What is a Nervous Breakdown?

A caring wife was in a panic after the consecutive hospitalizations of her husband for tuberculosis. The husband has been experiencing a large number of stressful events. He failed his bar exam. His debt is such that his house may be taken over by the bank. He found out that his son has been addicted to cocaine. And his wife just got fired from her job. Four months ago, his father passed away. Now he is experiencing difficulty concentrating, has become very suspicious and worries a lot. He is also very irritable and jittery and has been experiencing irritable bowel syndrome. And he is having a hard time sleeping. He has been stressed out. She asked if her husband is having a nervous breakdown.

To answer her question, I would look at his life using the five aspects of his life: physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Physically he is overwhelmed with his schedule and he does have time to relax. Socially, he does not have other friends with whom he can talk to and be real about how he feels. He can act as if he is ok. He appears strong and invincible, but when he is alone he is plagued with worries, distrust and suspicions. Emotionally he is drained; he can’t talk to his wife without winding up in an argument. Mentally his work is so demanding and he has difficulty concentrating on his job. His immune system is very weak. His body is breaking down. Only the spiritual aspect of his person is sustaining him.

Is her husband having a nervous breakdown?

Her husband is experiencing high stress, which causes anxiety. People who experience a large number of stressful events are particularly vulnerable to the onset of anxiety disorders. Increases in stress have been linked to the onset of depression and other mood disorders, panic attacks, schizophrenia, sexual dysfunction, and other psychological problems. In very severe cases it can lead to a nervous breakdown, but not usually.

For professionals a nervous breakdown is called a psychotic decompensation -a state in which the client is out of touch with reality and shows symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.