Nervous Breakdown is also termed as mental breakdown. There are many causes which contribute to the problem of nervous breakdown. But social isolation is regarded as one of the major causes of nervous breakdown. There may be several reasons behind social isolation. It hardly matters, as the damage caused by this factor is quite irreparable.

The following are the general signs and symptoms of a nervous breakdown. A person might experience some of them simultaneously or only one of them in an exaggerated form. The type of symptoms occurring varies from individual to individual depending upon their mental stability and past history of mental disorders.

Symptoms of Nervous Breakdown

1. Physically - A brain with excessive stress is the first indicator of a nervous breakdown. Feelings of lethargy, constant pains and aches, scratchy and inflamed skin, lowered body resistance are also signs of an imminent breakdown. Repeated sensations of vomiting and gastric problems like stomach cramps gastrointestinal ulcers, colitis and diarrhea over extended periods of time might be indicative of a nervous breakdown.

2. Hostile Behavior - This involves a person displaying excessive antisocial behavior like gambling, eve teasing, vandalism and alcoholism. In extreme cases a person might resort to overt usage of drugs which is quite a clear sign of nervous breakdowns although it is not a rule.

3. Amnesia - Constantly forgetting appointments and schedules, short term memory lapse, confusion over order of occurrence of past events describe amnesia which, left untreated may lead to frustration. Frustration may then take control over the sufferer leading to rage and outbursts.

4. Delirium - Individuals may show signs of delirium and visualize hallucinations and delusions. By hallucinations and delusions one means tasting, smelling, seeing, feeling and hearing things that do not exist in reality. They might also display narcissism which is a state of extreme self-adoration and vanity.

People on the verge of a nervous breakdown are known to have nightmares and become obsessed with terrors. Panic attacks, loss of self-esteem, sleepwalking, and morbid thought patterns are symptoms of nervous wrecks as well. Such people may also threaten to harm and destroy other people, or hurt oneself by committing suicide.

Overview

One common aspect of these symptoms is an unexpected and abrupt dissolution of the human being's personality. This means moving away from a fixed functional routine towards a more chaotic and disruptive lifestyle. Other symptoms of a mental breakdown are irrepressible crying, low energy levels, cyclic perplexity, desolation, incapacity to think obviously, sleep interruption or insomnia, total lack of pleasure in mundane jobs and feeling of insignificance and sadness.