Severe nervous breakdown - can you fully recover

[Ronnie2022]

It’s been 3months since my dp and a a sudden and severe breakdown.

is on meds , having therapy but seems to be getting worse (the Psych has tweaked meds. )

any light at end of tunnel ? Thanks!

I had a complete breakdown 5 years ago and it got worse before it got better. It was a long journey to recovery and it took about 18 months before I started to feel anything like myself again. I'm still on medication and will be for life and have recently restarted therapy. I'm very protective of my mental now and it's definitely changed me. I now work part time in a non stressful job and can't see that changing. I now prioritise my family and doing the things that keep me well like going to gym and meditating.

It's a long journey to recovery and it sounds like you're in the thick of it at the moment but things can and do get better.

What is a “nervous breakdown”? So many responses here to what could be any cause (unless I’ve missed a qualifying email by OP).
“Nervous Breakdown” is not a diagnosis, it could literally mean anything and therefore if you really want to know what prognosis is for full recovery you’re either going to have to divulge the diagnosis the NHS psychiatrist or his GP has made , or go talk to his professional medical team for an answer

Mental health diagnosis can be anything and extremely varied in terms of full recovery. Some , usually described as “severe and enduring” require life long medication, which at the right amount and with strict compliance (which is unlikely in many cases) could control symptoms of some to allow them to live a full and rewarding life. Others will struggle to even work. My ex was one who, despite being fairly compliant with meds, never was able to work again in the last 20 of our 30 year marriage.

other mental conditions are not described as enduring, and with right drugs and therepy can enable people to make full recoveries. But that usually takes a lot of time (6 months min IMHE) . Getting the right therepy and right therapist is incredibly hard without money and access to private treatment.

mental health services, both primary and secondary (who treat the severe and enduring cases and those sectioned or inpatient) are in a dire state. Proportionally less medics want to go into this medical field, and funding is still much lower than physical illnesses. Generally all there is money for is drug therapies. Youhave to fight long and hard to get the right psychological intervention therapies.

if you genuinely want help, OP, you’re going to need to be way more specifics about his diagnosis - he clearly has one if he’s on meds.

Hi OP,
There is a good chance of a very good recovery. I wouldn't like to say entire as your partner would probably want to watch his lifestyle to avoid triggers (Very high amount of stress/enduring lack of sleep/excessive alcohol etc) and might choose to remain on medication long term to prevent any relapse.

My husband had a breakdown and it was a very awful time for him, me and his family. He needed a couple of months off work and he then went part time. He has remained part time but that is now as much to do with a good work/life balance and caring for our children as being unable to do more.

My husband has remained on meds (Citalopram in his case). He is more keen to come off them (after quite a few years) than I am for him to, as he doesn't think he needs them. I am of the opinion that they keep him well and if you were on medication for an ongoing condition like blood pressure or diabetes that was well managed you wouldn't stop taking your meds just because you had been on them for a long time.

I hope your partner starts to feel better. The meds don't work overnight unfortunately it takes time. Don't despair and think the way things are now will be forever x

@Whiteroomjoy, OP doesn't have to share his current diagnosis and it's likely to change over time. Nervous breakdown is a widely-understood vernacular term for a mental health crisis, as you ought to know.

I had a psychotic break in the summer of 2020 (first lockdown). Lots of contributing factors, some of them from the childhood, some not. I was in therapy after about six weeks, back to work after three months, puking every week after each therapy session for about six months. It got much much better after that.
GarlicGrace is right, no one comes out of it unchanged. You must change not to go back to the same dark place you'd gone to. But therapy in the beginning is very, very difficult.
Three years later, I am doing much better than before the breakdown. It will most likely pass and the breakdowns are "good" in a sense that once you get over them and heal properly, they don't tend to cause long lasting problems.

Yes.

A friend of mine had a major psychiatric breakdown extremely severe and was sectioned. He had a very difficult and reponsible job and I honestly thought this was the end of his life as he knew it.

He is now back at this job full time and doing really well and in a happy relationship (formed post-recovery). I never would have thought he'd have got to this point so he offers hope for everyone as his psychiatric position was very serious.

I won't lie to you. It took several years for him to recover fully. He was also lucky in that his employer was very supportive of allowing him to return to work slowly, gently and in a very supported way. Although he was very senior, he was allowed to start with very junior work for example.

In terms of his recovery, he openly said that a big part of it is finding the right psychiatrist/medical practitioner to treat you. I don't really understand it but apparently some people will help more than others. He made it sound it was a chemistry thing but I suspect that there is more to it than that including willingness to work with the patient to try different medication.

No it’s not- it’s a euphemism used historically to avoid the shame of diagnosis that have taboos associated with them. It is not used by medical staff unless they’re giving out vague platitudes to comply with medical confidentiality
and yes, I did say clearly, if she doesn’t want to state this then only her oh’s medical professionals could tell her his prognosis. That was my whole point. No one on here can tell her or advise her as we don’t know what his actual medical diagnosis is 🤦‍♀️

No one on here can tell her or advise her as we don’t know what his actual medical diagnosis is

I don't think it matters really. What OP is asking is (in general terms) if you have had a severe psychiatric illness is there hope for recovery.

To which the answer is yes.

OP understands I'm sure that we are not privvy to her partner's medical history. She's asking for general examples to give her some hope.

