How to recover from a nervous breakdown. Nervous breakdown - symptoms, signs, treatment, causes, consequences. Causes of a nervous breakdown

I have a friend. A beautiful, sweet girl, but very emotional and sensitive. At the slightest conflict at work, he bursts into tears, runs away from the office, and curses everyone and everything. One day she deleted her page on social networks and soon started a new one. “I had a psychosis then,” she explained. “Everything got to me. Everyone needs something, they teach how to live and so on. They don’t have enough nerves anymore.”

After this story I thought about it. A person makes psychiatric diagnoses for himself, and even independently recovers from them in such a short period. It doesn't happen that way. Let's figure it out.

What is the difference between psychosis and a nervous breakdown?

The terms “psychosis” and “nervous breakdown/affective reaction” are often confused.

We often hear: “I went crazy,” “I’m going crazy,” which means that the person couldn’t restrain himself. In fact, we are talking about a sudden outburst of anger hysterics, which is typical for a mentally healthy person. These problems can be corrected both by the person himself and by a psychologist.

Psychosis– a more complex and severe condition that is treated by a psychiatrist. It is understood as mental disorder, a pronounced disturbance of mental activity, a disorder of perception of the real world (attention, memory, thinking) and disorganization of behavior.

Psychoses include schizophrenia, paranoid, manic, depressive, hypochondriacal and alcoholic psychoses. To make things completely clear, let's decipher these diseases.

At schizophrenia, the person experiences delusional ideas, auditory and visual hallucinations, decreased willpower, apathy (silent, frozen in strange positions), disordered thinking, perception (cannot solve a simple problem), poor chaotic speech.

At paranoid disorder a person is convinced that he is being influenced or watched by aliens, sorcerers, snipers, thieves, etc. Suspicion actively develops (to the point of delusional thoughts) and ideas that are extremely valuable for a person are formed, which are also delusional in nature.

At manic psychosis There is an inappropriately elevated mood, increased sexuality, falling in love with everyone around, delusional overestimation of oneself (“I am the savior of the world”), motor agitation (from aimless neutral activity to aggressiveness, search for conflicts with others).

Depressive psychosis, on the contrary, is characterized by decreased mood, appetite (even to the point of self-torture - anorexia), decreased sexual desire, desire for suicide, decreased self-esteem to the level of delusional ideas.

Often manic and depressive psychoses can alternate with each other.

As we can see, the term “psychosis” refers to a number of mental disorders that a psychiatrist works with.

Outbursts of anger, aggression, hysterics, and persecution mania are also characteristic of a mentally healthy person. Under the influence of stress, the resources of the human psyche are depleted, and all this results in breakdown.

Such a person is able to recognize a nervous breakdown; after the affect, he may experience remorse and strive to make amends for his guilt. For example, if you were rude in a fit of rage. In addition, he strives to combat affective outbursts.

Fighting a nervous breakdown is possible. First you need to track nine signs:

excessive irritability;
chronic fatigue;
it seems that there are only enemies around;
constant self-criticism;
other people's requests cause anger;
the seemingly innocent words of others spoken to you suddenly began to offend you;
disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, headaches;
excessive suspicion, mania of persecution;
depression, constant insomnia.

If you have a nervous breakdown: what to do

If the contradiction between the desired and the actual has reached its climax, and a nervous breakdown has occurred, the best way is to go through the situation. Don't drive emotions inside, otherwise they will be expressed in psychosomatic diseases. You need to throw out your emotions and unwind.
After you have released negative energy, switch your attention - wash your face, drink water, open the window.
If possible, sleep, this will help restore your strength.

Psychosis and nervous breakdown - when self-control goes away

If another person has a nervous breakdown, what should you do?

Aggression

With the help of aggressive behavior, the human body tries to get rid of high tension. In a situation of passion (if the aggression is not directed at you):

remove strangers from the room;
let the person “let off steam” - shout, beat a pillow, throw things around;
assign work related to physical activity;
always demonstrate a friendly attitude and your participation. Don’t blame him: “Well, you always behave like this,” “Can’t help but yell?” It’s worth saying about his feelings: “You’re very angry now, I understand how unpleasant it is for you. We can come up with something together”;
After the person has let off steam, invite him to wash and drink water. This method helps children especially well.

