Nervous Breakdown

[snaykz]

What exactly is a nervous breakdown, what causes them and what do they feel like?

[andy hughes]

As the name suggests - the mental faculties of the sufferer do indeed break down, and cease to function. This results in the patient's mental processes being impaired, or even ceasing to function. Simple tasks such as getting dressed, making tea, and so on become a series of complex actions too difficult to achieve. Even simple concentration and conversation become impossible. The patient becomes totally withdrawn, becoming convinced that they are watching the world through a camera, and reality does not exist. Feelings of helplessness and futility compound the condition resulting in deep and sometimes suicidal depression. Care and even interest in loved ones receedes, a patient can even ignore the basic needs of his or her family as the inability to function deepens. The condition is usually the result of the mind's withdrawal from serious mental stress and fatigue. As a means of protection, the mind abandons all but the most basic reflex actions, and shuts down all reaction to external stimulii, the patient may even stop eating and drinking unless supervised. In the most severe cases, hospitalisation and a course of medication and therapy are suitable treatment, and in most cases, the patient does recover all faculties, despite being convinced that recovery and return to normal life are not possible.

[WaldoMcFroog]

A nervous breakdown is when your brain decides it cannot cope with some aspect of your life and stops playing nicely. I had one, caused (I suspect) by something which happened when I was in my early twenties and which was in part responsible for me being single for a long time after (thankfully now remedied). Mine started off as a low level feeling of anxiety which built up over several months until it seemed my head would explode. I had so many thoughts firing off inside my head, it was like having three stereos with different CDs, the TV, a radio all going off whilst standing next to one of Metallica's speaker stacks and riding Oblivion at Alton Towers, and somewhere lost in it all was me going '...er..? This isn't quite right!'. It got to a point where I was literally biting my lip off in order not to scream, and I realised I needed help. [conts]

[WaldoMcFroog]

[Cont] After I spoke to someone (family in my case) it gradually got better over about 6 months, and now, four and a half years later, I'm absolutely fine and recently got engaged. I say that to show that you can get through it. I also have several freinds who have suffered nervous breakdowns, all for different reasons and none of us experienced quite the same thing. The important thing to realise is that it is an illness and you are not to blame. You also need to realise that you will need help to get better. I don't generally go around advertising the fact that I had a breakdown, but nor am I ashamed about it - hence I'm answering this question! If you're worried that you're going through one, my experience tells me that you may get thoughts that you know to be irrational. If this happens, you need to have a confidant. I was able to say, 'I think X is a mad thing to think, but I'm not sure. Can you tell me?' It's not a weakness to ask for help. If I can possibly help at all, let me know on here, and if you would like, we can arrange to chat privately. I'm not promising I will be able to help, but I do know what it's like. Here's hoping it was a benign enquiry!