I had a psychotic breakdown after the birth of my first child in 2015 and then another breakdown during lockdown. Mine are trauma linked but it took a while to unpick that with the first one as I'd bottled everything up so "well". Am I OK now? Definitely subjective I think, I'm half way through my 3rd degree (2nd since breakdown number 1), I work albeit on a limited basis and do a lot of voluntary work. Can't see me ever having a "career" again as much as I would like to as despite loads of therapy, I can't shake the undermining voices in my head. On the plus side, my marriage survived. I have friends and a social life. Currently planning a winter holiday and trying to organise an AGM. Things which would have been impossible mid breakdown.

Feels way too personal to share his diagnosis.

Suffice to say it is a complete breakdown of functionality and he can’t work and has been hospitalised once.

An thanks - exactly this xx

Recovery is absolutely possible. I had a nervous breakdown in my early 20s - psychosis, the works. I went voluntarily to hospital but was very close to being sectioned. The trigger for me was a medication but I had childhood issues that I disclosed after many years and compounded the issue. I am now a married mum of two working in a professional role. No one would guess this had happened to me. Best wishes to you and DP.

Then you need to ask his medical team for their view on prognosislong term and his care plan.
there’s a massive difference to recovering from psychosis than say anxiety , depression. Both from medication and therapy and functionality. No one can tell you on here without knowing more. You’re just getting random peoples experience which could in some cases help you understand and in others won’t be relevant at all.
sorry, not trying be be awkward, but “mental breakdown” is the same as saying something like “ my DH has had a physical medical emergency , how long will it take to recover” : without knowing if he’s broken a leg , or fractured a spine or has cancer how could anyone advise you?

@Ronnie2022 thank you. I am really very well now.

Re finances - there is contribution based esa which is not means tested and based on making sufficiently ni contributions in previous years. Medical assessment form is needed and then your DH would probably be placed in the support group ie not able to work.

And then PIP. Forms are a nightmare - you may find a charity to assist. I was granted high rate care (due to requiring overnight care) and low rate mobility due to being unsafe outdoors. They takes months to decide and you often have to appeal but then they do backdate. Worth a try.

best wishes, Ashamed.

Thank you lovely xxp

I had a breakdown many years ago. It wasn't plain sailing but I managed to get back to work and I live an independant life. The key for me was working out what and how much medication worked. I had a GP who helped with this.

Everyone's recovery is different but I hope that gives you some hope that people can recover.

Thank you @rollonweekender and everyone who has posted kind messages of hope.

Really really helpful to hear from people who have been through similar and come out the other side. Has given me and more importantly dp a lot of hope to know there is light at the end of the tunnel xx

I had a breakdown 4 years ago which had catastrophic for the life I had spent many years building. I have come back stronger with a few blips along the way but will never be the same and have to be extremely protective of my own mental health. I am therefore a pretty closed book these days. My stress threshold is very low. You did need to know your own limitations.

You can't underestimate the long term effect but you can learn to navigate them

OP I hope you’ve found this thread reassuring.
Those posters like @Sweetladyjane @anyoneanyoneanyone Who have personal experience - would you mind sharing more detail about helpful things for your recoveries. Im off work at the moment with similar issues x

I have been where you are, but many years ago now. Recovery was frustratingly slow, with several plateaux over a few years when I thought it would get no better, but it is all now a distant memory. It took two spells on hospital, lots of changes in meds, and even some ECT, which in the end, was the game changer. He is still on low dose meds and will be, I think ,forever, but if that is the price today, so be it. It changed both of us, but is well behind us now. Look after yourself, and trust the professionals to get him through. It's a hard illness to live with, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm so sorry that you're experiencing similar.

I guess my advice would be get all the support you can get, there is no shame at all in admitting you're unwell. I made sure anything was on my medical records in case I needed help further down the line (also with benefits)

Take time. Protect yourself and your energy. Say no. Remember it's ok to rest your mind and body.

Create rituals, routines. They will help on your bad days.

MAKE yourself do things you enjoy. Like baking or whatever. MAKE yourself. Even if you don't want to. I promise you, one day you will wake up and want to do it again!

Nourish yourself. Your brain and body needs it. Even if it's supplements, omega 3s. Make yourself eat.

Try and find the right medication. It's not a cure. It just take the edge off the intolerable feelings.

Love x

If you look up a thread I started you'll find "Am I having a breakdown?" (I was) You'll see how bad it got.
Now, years later, I'm not the same person. That isn't, for the most part, a bad thing. I have clearer boundaries in terms of how much I give of myself, I changed my job, overhauled my diet and actively put myself first. I can still have low/anxious periods but they're not regular and not acute. I've learned how to manage them.
I would say that it took two years before I felt like 'me', I had about 6-8 months off work and we went through hell in that time. I still think dh and I have some sort of PTSD from everything that happened but we're here, we're stronger than ever and we appreciate life so much more now.
I'm sorry you're going through this, dh was my rock but it was so so hard for him - he rarely cries but broke down on several occasions.

@Ikeatears thank you so mucin for sharing your story . I’m so glad you are in a better place nowadays xxx

What diagnosed mental disorder is the psychiatrist treating him for ?

"breakdown" is not a medical term they'd use.

Cptsd