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Coping

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An emotional breakdown, also known as anervous breakdown, mental breakdown, or mental health crisis, is a period of severe emotional distress, during which a person may feel paralyzed and entirely incapable of coping with challenges, saysSabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University.

Metaphorically speaking, an emotional breakdown can be likened to a total tire blowout that has a car stranded on the side of the road, according to the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah.

“What makes an emotional breakdown distinct is that there are almost always intense symptoms ofstressand paralysis where the person finds themselves incapable of functioning,” says Dr. Romanoff.

This article explores the symptoms and causes of an emotional breakdown, as well as some steps you can take if you’re experiencing a mental health crisis.

An emotional breakdown isn’t a formal mental health diagnosis, explains Dr. Romanoff. Rather, she explains that the phrase is used informally as an umbrella term that can encompass several mental health conditions.

Symptoms of an Emotional Breakdown

These are some of the thoughts you may have if you’re experiencing an emotional breakdown:

Additionally, you may also experience certain emotional and physical symptoms while you’re approaching or experiencing an emotional breakdown.

Emotional Symptoms

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Physical Symptoms

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Causes of an Emotional Breakdown

These are some of the potential causes of an emotional breakdown, according to Dr. Romanoff:

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyDTriggers usually involve a significant and unexpected stressor that overwhelms the person’s capacity to cope.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD

Triggers usually involve a significant and unexpected stressor that overwhelms the person’s capacity to cope.

Everyone’s tolerance for stress is different.Every individual has their own “set point” beyond which they can’t handle things anymore.

Diagnosing an Emotional Breakdown

If you think you’re experiencing an emotional breakdown, you should make an appointment with your regular healthcare provider—this could include apsychologist,psychiatrist, or even your primary care physician.

A healthcare provider can complete a comprehensive evaluation, suggest treatment options, and work with you to develop a treatment plan to address your symptoms.

There is no diagnosis for an emotional breakdown in mental health manuals such as theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition (DSM-5)or theInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems: 11th Revision (ICD 11), says Dr. Romanoff.

Depending on your symptoms and their intensity, your healthcare provider will determine whether you have a mental health condition such as a depressive disorder, an anxiety disorder, or an acute stress disorder, and provide treatment accordingly, she explains.

If not, they can still provide therapy and support that can help you cope with the challenges you’re experiencing.

Coping With an Emotional Breakdown

Dr. Romanoff suggests some steps that can help youcopewith an emotional breakdown.

Get Some Perspective

Take a step back from the stressor and try to get some perspective on it. This could mean talking to an objective person, a friend, or a trusted loved one to help you view the situation from a different lens and find alternative ways to cope.

Focus on Self-Care

Focus onself-careand then re-approach the situation instead of trying to white-knuckle yourself through a problem.

Usually, it’s the basic small steps that make the biggest difference. This includes getting at least seven hours of sleep per night,eating healthywhole foods, and exercising. These are crucial elements that are universally needed for effective functioning.

When we face stressors, we tend to neglect some of those domains, which only weakens our ability to cope and makes them assume the stressor is much worse than it is in reality.

Once you have these things down, you will probably find that your perspective on the stressor has improved, and your perceived ability to cope with it has increased.

Seek Treatment and Support

If you’re experiencing an emotional breakdown or struggling to cope, it can be helpful to see a mental healthcare provider. They will be able to determine whether you have a mental health condition and offer treatment accordingly. If not, they can still help you put your challenges in perspective and help you develop thecoping skillsyou need to face them.

Takeaways

An emotional breakdown is the point where we feel like we can’t handle things anymore and give up. Everyone has a different capacity forstressand so this point looks different for each of us.

While a problem can feel overwhelming when you’re wrapped up in it, it can be helpful to take a step back, take care of yourself, get help, and then re-approach it with a fresh perspective.

Stress Relief Techniques for Every Type of Stress

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah.What is a mental breakdown?Cleveland Clinic.Nervous breakdown.Sawyer PJ, Major B, Casad BJ, Townsend SSM, Mendes WB.Discrimination and the stress response: psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(5):1020-1026. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620Monteiro NM, Balogun SK, Oratile KN.Managing stress: The influence of gender, age and emotion regulation on coping among university students in Botswana.Int J Adolesc Youth. 2014;19(2):153-173. doi:10.1080/02673843.2014.908784

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah.What is a mental breakdown?Cleveland Clinic.Nervous breakdown.Sawyer PJ, Major B, Casad BJ, Townsend SSM, Mendes WB.Discrimination and the stress response: psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(5):1020-1026. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620Monteiro NM, Balogun SK, Oratile KN.Managing stress: The influence of gender, age and emotion regulation on coping among university students in Botswana.Int J Adolesc Youth. 2014;19(2):153-173. doi:10.1080/02673843.2014.908784

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah.What is a mental breakdown?Cleveland Clinic.Nervous breakdown.Sawyer PJ, Major B, Casad BJ, Townsend SSM, Mendes WB.Discrimination and the stress response: psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(5):1020-1026. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620Monteiro NM, Balogun SK, Oratile KN.Managing stress: The influence of gender, age and emotion regulation on coping among university students in Botswana.Int J Adolesc Youth. 2014;19(2):153-173. doi:10.1080/02673843.2014.908784

Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah.What is a mental breakdown?

Cleveland Clinic.Nervous breakdown.

Sawyer PJ, Major B, Casad BJ, Townsend SSM, Mendes WB.Discrimination and the stress response: psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(5):1020-1026. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620

Monteiro NM, Balogun SK, Oratile KN.Managing stress: The influence of gender, age and emotion regulation on coping among university students in Botswana.Int J Adolesc Youth. 2014;19(2):153-173. doi:10.1080/02673843.2014.908784

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