be moody — feeling low or depression; feeling burnt out; emotional outbursts of uncontrollable anger, fear, helplessness or crying. feel depersonalised — not feeling like themselves or feeling detached from situations. be delusional – not be able to distinguish what's real from what's imagined.
Different types include breakdowns caused by depression or an anxiety disorder, a breakdown that causes psychotic symptoms, or work-related burnout. Nervous breakdowns may also differ in the types of situations that cause the stress and whether they build up slowly or happen quickly after one major stressful event.
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.
feel isolated — disinterested in the company of family and friends, or withdrawing from usual daily activities. feel overwhelmed — unable to concentrate or make decisions. be moody — feeling low or depression; feeling burnt out; emotional outbursts of uncontrollable anger, fear, helplessness or crying.
“Self-harm, suicidal or homicidal thoughts are very clear-cut cases where you should go to the emergency room. And if you are experiencing severe physical manifestations of a mental health condition, anything that is a threat to bodily function or well-being, that's a good time to go, too,” he says.
A nervous breakdown is characterized by prolonged, impairing feelings of being overwhelmed, anxiety, and stress, even in the absence of stressors, which affect one's daily functioning.
Long-term stress can lead to structural changes in the brain, which can affect your memory and lead to difficulty concentrating. In extreme cases, too much cortisol can even lead to memory loss. For some people, excessive stress may cause insomnia, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
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.
The Duration of a Nervous Breakdown Varies by Individual
These mental health crises are highly variable, lasting a few hours for one person or weeks for another. There are many risk factors for having a nervous breakdown, and the more an individual has, the greater the chance is that a breakdown will last longer.
A nervous breakdown is ultimately caused by an inability to cope with large amounts of stress, but how that manifests exactly varies by individual. Work stress, mental illness, family responsibilities, and poor coping strategies are all things that can lead to a nervous breakdown and the inability to function normally.
By Stage 4, the combination of extreme, prolonged and persistent symptoms and impairment often results in development of other health conditions and has the potential to turn into a crisis event like unemployment, hospitalization, homelessness or even incarceration.
Once you have been evaluated you can work with a psychiatrist or therapist to develop a treatment plan that will help you better cope with stress and avoid future crises. Depending on the severity of the crisis, you may want to consider a short stay in a residential treatment facility.
A mental breakdown does not exclude the possibility of psychosis, but a psychotic break refers specifically to an episode of psychosis. Typically, a psychotic break indicates the first onset of psychotic symptoms for a person or the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms after a period of remission.
People with psychosis typically experience delusions (false beliefs, for example, that people on television are sending them special messages or that others are trying to hurt them) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not, such as hearing voices telling them to do something or criticizing them).
The typical course of a psychotic episode can be thought of as having three phases: Prodrome Phase, Acute Phase, and Recovery Phase.
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.
Also called a nervous breakdown, this medical condition is defined as a period of extreme emotional or mental stress that makes it difficult or impossible to function in day-to-day life. This is a serious mental health emergency that requires immediate treatment from a medical professional.