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 many things: the 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 medication. The symptoms can vary from person to person, but they are typically overwhelming, and coping is difficult. Fortunately, 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 a mental health crisis, like depression or anxiety. This breakdown can lead to thoughts that they don't feel are their own and even suicidal ideation. It's essential 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. Sometimes people feel ashamed of having a mental health breakdown. However, it's just one person trying to cope with the day-to-day stresses and anxieties that are too much for them.
It can happen anytime 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 significant losses like a death in the family or divorce. A mental breakdown is not dangerous by default; however, some warning signs should be cause for 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 extreme or traumatic events such as abuse, neglect, divorce, natural disasters, or accidents.
If you notice that your loved one has any of the below 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 -- If you have insomnia or cannot sleep at night because your mind won't shut off.
- Sudden lack of appetite -- It is common for people under stress to forget to eat or not desire 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 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 mental health condition. This means the help of a behavioral health professional is necessary to identify the root cause. Once the symptoms have been properly diagnosed, individual treatment and recovery plans can be started.
How You Can Find Help
Finding the cause of a mental breakdown and 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, Vista Del Mar Hospital. We offer various treatment programs that can provide the help and care you or your loved one needs. Trained professionals and specialists support our patients. These professionals can carefully monitor progress, create relaxing environments, and adjust treatments based on whether the treatment shows results.
People who need help recovering from a mental breakdown or nervous breakdown can access treatment at Vista del Mar Hospital in Ventura, CA. To get started, the first step toward treatment is to contact our team. You can call us directly at 805.653.6434 anytime. A team member is available 24/7. We can help answer questions about our programs and behavioral health hospital. Additionally, a team member can help schedule you or a loved one for a free, confidential mental health assessment.