Definition

Noun: A severe emotional or psychological crisis characterized by an inability to function normally in daily life. It is not a formal medical diagnosis but a general term describing a period of intense mental distress, often involving symptoms like extreme anxiety, depression, panic, and withdrawal.

Usage

The term describes a state of being where someone's emotional or psychological state has deteriorated to a point that normal functioning is impossible. - It is typically used to explain a person's absence or sudden change in behavior. - It often follows a period of prolonged stress or trauma.

Examples

• After years of unrelenting pressure at work and home, she suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized.
• He had a nervous breakdown following the traumatic event and required several months of therapy to recover.
• The constant stress finally led to a complete nervous breakdown.

Advanced Usage

• To have a nervous breakdown: This is the most common construction.
  • She is on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.
• To suffer a nervous breakdown: Emphasizes the experience as something that happens to the person.
  • He suffered a nervous breakdown in his late twenties.

Variants and Related Words

• Breakdown (n): A more general term for a collapse in health, function, or mental stability. Can be used in mechanical ("car breakdown") or emotional contexts.
• Mental breakdown (n): Often used interchangeably with "nervous breakdown."
• Psychiatric crisis (n): A more clinical term for a similar state of acute mental distress.

Synonyms

• Mental collapse
• Emotional collapse
• Crack-up (informal)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To be at breaking point: To be under so much stress that one is close to a collapse.
  • The team is at breaking point with this impossible deadline.
• To go to pieces: To become so upset or distressed that one cannot control one's emotions or actions.
  • After hearing the news, she just went to pieces.

Noun

1. a severe or incapacitating emotional disorder