Nervous trembling

Sometimes it appears in a person who has just suffered an extreme situation (an accident, an attack by a criminal, or was a participant in a conflict or other terrible incident). Thanks to trembling, the body releases accumulated tension. This trembling cannot be stopped, otherwise it will cause muscle pain, and in the future it will turn into psychosomatic diseases. Trembling occurs immediately after the incident or after some time, the whole body or individual parts of it tremble. For example, a person cannot hold a pen in his hands, open a lock, or light a cigarette. In such a situation you need:

Intensify the shaking so that it goes away faster. Take the victim by the shoulders and shake for 15 seconds. At this time, talk to him so that he does not take your actions for aggression.
After it disappears, give the victim a rest, you can put to sleep.

Hysterics

May last from several minutes to hours. In it we can observe theatrical poses, many motor actions, high activity, fast, emotionally charged speech, sobs and screams. What to do?

Remove strangers, stay alone with the person (if it is safe to do so).
Surprise the victim - pour water on him, slap him in the face, drop a heavy object (with a crash), scatter papers from the table, you can even shout sharply.
Guide the victim with short phrases and a confident tone: “Wash your face,” “Drink some water,” “Come here.”
After a hysteria, a person experiences a breakdown. Make sure he gets some rest, if possible, put him to bed.

As we see, nervous breakdowns take up the lion's share of energy and harm communication (they spoil relationships between close people, threaten business, and develop a person's conflict tolerance).

How to prevent a nervous breakdown?

1. Switch

If you feel like you're about to have a nervous breakdown and you're about to break down, you should switch to something else. The higher your voltage, the more powerful the switching should be. Pour yourself some tea, look at yourself in the mirror, go into another room, wash your face.

Psychosis and nervous breakdown - when self-control goes away

If the tension is high, you can pinch yourself hard, drop something unbreakable, or crumple up paper. In some offices I saw drawings on the wall with the inscription “Leaf of Anger. In a fit of rage, crumple it up and throw it in a corner.”

2. Get rid of negative emotions.

Negative emotions (resentment, anger, guilt) should not accumulate in the soul, otherwise they break out in the form of diseases. Try to get rid of at least part of these emotions in advance - don’t communicate unnecessarily with people who are unpleasant, destroy photos where you don’t like yourself and where there are people who cause negativity.

Also get rid of things that bring negativity. Just like you throw away garbage. You can get rid of anger through sports, yoga, massage, heavy physical work around the house/dacha. Resentment is cured by forgiveness, and guilt is cured by an apology.

3. Use defense mechanisms

According to Freud, we have defense mechanisms that help fight negative energy, turning it into a positive direction. Such mechanisms include humor and creativity. When we laugh at our fears, concerns, failures, unpleasant situations, it immediately becomes easier, you just have to look at the subject from the other side. With the help of creativity, writers, poets and artists have long been freed, for example, from sadness.

Try drawing your anger, your fears, or your entire mood. Now what can you add to make the picture look kinder? Make a collage on the topic: how does resentment arise and where to put it? If you are sad, remember the word altruism. Help someone who is worse off than you - a grandmother whom everyone has forgotten, a mother of many children who does little, pack your things with your friends and take them to an orphanage, there are a lot of options.

4. Remember to rest

For daily rest, 5-10 minutes are always useful relaxation during the whole day. Always give yourself some time to relax after work (change of activities, sports, walks, reading pleasant literature, bath, massage, doing what you love). On weekends, reward yourself (and your family) with trips to nature, take longer walks, and don’t forget about sports and cultural events.

Psychologist Olga VOSTOCHNAYA

The diagnosis of “nervous breakdown” is not included in the international classification of diseases and refers to nervous disorders. However, in cases where the symptoms of the disorder are too severe and the state of nervous disorder does not go away for a long time, the consequences of a nervous breakdown can lead to loss of capacity, and this already applies to diseases.

A nervous breakdown never happens suddenly. This condition has its own symptoms and the development of the disorder occurs in stages. If left untreated, the consequences of a nervous breakdown in adults can lead to a host of diseases, both physical and mental.

What is a nervous breakdown

A nervous breakdown is a sudden release of negative mental energy. It manifests itself in uncontrollable hysterics, screaming, breaking dishes, and destroying everything that comes to hand. In this state, a person can become dangerous both to himself and to others. This condition indicates the peak of the disorder, and after the active phase, complete moral and physical exhaustion sets in. The person is literally unable to raise his arm or turn his head. This can greatly reduce arterial movement and disrupt the heart rhythm.

