What is a Mental Breakdown?

What is a Mental Breakdown?

A mental breakdown describes a time frame when someone is under intense emotional or mental distress. Sometimes, this comes on slowly and other times it comes on quickly. During this time frame, the person is not able to function well in their daily life. In the past, a mental breakdown included anxiety, acute stress disorder and depression. If you are experiencing high stress, anxiety or depression and feel that you need professional help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Sylvia Brafman today.

How to Get Help for a Mental Breakdown

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental breakdown or feel that you are nearing this position, don’t hesitate to reach out to any professional for the help that you need. There are a variety of mental health resources including the mental health treatment programs here at Sylvia Brafman.

If you aren’t sure which treatment you need, you don’t have to go searching the internet for resources as you will come up with a lot of options which may be even more overwhelming. All you have to do is to give our team a call and we can guide you through every step of getting the help you need.

Signs and Symptoms of Mental or Emotional Distress

The signs of mental and emotional distress are not the same for everyone. The same goes for the underlying cause of these issues.

For some people, they may be affected behaviorally, psychologically and/or physically. The underlying causes may be due to grief, trauma, high stress at work, pressure from peers or any range of other things that might happen in life.

With this being said, it would be helpful to be able to recognize some of the signs and symptoms of mental and emotional distress such as:

• Depressive signs or symptoms (feeling guilty, worthless, hopeless, sad, loss of energy, loss of interest in activities or hobbies, fatigue, or suicidal)
• Anxiety signs or symptoms (feeling on edge, restlessness, tense muscles, clammy hands, irritability, upset stomach, or dizziness)
• Insomnia signs or symptoms (have difficulty falling and/or staying asleep)
• Panic or anxiety attacks (extreme sense of doom, shaking, trembling, trouble breathing, sweating, fast heart rate, and heart palpitations)
• PTSD (intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, feeling shame or guilt about the event, avoiding certain situations or places, reckless and/or self-destructive behaviors)
• Unexplained outbursts
• Extreme mood swings
• Paranoia
• Hallucination
• Avoid social engagements, events, and functions
• Not take care of their personal hygiene
• Call in to school or work for days in a row or just not show up at all
• Isolate from loved ones

If you or someone you know is dealing with these signs or symptoms of a mental breakdown, please reach out to our team here at Sylvia Brafman today.

Mental Breakdown Causes and Risk Factors

There are people who suffer from a mental breakdown in silence. Here at Sylvia Brafman, we don’t want to see this happen to anyone. We want you to know that you aren’t alone and there are various treatments and programs that can help you to overcome this stage in your life.

Today, we want to talk to you more about the causes and risk factors associated with high mental and emotional distress.

Some of the common causes of a mental breakdown include:

• Traumatic events
• Grief
• Recent illness or injury
• Loss of job
• Relationship issues
• Being exposed to violence
• Major financial issues
• Discrimination
• Relocation
• Lack of sleep or poor sleep
• Chronic medical issues
• Family issues

If you have other mental health issues this could also increase your risk of having a mental breakdown. Not having enough support in your life could be a contributing factor, as well.

If you are experiencing any of these issues, whether you are having a mental or emotional breakdown or not, our team can help you get the treatment you need.

Treatment Options for Mental and Emotional Issues

Are you or someone you know experiencing mental and/or emotional issues? If you are, you don’t have to wait until you have a mental breakdown before you seek help. There are numerous treatment options available to help you now. However, if you are having a mental breakdown already, don’t worry. There are treatments that can help you starting right away, too.

Here at Sylvia Brafman, we have a range of resources and treatments that can help you to start feeling better. We also have a team of professionals including psychiatrists, nurses, doctors and more that can work together to create a treatment plan that fits your needs. Some of the treatments that may be able to work for you include lifestyle changes, medications and therapy.

Make the Best Lifestyle Change

As just noted, there are numerous lifestyle changes you can make that can help to relieve some or all of your mental and/or emotional distress. Some of these changes include:

• Avoiding alcohol, drugs, and caffeine
• Exercising regularly
• Eating a balanced, healthy diet
• Creating and sticking to a sleep schedule
• Not spending so much time on electronics
• Learning new things
• Practicing stress and anxiety-relieving techniques such as yoga

If you start attending a treatment program here at Sylvia Brafman, you will get some guidance in how to implement these changes into your life.

Taking Medication

If you need some other form of treatment, one option that you may want to consider is medication. If you are going to go this route, please do so under the close supervision of doctors and nurses. That way, you can be sure you are getting the medications needed to help properly treat your anxiety, stress, trauma and/or depression.

Going to Therapy

There are so many different types of therapy you can attend to help with overcoming a mental breakdown. Some of these options include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Art therapy
• Nutritional therapy
• Fitness therapy
• Music therapy

You can also attend individual, group and/or family therapy. If you want more information about any type of therapy, please reach out to our team here at Sylvia Brafman today.

When to Seek Help for Mental and/or Emotional Breakdowns

It is not uncommon for people to have trouble coping with stressors and obstacles in life. However, when these issues bring you close to or to a mental and/or emotional breakdown, that is certainly the time to ask for help. However, you don’t have to wait this long. If your mental and/or emotional issues are causing you distress, we want you to reach out for help.

Contact us, here at Sylvia Brafman, to get the help and treatment you need to start overcoming a mental breakdown or to prevent one, as well.