Nervous Breakdown is also well known as mental breakdown. There are several 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.

The recurrent and excessive use of alcohol is the definition of alcohol abuse. Left untreated it would become a psychological or physical dependence referred to as an addiction. While each alcoholic is already engaged in alcohol abuse, it is possible for an individual to abuse alcohol and even not be an addict by the strictest definitions. Determining whether the line has been crossed between abuse and addiction is significant but regardless of whether an individual is a drug user or an addict, getting help is vital.

Behaviors often associated with alcohol abuse include DUI’s, unstable social relationships, and organ or neurological damage due to excessive and/or prolonged alcohol intake. Alcoholic addiction is characterized by an obsessive need to drink alcoholic beverage and physiological and or psychological dependence on its substance. The family relationship that exists between alcohol and an alcoholic could be likened to an all-consuming matter with an abusive lover that alienates its victim from every other relationship in his or her life. Read the rest of this entry »

Celexa is an antidepressant used to treat clinical depression in patients. It is prescribed as a “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor” used to balance serotonin in the brain, providing relief from depression.

While Celexa can be effective, this medication is under alert by the FDA when combined with Triptan medications. Be sure your doctor knows all medications you are on, and do not stop this medication without your doctor as you could have possible serious side effects. Read the rest of this entry »

Ritalin is prescribed to 6 million children with ADHD every year and like all drugs comes with a long list of side effects including nervousness, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, insomnia, joint pains, headaches, increased blood pressure, fever, rapid heartbeat, abdominal pain, and psychosis.

Tom Sawyer may have been a layabout, a truant and self-indulgence. He may have picked fights with strangers for no apparent reason; but he was also resourceful, spirited and refreshingly clever. Huckleberry Finn was an illiterate outcast, but as a long term rafting companion he had no peer. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a question that people often ask but is actually a very difficult one to answer. Addiction is not just one single and simple process, it is a complex process that has both physical and psychological aspects. Nevertheless despite this complexity two attempts have been made to determine the most addictive drug. Independently Dr. Jack E. Henningfield of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Dr. Neal L. Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco, ranked six psychoactive substances, nicotine, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine and marijuana, on the five criteria they felt were most important in addiction. Read the rest of this entry »