Causes of a nervous breakdown

The causes of a nervous breakdown do not need to be looked for long. These are stresses that every person experiences every day. By themselves, they will not lead to a nervous breakdown, but constant pressure, troubles, fatigue accumulate, and sooner or later, the last straw falls. This may be an insignificant and trifling reason, but the psyche, exhausted to the limit, can no longer stand it, and an explosion occurs. This is a kind of defensive reaction of the psyche, which refuses to put up with the existing order of things, and for the sake of further self-preservation, sends such a loud warning signal so that it is given a break.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown

Depending on gender and age, symptoms may differ, however, in all cases, psychosomatics leads to a nervous disorder.

People who work day and night without weekends or holidays can hold on for a while. But, if such a rhythm lasts a month, two or more, every day physical and mental exhaustion brings the climax closer.

The first “bell” should be insomnia. Next, there follows a loss of taste for food, and as a result - a lack of appetite. Decreased attention and fixation on only one problem that a person is unsuccessfully trying to solve indicates extreme fatigue.

Quitting a job often leads to a nervous breakdown. This is especially painful against the backdrop of a difficult financial situation and responsibility to loved ones.

Divorce can cause a nervous breakdown in both partners and their children if the family does not find ways to resolve the conflict peacefully.

The sudden death of a loved one is experienced much more difficult if the body has been subjected to excessive stress for a long time.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in women

It is not difficult to trace the symptoms of an incipient nervous breakdown in women. Women's psyche is weaker, and they are naturally more emotional. On the eve of a nervous breakdown, emotionality intensifies. Tears alternate with screams, hysterics and unmotivated anger. Verbal intemperance and even rage appear.

During pregnancy and the postpartum period, a woman's body undergoes hormonal changes. This contributes to the formation of a nervous breakdown. On top of all this is concern for the child, dissatisfaction with one’s appearance and fear for the future. A pregnant woman can become overly suspicious, emotional, and any little thing can make her angry.

In men

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown are more difficult to spot in men. As a rule, men hide their failures and troubles, and do the same with their emotions, for the time being, they succeed in this until the limit comes. A nervous breakdown in men manifests itself in rage and aggression. A man completely loses control over himself, and he is driven by the desire to destroy everything around him. You shouldn’t be close to a man at such moments and try to calm him down. If a breakdown has already begun, then stopping it with persuasion is impossible, and even dangerous.

In a teenager

A nervous breakdown in adolescence is especially dangerous. Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in teenagers are often attributed to hormonal changes and ordinary teenage problems. However, you should be careful with children. After all, their psyche has not yet been fully formed and is not protected by the experience that adults have. School, increased psycho-emotional stress, chronic lack of sleep and physical fatigue lead to exhaustion of the nervous system.

Anorexia;

Tearfulness;

Depression;

Sudden change of mood.

All this may indicate the imminence of a nervous breakdown. This especially affects teenagers, from whom their parents demand too much. Often parents strive to protect their child from the bad influence of the street, and schedule their child’s every minute. All the attention of parents is directed to the education and development of the child, but due attention is not paid to his mental state. A teenager cannot get out of this state on his own, and he will not be able to cope without the help of his parents.

The child has

The symptoms of a nervous breakdown in a child are also underestimated. Yes, the child's psyche is quite flexible and children quickly forget troubles. However, frequently recurring nervous breakdowns can cause severe mental illness and irreversible changes in the psyche.

Many children do not like kindergarten, but parents sometimes have no choice. However, if a child comes home depressed and crying, you need to talk to the child and find out the reason for his upset.

Stuttering;

Enuresis;

Nervous tic.

These are already serious symptoms and ignoring them can lead to disaster. It won’t take much time to talk with other parents who take their children to the same kindergarten and find out if their children are complaining about the teacher? Even if everything is fine with other children, it would be a good idea to take the child to a child psychologist. Perhaps the child will not be able to explain in words what is tormenting him, but child psychologists have their own methods to identify the psycho-emotional state of the child.

Stages of a nervous breakdown

Psychologists distinguish three stages of a nervous breakdown, each of which has its own characteristics.

Stage 1

Accumulation of stress and fatigue. This happens when a person takes on a task that is too difficult and fails to cope with it. All efforts are aimed at results, but constant problems prevent us from getting closer to the goal. If a person is in this state for a long time, the next trouble can lead to the second stage of the disorder.

Stage 2

The second stage is an immediate explosion of emotions and an outburst of negativity. This state lasts from several minutes to several hours, and during this time the person is completely empty.

