According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000, a nervous breakdown is:
?A severe or incapacitating emotional disorder, especially when
occurring suddenly and marked by depression. Not in scientific use.?
The following information is provided by the Mayo Clinic:
?Nervous breakdown is a term that many people use to characterize a
range of mental illnesses. But generally it describes a person who is
severely and persistently emotionally distraught and unable to
function at his or her normal level. It's not a medical term, and it
doesn't indicate a specific mental illness.?
?Often, when people refer to having a nervous breakdown, they're
describing severe depression.
Symptoms of severe depression:
Agitation or restlessness
Difficulty or inability to stop crying
The causes of mental illness usually aren't clear. But several factors
play a role, such as:
Drug and alcohol use
Co-existing medical conditions
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
A nervous breakdown is a popular term for a reaction to overwhelming
?There is no equivalent medical term. People said to be suffering from
a nervous breakdown may be suffering from a neurotic illness, such as
depression or anxiety, or a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia.?
The NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia defines a nervous breakdown as follows:
?A nervous breakdown is a popular expression that is used to describe
what someone is going through who can?t cope with everyday life. In
the medical sense, it represents a range of many possible conditions
rather than any one psychiatric disorder. Only one condition may be
present, or several conditions at the same time.?
NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia
Here is a list of the symptoms:
According to Derek Wood, Clinical Content Director of Mental Health
Matters, there are many disorders that can fit within the criteria of
"Nervous Breakdown", but those that most commonly occur are those
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder
Mood (Affective) Disorders
Mental Health Matters
The Disorder that is mimics the most directly however is Major
Depressive Disorder (Depression).
What is a nervous breakdown?
"Nervous breakdown" is not a clinical term. There is no psychiatric
definition of a nervous breakdown, and it has nothing to do with
nerves. "Nervous breakdown" is an inexact and unscientific term that
is no longer used in psychiatry.?
?The diagnosis that most closely resembles what the public calls a
nervous breakdown is major depression. Depressive episodes may be
caused by genetic and biological factors and are often triggered by
social and environmental circumstances. Depression is defined as the
"loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities" and "sustained
fatigue without physical exertion." Depression is characterized by a
lack of energy and motivation along with feelings of guilt or
hopelessness. It is often brought on by stressful situations, such as
relationship difficulties, health problems, the aftermath of an
accident or the death of a loved one.?
How Stuff Works
A Nervous breakdown is a general term for various emotional disorders
causing severe life disturbance
Causes of a Nervous breakdown
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I hope this helps!