Anyone who has had a mental breakdown - what was it like?

[NooNooHead1981]

I had the most awful one after a head injury two years ago.

The post concussion syndrome made me question my mind and body, gave me horrendous cognitive and physical symptoms, and I felt like I was losing my mind and had dementia.

I couldn't read, didn't know where I was, and had awful aphasia. I then had a breakdown after two weeks of complete insomnia and anxiety, followed by dreadful side effects of antipsychotic meds that included feeling like the top of my brain was numb and that my legs were detatched from my body during the withdrawal period. I then got an involuntary movement disorder caused by these drugs, and subsequently felt utterly awful after too. The movement disorder still hasn't gone away.

I have never experienced anything so awful as all of this, and have since dealt with an ectopic pregnancy and a family member who has a terminal cancer diagnosis.

If I get any more bad news, I really fear for my mental health. I don't think I would want to be here id things go wrong again. Everything is ok at the moment but there are times when I know that the tiniest thing would probably push me over th edge again.

"Mental breakdown" covers a wide range of things and I susspect is very individual to each person. For me it was depression (tearful, wanted to die, no enjoyment in anything, poor motivation, getting out of bed and dressed was a struggle) for my husband it was psychosis (paranoid delusions, terrifying hallucination) I've also had PTSD ( anxiety, pannic attacks, flashbacks, poor concentration and memory, urges to self harm )

All 3 experiences, bloody awful and completely different.

If you are concerned talk to your GP, I wonder if councelling regarding the difficult things you have been through recently would be helpful.