What to do following a nervous breakdown

The world we are living in is advancing rapidly. As a result the majority of us find it difficult to survive in this fast moving world owing to the competition that exists.   

The incidences of psychological issues and psychiatric illnesses are rising like never before. This is mostly due to the above mentioned competitiveness where people tend to spend most of the time worried, tensed and depressed. Sadly their aspirations in life are very high and they’ll tax themselves to achieve these goals.   

Nervous breakdowns, emotional breakdowns and midlife crises are frequently used phrases nowadays. They describe the inability of an individual to function in an optimal manner as a result of psychological stress. However, this disturbance in the mind often goes without being diagnosed or untreated due to the confusion between the true illness and inherent personality traits.   

Medically defined as a modern health crisis, a nervous breakdown takes place as a result of stress or a distressful external influence or an experience such as loss of a loved one, divorce, unemployment, poverty etc. This psychological scenario is usually associated with underlying depression or anxiety and often owns a short lasting natural history. This condition in turn gives out responses which will signal an individual to seek medical advice or psychological support, as soon as possible.   

Signs and symptoms of a nervous breakdown may vary from one person to another, depending on their personality, skills of coping, experiences, age, etc. Most patients will present with signs of depression, anxiety, extreme mood swings, hallucinations, panic attacks, paranoia, social withdrawal and isolation and flash backs of the traumatic events.   

nDepression-Sudden drop of individual’s mood which significantly differs from the default personality traits. He will also prefer staying alone, eat less or more than usual, show a loss of weight, experience sleep disturbances (either sleep a lot or doesn’t sleep at all), get suicidal thoughts, suffer self-mutilation and lose interest in things he used to enjoy. These signs tell us that a patient should receive immediate professional care so as to prevent fatal consequences.   

nAnxiety and panic attacks-Extreme anxiousness following a traumatic event is highly suggestive of an emotional breakdown and affected individuals will present with high blood pressure, tensed muscles, frequent muscle cramps, trembling and shaking movements, dizziness, headaches and fainting attacks.   

nExtreme mood swings- unusual and unexplained outbursts of mood changes which might interrupt day to day activities of the individual, in a significant manner. In such scenarios it is important to exclude psychiatric illnesses like Bipolar disorder.   

nHallucinations- Experiencing a variety of sensory perceptions in the absence of any relevant external stimulus. These are very common in individuals with a nervous breakdown and often associated with underlying illnesses such as Schizophrenia or substance abuse.   

nParanoia- This is a significant sign of emotional breakdown where affected individuals will fear that someone is watching and following them, with a possible drawback of difficulty in coping up.   

nSocial withdrawal-Most of the individuals who have been brutally traumatized by negative life events and reached a state of nervous breakdown,prefer staying alone, avoiding any social interactions. They might just need some self-time to understand the situation they are experiencing and create the background to cope with the stressful situation.   

Coping with it is hard, but not impossible
The feeling of a nervous breakdown can be really devastating and sound serious, but what matters most is to manage it effectively so that the affected individual will not develop any negative consequences towards living a peaceful life.   

Identification or vaguely observing any of the signs described above, following a traumatic life event, can possible hint towards a nervous breakdown.   

This is where you should take action. May it be you, your neighbour, your friend or someone you barely know, it is highly recommended to seek professional care of a psychiatrist or psychologist to gain relevant support and medication since this type of care is highly important to prevent negative outcomes.