Nervous breakdown is commonly known as mental breakdown, although, both of them are not medical terms and also do not refer to any specific mental disease. Nervous breakdown is often used in the context of severe depression and anxiety that can lead to an emotional and psychological collapse. However, a certain level of anxiety and stress is felt by almost everyone when faced with any work-related or personal problem. But our body can usually cope with such kinds of mental stress and anxiety. But in certain situations, extreme stress and anxiety can overload a person and he may not be capable to overcome the situation. This can disrupt mental and emotional stability, leading to a nervous breakdown.
There might be several causes for mental or nervous breakdown, and they can vary from person to person. Thereby, causes for a nervous breakdown are individual specific. Nevertheless, some causes like extreme stress, anxiety, depression, drug or alcohol abuse, problems in personal relationships, emotional trauma and isolation are frequently associated with mental diseases and hence, can trigger nervous breakdown.
Extreme anxiety and stress, which are some of the common causes of a nervous breakdown, as usual cause depression. Depression can be an essential sign of mental breakdown. Amongst the physical signs, lethargy, extreme tiredness, weakness, continuous pain and aches, persistent gastrointestinal problem and inflamed skin can be some of the significant indicators of an impending mental breakdown.
Amnesia, characterized by loss of memory, confusion, particularly over the sequence of past events might be another important sign of nervous breakdown. If not treated at the right time, these conditions can lead to frustration and then to violent behavior or outbursts. A person on the verge of mental breakdown can as well experience disorientation or delirium and hallucinations, such as seeing or hearing things that actually don’t exist in reality.