and poor quality of life. The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each year in the United States.
A nervous breakdown, in some cases, may require a hospital stay to stabilize and treat you. The reason for your hospitalization may include talking about suicides or death, violence toward others, self-harm, psychosis symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, and complete functioning instability.
It is a severe mental health emergency and requires immediate treatment from a medical expert. If you experience a mental breakdown, mainly when alone, it's advisable to seek immediate help. Preferably, visit a facility with no wait ER.
Treatment and prevention
talking to a doctor about antidepressant, antianxiety, or antipsychotic medications. taking steps to reduce or resolve sources of stress, such as conflicts at home or workplace demands. practicing deep breathing and meditation exercises to support mental and physical relaxation.
Try meditation, slow breathing, or yoga. Relaxation techniques are easy once you learn how to do them. If you went through a treatment program after your breakdown, you probably were given some of these tools. Turn to them when you start to feel overwhelmed again.
A nervous breakdown, also known as a mental breakdown, is neither a medical term nor a clinical diagnosis of any mental health condition; instead, it's used by many people to describe a period of intense stress and an inability to cope with life's challenges.
In some instances, a mental breakdown may lead an individual into other types of mental health conditions such as self-harm or suicidal ideation. Also commonly known as a nervous breakdown, mental breakdowns are not generally considered to have a medical diagnosis.
A nervous breakdown results from a sudden or prolonged period of stress, often rooted in underlying mental health conditions. A panic attack, in essence, is a type of nervous breakdown. Panic attacks are episodes of overwhelming anxiety and fear that often arise out of the blue, sometimes without explanation.