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What are the symptoms of a nervous breakdown?

GrownupGirl

GrownupGirl

Tempermental Artist
Is there any way to tell if I'm having a nervous breakdown? Will I just shut down and become indifferent to everything? I wish I could. I wish the world ended in 2012. I wish I had the guts to kill myself. I should have done it years ago. I'm sick of living in an unlivable world.
 
Well, whatever it is, this doesn't sound pleasant, I am sorry to hear you are going through this. I don't know what medication you have, but it sounds like you may need a check up to see if they can help better?

Has there been specific things that have triggered this? Perhaps you could benefit from talking to a counsellor, even if only to share your feelings and offload? It's very hard to see a way forward when you feel this way, it sounds tough. I hope you have someone you can talk to about this?
 
GrownupGirl said:
Is there any way to tell if I'm having a nervous breakdown? Will I just shut down and become indifferent to everything? I wish I could. I wish the world ended in 2012. I wish I had the guts to kill myself. I should have done it years ago. I'm sick of living in an unlivable world.
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Its highly individual to how each of us react to a nervous breakdown so you can't really go by any " signals "

But for me it's when you are no longer able to cope, and you just want to go and hide you're self from the world or as you also say you no longer want to live and of course you just want to scream your lungs out of pure desperation and despair

Needless to say, Suicide is NOT will EVER have not ever been the right way so please don't. I know how it feels and how low you can get and im also diagnosed Severely suicidal among a gazillion other diagnosis) So believe me when i say i KNOW and yet im still here and so should you be, it WILL get better.

And last you apparently have the guts to STAY alive and THATS what reel guts is all about so don't think of yourself as coward for not daring to end you're self.

If you feel this bad, please get some professional help & in the meantime my Pm is there for you if you want /need to talk.
 
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"The term "nervous breakdown" is sometimes used by people to describe a stressful situation in which they're temporarily unable to function normally in day-to-day life. It's commonly understood to occur when life's demands become physically and emotionally overwhelming. The term was frequently used in the past to cover a variety of mental disorders, but it's no longer used by mental health professionals today."

"Nervous breakdown isn't a medical term, nor does it indicate a specific mental illness. But that doesn't mean it's a normal or a healthy response to stress. What some people call a nervous breakdown may indicate an underlying mental health problem that needs attention, such as depression or anxiety.

Signs of a so-called nervous breakdown vary from person to person and depend on the underlying cause."
Nervous breakdown: What does it mean?

"A nervous breakdown is a situation in which a person cannot function normally because of overwhelming stress..."

SYMPTOMS include, but are not limited to:
Anxiety
Depression
Change in sleeping habits
Fatigue
Change in appetite
Physical pain
Trouble breathing
7 Signs of a Nervous Breakdown
Difficulty getting along with or tolerating people
Thoughts of self harm or suicide
Frightening flashbacks, severe nightmares, and fight-or-flight symptoms, such as racing heartbeat, dry mouth, and sweating, when there is no threat or danger
In extreme or untreated cases, especially when related to mental health conditions associated with psychosis, symptoms may also include hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, and lack of insight.
Nervous breakdown: Signs, symptoms, and treatment

TLDR
Fast facts on a nervous breakdown:
  • The symptoms of a so-called nervous breakdown vary widely between individuals.
  • Medically speaking, there is no such thing as a nervous breakdown.
  • Treatment for a nervous or mental breakdown depends on the cause.
Nervous breakdown: Signs, symptoms, and treatment
 
Hi Grownupgirl
I’m so sorry life feel so terrible for you, glad you posted and many members have given their views on signs/symptoms of a nervous breakdown so that’s not my posting, has a event triggered your feelings or is it day to day existence that feels to much? Maybe if you identify one small thing that seems hopeful or gives joy it could help? reach out to this community as much as you can it may? help not feeling alone?
 
Nervous breakdown kinda is a loosely used term and may mean different things to different people. Nervous breakdown to me is just crying alot.
 
There is no one I can talk to. NO ONE. They even said I wish I could help you, but they know they can't. The health care where I live is the worst in the whole country. When the virus reaches us it will turn the city into a ghost town. The government doesn't care. The hospital is the second worst place for me to be. It always has been. They'd just lock me up with the real far gone lunatics, and pump me full of drugs. Or they'd take me off all my meds that I'm on now and force me to endure brains shocks and other horrors.

Every minute feels like an eternity. I just want it to end. Why won't it end?
 