Stage 3

Immediately after an emotional explosion, fatigue sets in. A person cannot help but think, or even move. He may not even respond to external stimuli for some time, and long-term depression, apathy and withdrawal into himself sets in.

What are the consequences after a nervous breakdown?

The consequences of a nervous breakdown often carry negative symptoms. In physical manifestation it is:

Heart rhythm disturbances, up to stroke or heart attack;

Stomach ulcer/gastritis;

Diabetes;

Acquiring bad habits such as smoking, alcoholism,

Addiction.

Mental disorders are no less significant, and they affect the quality of life. Such violations include:

Development of neuroses and phobias;

Increased conflict and irritability;

Insomnia;

Digestion and weight problems.

In most cases, during a nervous breakdown, a person has thoughts of suicide. This is especially true for teenagers and men. Emotional isolation, a feeling of inability to cope with his condition put pressure on a person, and he sees no other way out but to end his miserable existence.

Treatment of a nervous breakdown. In hospital or at home

It is easier to prevent a nervous breakdown than to treat the consequences. In the event of a direct nervous-emotional explosion, many people do not know how to calm the person down. In the old days, acute psychosis was relieved by pouring a bucket of ice water on the person. Nowadays, this also works if there is water nearby. In all other cases, you must call an ambulance. You shouldn’t explain anything, convince, or even less shout at a person who has lost self-control. From screaming, he can fall into even greater hysterics, and aggravate his condition.

If we talk about where it is better to be treated - at home or in a hospital, the question is entirely individual.

If a nervous breakdown was provoked by a difficult situation in the family, it would be unwise to return the person to the same place. His exhausted psyche cannot cope with the same problems again.

In all other cases, the care of loved ones will help quickly restore peace of mind. After a crisis has occurred, the body can recover for several months, or even years, if you do nothing and let everything take its course.

Although a nervous breakdown is classified as psychosis, it is treated not in a psychoneurological dispensary, but in a neurosis clinic. Depending on the patient’s condition, they are treated by neurologists, neuropathologists, psychologists and psychotherapists. You may need the help of a cardiologist and a gastroenterologist.

First of all, the patient must rest. After all, most often a nervous breakdown occurs due to overwork, and in such cases, sanatorium-resort treatment is indicated.

To reduce the level of anxiety in reactive disorder, antipsychotics and tranquilizers are prescribed. However, as a rule, after a nervous breakdown, sedatives of plant origin perform better.

Potent tranquilizers are indicated for patients with suicidal tendencies, and for a very short period of time. Any medications for a nervous breakdown are prescribed only after a comprehensive examination of the patient. Only a doctor can tell each individual patient what medications to take for a nervous breakdown. Many anxiolytics are addictive and even addictive. The same goes for sleeping pills and antidepressants.

When treating a nervous breakdown, drug treatment is accompanied by psychotherapy aimed at making the person understand and understand his problem and why it happened. If we talk about the recovery time, then everything is quite individual. Some patients are ready to go into battle again after 10 days, while others are not confident in their abilities even after six months.

Treating a nervous breakdown at home

A nervous breakdown is not a mental illness, and treatment at home often produces better results than in a clinic. For better treatment, you need to understand what led to the breakdown? If this is overwork at work, you should take a vacation, change jobs, or simply quit. Sometimes you have to choose what is more important - career or health?

If you are overtired, you need to create a new schedule for yourself, which includes a full eight-hour sleep, an enhanced diet, and walks in the fresh air. Particular attention should be paid to nutrition and vitamins; this is a necessary condition for rehabilitation therapy.

Coffee should be avoided if you have increased excitability and high blood pressure. It is better to replace coffee with herbal teas, which are available in every herbal pharmacy.

1. Tea with St. John's wort eliminates anxiety and fears.

2. Oregano calms and relaxes.

3. Chamomile tea relieves tension and muscle pain.

4. Motherwort has a strong calming effect and has an effect 4 times stronger than valerian root tincture.

When preparing herbal tea, you should take into account the characteristics of the patient’s body. With low blood pressure and apathy, as well as during pregnancy, there are some contraindications. You should also know that herbal tea does not have an immediate effect, and you need to take it regularly, over several days. You cannot increase the amount of tea to speed up recovery. It is worth first consulting with a therapist to draw up a home plan for treating the consequences of a nervous breakdown.

