Nervous breakdown occurs when a person is suffering from severe stress for a very long time. There is a sudden change in the behavioural pattern of the person. A person with nervous breakdown is unable to perform his normal duties as done by him earlier.

Some other individuals might experience uncontrollable need to cry, loss of energy, withdrawal, confusion, inability to think clearly, sleep disruption or insomnia and a loss of pleasure in day to day activities, a feeling of worthlessness and depression.

These symptoms are termed as the depressive disorders.

Effects of Stress, Anxiety and depression on mental health

Whatever is the reason of the breakdown; all the breakdowns have in common- the inability to function as normal. The person suffering from nervous breakdown is actually suffering from some sort of mental disorder. Stress, depression and anxiety are all responsible and are related to the mental disorders.

The increase of stress, depression, anxiety levels leads to nervous breakdown. The symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety are lack of energy, exhaustion, trembling hands, disturbed sleeping patterns, excessive worries, irritability, isolation, panic, worthless feelings, guilt, headache, muscle pain, increased heartbeat, loss of sex drive and loss of appetite.

Lack of energy is one of the most common symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Even after trying hard to get energized a person cannot achieve that. All finally results in lesser energetic feeling and accounts to lesser motivation level. In a person suffering from stress, depression is mentally exhaustive and hence he is unable to perform his day to day activities normally. No matter even if he takes rest for long hours, he feels exhausted all the time. The trembling symptom is also one of the features of stress and anxiety.

Effects of the stressful situations

When a person is in a stressful situation the body flows with the powerful chemicals such as the adrenaline. There is a change in the sleeping pattern when the person will tend to sleep too much or sleep only for few hours. Once the stress level decreases then the nightmares will disappear. Excessive worry is another symptom of anxiety, stress even for smallest events in life. The person feels negative about every situation.

The sufferers often feel like being alone as they feel awkward around others and rather are alone to avoid this feeling. Loss of appetite is one of the most common features. Reducing food intake further affects energy levels and deprives the body of nourishment, further aggravates stress, depression and anxiety. All these stressful experiences tend to make a person mentally weak and thus, this leads to mental breakdown.

According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, anxiety is the most common mental illness in America, with nearly 20% of the adult population affected. Woman are twice as likely to experience life disrupting general anxiety disorder, GAD, and specific phobias than men are, however the numbers for those suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are equal for the sexes.

It is interesting to note that approximately 1/3 of all adult sufferers of anxiety disorders had experienced some symptoms when they were children. Women also hold the dubious honor of being far more likely to experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and twice as likely to suffer with Panic Disorders. In these studies it is noted that childhood sexual abuse is often a precursor for PTSD, and regardless of the age of the attack, rape will trigger PTSD in 65% of the men and almost 46% of the woman who experienced it.

We all face anxiety producing events in our daily lives, beginning when we were an infant and we realized our mother had left the room. From that day on the stress in our lives continues to be experienced, overcome, and the knowledge of our successes helps us move on to the next challenge.

The child goes to school for the first day and both the parents and the child are anxious. The first sleepover, away camp, learning to drive, and going away to college are all important milestones that can cause normal anxiety in the parties involved, even though there may well be an undercurrent of excitement, also.

For adults, the list for potentially stressful situations is virtually endless. Losing a job, serious debt, awaiting medical test results, the imminent death of a loved one are just a few. All of these and more are legitimate causes for anxiety. It is only when the anxiety becomes the defining factor in a person’s life, dictating their every move in some cases, that it is time to seek professional help. If the fears are no longer based in logic, if the affected person’s daily life is seriously diminished, and if no amount of reassurance will ease their fears, it is time to obtain an evaluation from a mental health professional.

There should be no stigma associated with seeking help with for mental health concerns. It is no different than hypertension or diabetes, in that, left untreated will severely impact the suffering person’s ability to interact with their family, friends and co workers, and possibly escalate to where the affected person is unable to even leave their home.

When basic daily functioning is impacted by the anxiety disorder, and the ability to enjoy life is disrupted, a family member may need to seek advice on how to best encourage their loved one to obtain necessary help. The need for this intervention is a vital one. An anxiety disorder left untreated can easily escalate to include other mental health concerns, including depression and suicidal thoughts.

As dismal as this may all sound, help is readily available, and cost or lack of insurance does not need to be a factor. Resources for help are as close as the phone book or the computer, and many state and county mental health clinics accept sliding payments based on ability to pay.