Aspychata said:
Nervous breakdown kinda is a loosely used term and may mean different things to different people. Nervous breakdown to me is just crying alot.
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No, it's when your brain has been pushed passed the normal state of mental and emotional endurance, and then it turns to mush. And then you spend the rest of your life just rocking in a chair, staring off into space and you're worse than dead.

At least, that's what I think it is.
 
This is so tough for you. It sounds like something has recently changed, as you were doing better up until recently? But you can't get medical services to look into what has changed properly? When you say, there's no one is can talk to, do you mean you can't get a counsellor? Or perhaps that the services that should help with your changed state are not listening? I am really sorry this is happening, it sounds so difficult.

You said your brain has been pushed past what it can endure, and probably you mean the treatments you have had? However, I don't think that would affect your brain now, if it didn't at the time; is there anything that's happened that's made you feel worse? Or a change in medication of any sort? Does eating differently help at all? Just trying to think of anything that could help. So sorry you are feeling so bad.
 
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The information @tree posted is correct.
The term nervous breakdown used to be used for many mental disorders back in the 50's and 60's.
My Dad had what was termed that back in the early 60's.
It is not a medical term anymore.

Your definition of when your brain has been pushed past the normal state of mental and emotional
endurance is pretty accurate. But, the brain doesn't turn to mush.

I had my bout with severe anxiety disorder and depression, which in the older times would have been
called a nervous breakdown.
My experience was feeling such high anxiety I thought I was going to go wild and couldn't stand how it
made me feel. It was just there and I couldn't control it. Then there were the panic attacks that
seemed to come from nowhere. Sometimes hours of hyperventilating, thinking I was going to die.
No desire to eat and I didn't. Felt too fearful to leave my room.
I was Baker acted when I refused to get help. But, it saved my life.
I hated the doctor who did it, but, later felt grateful for what he did.

One last thing I see you mentioned shock therapy forced. That is against the law.
You must consent to shock therapy, ECT.

For me it wasn't because of an unliveable world, it was the world inside me I could not tolerate.
I made it through rough as it was. You can too.
We're here so might as well think of life as a roller coaster. Ups and downs.
Plot your course and take action for help.
 
GrownupGirl said:
There is no one I can talk to. NO ONE. They even said I wish I could help you, but they know they can't. The health care where I live is the worst in the whole country. When the virus reaches us it will turn the city into a ghost town. The government doesn't care. The hospital is the second worst place for me to be. It always has been. They'd just lock me up with the real far gone lunatics, and pump me full of drugs. Or they'd take me off all my meds that I'm on now and force me to endure brains shocks and other horrors.

Every minute feels like an eternity. I just want it to end. Why won't it end?
Click to expand...

Thats sad news indeed but yes im afraid that the virus will hit HARD over there as well (were dealing with it over here as well)

if you need to talk my Pm is right there so youre not all alone utliest and as you can see in my sig and profile i do have a gazilion of diagnosis so i do understand better then you might think.

I know how it all must feel compleatly hopless for you right now BUT suiciding is not the way to go here neither is just giving upp you HAVE to try to FIGHT regardles the odds . it WILL somehow some day get better or utliest more acceptable
 
My daughter was diagnosed with attention disorder. I definitely didn't want to give her Ritalin or anything like that. That's why we tried it with cbd and I have to say that it actually has positive effects.
She appears more balanced and can concentrate better on an activity. She takes the cbd oil from Cannapio: Natural full-spectrum CBD oil 5%, 30 ml, Cannapio
Be sure to discuss it with the pediatrician before the use.
 
@GrownupGirl, I am sorry you are going through such a tough time and feel so isolated. I have no real solutions but I can relate!

I found a variety of "self help" books helpful to get me through my roughest periods. I did not like books that focused on traditional psycology but books on mindfulness helped a lot! Eckhardt Tolle was very helpful in helping me to refocus my thoughts.
It takes time and being willing to put in personal effort but I think you can do it!
There is no quick fix though. But, for me, NOT yrying was not an option.

I used to look around and see happy people and think "Why not me? Happiness is possible. I can see that is true because I see the evidence of happy people all around me.". I decided to keep trying to get it right and refused to give up. I am extreamely stubborn. I realized that this stubborness made it difficult to give up thoughts and habits that had made me so depressed. But I could use that stubborness to help dig me out of the hole too.
This feeling that you have CAN be fixed but you can not give up!

Keep saying to yourself "I can give up any time I want, but not today. Tomorrow is good enough, but not today". Each day repeat that same thought to yourself.
And each day read a little more, meditate a little more and chat online with friends a little more. Little by little it will get better!
 
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