Most home treatments for a nervous breakdown are aimed at relaxing the patient and distracting him from bad thoughts. Massage and aromatherapy work well. It is pleasant for the body, for the brain, and therefore for the nervous system.

Prevention of nervous disorders

Most often, the prevention of neuropsychiatric disorders consists of hardening the psyche and teaching relaxation methods.

Stress and overwork are difficult to avoid, so you need to learn to quickly switch to the positive and dump the negative before it reaches a critical mass. You can take on difficult work, but you should give yourself a break and not exhaust your body. Alternating work, rest and entertainment is useful in any condition and at any age.

At different stages symptoms of a nervous breakdown manifest themselves differently.

The first stage is characterized by:

high optimism, which is combined with continuous anxiety against the background of some kind of fear (for example, regarding work activity);
significant increase in performance (possible increase in body temperature)

At the second stage the following appear:

irritability,
minor increase in pressure And sweating,
penchant for hysterics, sleep disorders(shallow sleep or insomnia),
cardiopalmus ( heart neurosis),
somatic pain may appear (for example, toothache, head).

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown at the third stage are:

apathy,
high self-criticism,
depression combined with accusations towards others.

Other things symptoms of a nervous breakdown may relate

chronic fatigue and weakness,
aggression towards others, caused by an attempt on their part to provide help,
disruption of the digestive process ( stomach neurosis and intestinal neurosis),
difficulty breathing ( respiratory neurosis ).

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown in women may be accompanied by menstrual irregularities.

The degree of expression of one or another symptoms of a nervous breakdown depends on the physiological characteristics and character of the person.

How to treat a nervous breakdown?

Treatment for a nervous breakdown, as a rule, occurs at home, except in cases where a person is in a state of nervous breakdown poses a danger to oneself (attempts or statements about suicide) or to others (aggression towards others). Qualified help is needed in cases where no positive dynamics are observed in the treatment of signs of anxiety neurosis.

Treat a nervous breakdown At any stage, you should first begin by eliminating the factor that caused breakdown and lifestyle changes, primarily with respect to diet and rest.

Positive dynamics in treatment nervous breakdown provide

various relaxation methods ( yoga, meditation, head massage),
breathing exercises and physiotherapy ,
behavioral or cognitive therapy that helps to significantly reduce the impact of the negativity that caused breakdown.

In the prevention of a nervous breakdown, it is very important to avoid nervous overstrain; when the first symptoms of a nervous breakdown appear, you need to switch your attention to any matter far from the source of irritation. Water procedures, washing with cold water, playing sports or just walking in the fresh air are useful. Avoid negative emotions, communicate more with friends and family, visit places that pique your interest. All these simple actions are good prevention of a nervous breakdown.

What is emotional instability? Causes, types and treatment of emotional instability.

Modern psychotherapists interpret the concept of a nervous breakdown differently. Some experts consider it an extreme manifestation of neurosis, while others are convinced that it is a type of stress condition. In the most generally accepted version, the concept of a nervous breakdown is interpreted as an extreme degree of neurotic internal conflict, neurotic experience.

A nervous breakdown is a kind of protective reaction of the body. When a person has been in some kind of stressful situation for a long time, a breakdown can become an opportunity for him to throw out accumulated energy. It is important that this condition does not lead to any negative consequences. After a person has spent psychological energy, everything should return to its place.

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown and its treatment

During a nervous breakdown, a person becomes very irritable and even aggressive. Sometimes he takes out his anger on other people, which he later begins to regret.

When a nervous breakdown occurs, a person begins to experience negative feelings towards everyone around him. It seems to him that all his acquaintances and friends wish him harm. Often he begins to blame his environment for all his failures. Self-criticism is also characteristic of this type of disorder. The patient begins to see only shortcomings in himself. It begins to seem to him that his life is going badly, and that everything he did before makes no sense.

A nervous breakdown is accompanied by chronic fatigue and insomnia. In most cases, this condition is accompanied by headaches, gastrointestinal disorders and other psychosomatic diseases. Some people experience increased blood pressure, tachycardia, and loss of appetite.

A person can be suspected of having a nervous breakdown only based on the totality of symptoms. In order to get rid of this condition, you need to eliminate the cause of the nervous disorder. For example, if this happens because of a quarrel with a loved one, you can try to establish contact with him. If this is not possible, it is better to abstract yourself from the problem for a while and stop thinking about it.

If you can’t cope with your feelings on your own, you need to seek help from a psychologist. A specialist will help you understand the causes of the breakdown and help you overcome it.