What’s a mental breakdown?

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“Mental exhaustion” is not a medical term and can refer to various psychological conditions. It often means a breakdown in mental stability due to external crises, with symptoms resembling depression and anxiety disorders. Seeking medical help is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

While the term mental exhaustion is commonly used, it is not actually a medically recognized designation and therefore can potentially refer to a number of different symptoms and psychological conditions. It is often understood, however, to mean a breakdown in one’s mental stability, which may occur in response to one or more external crises. Symptoms of such a collapse can vary widely, but can resemble those of depression and anxiety disorders and usually represent a major disruption to normal life. Those who feel that they are experiencing a slump in their mental stability should seek medical treatment immediately.

Mental breakdown is not a medical term and consequently has no exact definition. Outside the medical community, however, the term is often understood to mean a collapse in one’s mental stability, often occurring in response to an external crisis or series of crises. Events that can spur this type of psychological breakdown could include job stress, unemployment, divorce, the death of a loved one, or financial problems.

Since mental breakdown is not actually a specific, medically defined condition, it is difficult to describe its exact symptoms. Indeed, in the minds of many, this type of burnout is not characterized by a fixed list of symptoms, but rather by the severity of an individual’s symptoms. That is to say, a mental breakdown is distinguished from other mental health difficulties in that a breakdown causes a major disruption to the sufferer’s normal life. A sufferer may, for example, suddenly abandon all personal relationships or feel unable to leave the house.

Like a nervous breakdown, the term mental breakdown can often be a euphemism that is used in place of the proper names of mental health disorders to avoid causing offence, embarrassment, or discomfort. What is referred to as a mental breakdown is often actually a severe case of depression. A flare-up of an anxiety disorder can also be mislabeled as a burnout.

Those who feel that they are experiencing a breakdown in their mental stability should seek medical help as soon as possible. A doctor or psychiatrist can diagnose any underlying mental health condition that can be grouped under the label of generic failure. Medical experts can also provide the necessary support to help the burnout sufferer deal with his psychological issues and return to his normal life when he’s ready. Treatment can vary widely, but may include individual or group therapy sessions, a stay in a rehabilitation facility, or medications.




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