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Legg, Ph. What are the symptoms of a nervous breakdown? Causes of a nervous breakdown. Risk factors that can lead to a nervous breakdown. How to manage your symptoms. When to see a doctor. The nervous breakdown is gone. John D. Rockefeller Jr.
Provided you had the means—a rather big proviso—announcing a nervous breakdown gave you license to withdraw, claiming an excess of industry or sensitivity or some other virtue. And crucially, it focused the cause of distress on the outside world and its unmeetable demands.
The term nervous breakdown first appeared in a medical treatise for physicians. This disquisition built on the work of a Gilded Age doctor, George Miller Beard, who posited that we all had a set amount of nerve force, which could be depleted, like a battery, by the stress of modern life. Beard had argued that an epidemic of nervous disease had been unleashed by technology and the press, which accelerated everything.
This idea of the nervous breakdown as a natural response to modern life gained currency through the go-go s, and then achieved cultural ubiquity with the economic collapse of the s.
Famous cases illustrated this. Weber wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism while prostrated by an excess of the very work ethos he described. He recovered and resumed teaching just in time to die of the pandemic flu. The developing field had little use for an affliction that could be treated without the assistance of physicians. Diseases like major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder—diagnosed and treated by specialized doctors dispensing specialized drugs—replaced the nervous-breakdown catchall.
This did quite a bit of good: Many people with psychological ailments gained access to medical treatments that could be effective. But something important was lost. You were allowed to step away from normalcy. The breakdown also signaled a temporary loss of functioning, like a car breaking down. The nervous breakdown was not a medical condition, but a sociological one.
And it was a onetime event, not a permanent condition. It provided sanction for a pause and reset that could put you back on track. But as psychology eclipsed sociology in the late 20th century, it turned us inward to our personal moods and thoughts—and away from the shared economic and social circumstances that produced them. The effect is atomizing even in normal times. So we may need something like the nervous breakdown—something that is less medically precise but encapsulates the way people are encountering the moment.
Being a listener means just that — you do not necessarily have to give advice or your opinion on the situation. No one is expecting you to have the qualifications of a professional mental health counselor, and you probably should not attempt to do so.
Secondly, a person exhibiting nervous breakdown symptoms may need encouragement. Recognizing their great efforts at life — be it at the office or with her spouse and children — can help her understand her worth and value in a world where she feels none. Having someone on the outside looking in can help to realign her perspective and bring a renewed sense of purpose to a world otherwise filled with pain.
Lastly, an intervention may be necessary. If she is threatening suicide, skip immediately to this step, as such words should never be ignored. Call or get in touch with a medical professional immediately. If your friend or loved one is willing to go to the hospital to seek treatment for an emotional breakdown, do not leave him there alone. Offer to go with him and support him. You will need to be strong for this person, and you can be the liaison between the despair and proper treatment. Confidentiality is key when helping someone who is having a nervous breakdown.
Remember the struggle is not your news to share, and it is important you remain non-judgmental and practice self-restraint. If you feel you cannot do this, find someone who can, and never leave a broken person unattended at the height of crisis. Fortunately, many people are able to bounce back from an emotional breakdown after the root issue is resolved.
Sometimes this involves a change of circumstance, and often it means counseling and psychotropic medication. There are so many options and resources for those who are hurting spiritually and emotionally they just need to find them. Never be afraid to express your concern for a friend or family member, as your commitment and self-sacrifice may even save a life. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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