You’ve been irritable, easily distracted, and perpetually exhausted. At times, you don’t know if you have the strength to get through the day. Are you just going through a rough patch, or are you in the middle of a mental health crisis? How do you know if you’re having a nervous breakdown – and if you are, what can you do to ease your symptoms and regain your health?
If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, don’t wait! Call us today or schedule a free assessment to take the first step towards healing!
What Is a Nervous Breakdown?
First, a quick clarification: “Nervous breakdown” isn’t a clinical diagnosis, nor is it a frequently used term among mental health professionals. Depending on the types of symptoms a person has, a clinician is more likely to describe this phenomenon as acute anxiety, a panic attack, or a mental health crisis.
However, since many people continue to use this term on an informal basis, we’ll be using it during this post.
When asking yourself, “How do you know if you’re having a nervous breakdown?” it’s important to understand that nervous breakdowns are characterized by severe mental health symptoms that significantly impair your ability to function in one or more important areas of life. These psychological symptoms are usually accompanied by fatigue, exhaustion, and certain other physical effects. The duration of a nervous breakdown can vary from a day or two to a week or longer.
These types of crises are often, but by no means always, associated with periods of intense stress or overwhelming pressure.
How Do You Know if You’re Having a Nervous Breakdown?
There’s no entry for nervous breakdowns in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which means there’s no set of established criteria for this type of mental health crisis. So, how do you know if you’re having a nervous breakdown?
The experience that people refer to as a nervous breakdown often involves symptoms such as:
- Extreme fear or worry
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Sense of being overwhelmed
- Deep, unshakeable sadness
- Irritability
- Uncontrolled crying
- Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
- Difficulty breathing, or feeling like you can’t catch your breath
- Heart palpitations
- Hot flashes and chills
- Excessive perspiration
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Restlessness
- Trembling or shaking
From a behavioral perspective, a nervous breakdown may cause you to:
- Withdraw from family and friends
- Call off sick from school or work
- Refuse to answer your phone or respond to texts
- Fall in to unhealthy eating and sleeping habits
- Fail to tend to your appearance or hygiene
- Stop paying bills or otherwise fail to meet your responsibilities
- Be unwilling to leave your home
Causes of Nervous Breakdowns
There’s no single cause that applies to all nervous breakdowns. However, as we alluded to earlier, they often occur during or immediately after particularly stressful experiences. This can include both one-time events and extended periods of stress.
Examples of potential precursors to nervous breakdowns include:
- Death of a loved one
- The end of a significant relationship
- Ongoing conflicts within a relationship
- Difficulties at work, which may include fear being fired or demoted
- Overwork and burnout
- Financial problems
- Serious medical concerns that affect you or a loved one
Enduring these types of challenges can be difficult for just about anyone – but not everyone goes through a mental health crisis as a result. Factors that can increase your risk of having a nervous breakdown include:
- Family history of mental illness
- Personal history of mental illness or trauma
- Having an anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder
- Living with a chronic medical condition
- Poverty or financial insecurity
- Subpar stress management skills
- Lack of an effective personal support network
What To Do if You’re Having a Nervous Breakdown
It’s important to be able to recognize the signs that you’re having a nervous breakdown. But awareness alone won’t be enough to resolve the crisis – you need to take action. Here are a few steps that can help:
Focus on Your Breath
If you are feeling particularly panicked or otherwise overwhelmed, stop what you’re doing and focus on your breath:
- Sit in a comfortable spot.
- Inhale deeply through your nose, paying close attention to how your body feels as your lungs fill with air.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth, again paying attention to the sensations that accompany your exhalation.
- Repeat this a few times, until you start to feel better.
Some people find that it helps to visualize hope entering your body when you inhale, and negativity leaving your body when you exhale.
Develop Other Self-Soothing Techniques
Meditation, yoga, and journaling are just a few examples of the many other ways you can ease your mind in times of stress. You don’t have to wait until you’re in the midst of a mental health crisis to practice them, either. In fact, they’re likely to be much more effective if you have already incorporated them into your life.
Do some research, explore your options, and try different techniques. When you find a few that are both enjoyable and effective, you can use them to prevent minor concerns from becoming major problems. And if a crisis occurs, you can rely on these techniques to minimize your distress.
Contact a Friend or Family Member
When you’re in the midst of a mental health crisis, you may have neither the motivation nor the energy to reach out. But failing to do so can make the experience much more difficult.
Isolation can intensify and extend the symptoms of a nervous breakdown. Talking to someone you trust can help you process what you’re going through, and remind you that, no matter what your symptoms are telling you, you are not alone.
Call or Text 988
If you’re not able to contact a close friend or trusted family member, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can access this free service online or by calling or texting 988 (U.S. only).
The Lifeline is staffed by trained professionals who can talk to you about what you’re feeling, assess your circumstances, and connect you with appropriate resources in your area.
Find Mental Health Treatment in Atlanta
If you feel you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown – or if you’ve already gone through one and want to minimize your risk of having another – Atlanta Integrative Psychiatry may have the solutions that are right for you.
We offer personalized outpatient care for adults who have been experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a host of additional mental health concerns.
When you choose our center in Atlanta, Georgia, you will be cared for by a small team of experienced and compassionate professionals. We’ll work closely with you to understand how you’ve been affected by your mental health struggles, and then we’ll develop a customized plan to address your unique needs and prepare you for a much healthier and more hopeful future.
To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Appointment page or call us today.
