Early Signs Of Mental Breakdown
With everyday stresses and having a lot to deal with, one can easily fall prey to a mental breakdown. This is a situation in which someone cannot function normally because of overwhelming stress. If left untreated it could indicate a serious health problem like anxiety or depression. Consider the following symptoms and seek medical attention if needed.
1. Withdrawal
Recent social withdrawal and loss of interest in others. When you have a lot on your mind, you tend to withdraw from your loved ones. If you do not talk about what’s going on in your mind, it will add up leading to a major outburst. Panic kicks in and fear creeps into your life, making it difficult to get through the day.
2. Drop In Functioning
An unusual drop in functioning, at school, work or social activities, such as quitting sports, failing in school or difficulty performing familiar tasks. You may lose interest in pleasurable activities such as sex or hanging out with friends.
3. Problems Thinking
In the short term, stress can boost your brainpower by releasing hormones that enhance memory storage and improve concentration. But chronic stress fries your attention span—affecting your ability to focus on work projects (bad) or your surroundings while driving (really, really bad)
4. Stress.
The stress you experience may be greater than ever before. In fact it may become so great that you feel as though you cannot cope with life anymore. The not being able to cope anymore is the “breakdown.”
5. Appetite Changes.
People may feel like not eating any food. It is more common to avoid eating than it is to want to overeat. Everyone copes differently though and some people may turn to eating large amounts of food as a means of coping
6. Feeling Disconnected.
A vague feeling of being disconnected from oneself or one’s surroundings; a sense of unreality. This is a classic symptom that you may experience. It involves feeling unlike your natural self. You feel like an entirely different person, often void of emotion, and stressed.
7. Illogical Thinking
Unusual or exaggerated beliefs about personal powers to understand meanings or influence events; illogical or “magical” thinking typical of childhood in an adult. You may think or fear that you are going crazy, have some undiagnosed mental illness, or are schizophrenic
8. Suicidal Thoughts.
It is very common to feel suicidal during a nervous breakdown. This is because we don’t know what’s going on in our body and we can’t control our thoughts or emotions. These feelings are normal, but should be addressed in therapy.
9. Insomnia.
One of the most common symptoms is insomnia or the inability to fall asleep. This is due to overstimulation and high amounts of stress. The person literally cannot calm their brain down to help themselves get a good night’s sleep.
1O. Mood changes
Rapid or dramatic shifts in feelings. You need to be aware of your mood changes and see if you seem to be in a “low” or “depressed” and “resigned” mood for an extended time. If you stop caring about people and fun activities that you used to enjoy, it maybe a sign.
