Sun Behavioral Health Publishes Article Explaining the Truth About Nervous Breakdowns

SUN Behavioral Kentucky, a clinic offering inpatient and outpatient programs for mental health and substance use in Kentucky, has published an article explaining the truth about nervous breakdowns. The article talks about recognizing symptoms, causes, and possible treatment options for someone going through a nervous breakdown.

The article starts off by clearly stating that a nervous breakdown is not a medically diagnosable term given by a healthcare provider. In colloquial terms, a nervous breakdown is used to describe someone snapping either in anger or sadness. Therefore, it becomes important to investigate the actual reason behind the erratic behavior that can be anything from an anxiety attack, to a panic attack, or a fit of mania. The article says that it is important to make this disambiguation for clearing up the air about the meaning of the word.

The article then dives into the telltale signs of a nervous breakdown. Firstly, there is a huge impact on their daily activities that impedes normal societal functioning. It can be characterized by lethargy, sudden bursts of crying, or an overwhelming sense of fear or irritability just to name a few. This response varies from person to person and thus can be difficult to pin down in a technical medical definition. There is no way to paint broad strokes to identify a nervous breakdown.

One common thread that is found in everyone that describes having had a nervous breakdown is the presence of huge amounts of stress. Stress can slowly erode a person’s mental well-being, leaving them vulnerable to situations that can provoke anxiety or panic. Those who suffer from stress show symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, inability to focus, sadness or depression, irritability or anger, and feeling generally overwhelmed. Stress can also manifest in physical forms such as headache, muscle tension, pain, chest pain, fatigue/exhaustion, noticeable changes in sex drive, upset stomach/nausea, and trouble sleeping.

Stress can lead to complications in other parts of the body such as a heart attack. If put under severe or seemingly life-threatening situations, those suffering from high levels of stress might report feeling short of breath, dizzy, having tingling sensations in the arms or hands, or nausea. Watching the change in a person’s behavior can lead to insights into how stress affects them. This change in behavioral patterns is usually a sign that the body is trying its best to compensate for the mental upheaval that it is going through.

The article recommends trying a few techniques to keep stress at bay. First and foremost, it recommends getting a full night’s sleep regularly and on a fixed schedule. Erratic sleep times can affect the quality of life of a patient while awake, increasing stress levels. It is also recommended to eat a healthy diet and to get in plenty of exercise to keep the body active. Relaxing with a hobby after a stressful day is also another way to prevent a buildup of frustrations, giving them a periodic release.

SUN Behavioral Kentucky claims to provide all the facilities and help that is needed by those suffering from high levels of stress and those who feel they are on the verge of a nervous breakdown. They help everyone from adolescents to seniors. The treatments that their clinicians use are evidence-based and focus on finding the best way for each patient to recover. The clinic claims to give everyone the individualized attention that they need and deserve. The clinic aims to help its patients develop healthy coping mechanisms by participating in various forms of therapy.

A spokesperson for the clinic says, “It is easy to be dismissive of someone who is going through a nervous breakdown by calling their behavior a snap or a mental break or just a breakdown. It ends up trivializing what could potentially be a collection of mental health disorders. We have the experience to make sure that the short-term outburst doesn’t turn into a long-term pattern of impulsive and uncontrolled behavior. Call us today if you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of high levels of stress, and you feel like you or your loved one are near a breaking point.”