Mental health breakdown - what are the symptoms/what happens?

[UnitaBath]

Have you ever had a mental health breakdown? What happened and what were your symptoms?

Also, does a breakdown always mean a stay in a mental health unit?

Despite decades of poor mental health I’m now at the worst point I’ve ever been and so scared that I’m heading towards a breakdown.

I cry on/off all day, every day, I sleep whenever I can as it’s the only way to drown out the noise, I feel wretched and have so many physical health issues that I’m also dealing with which exacerbates the anxiety, depression and panic attacks but I also have many plates spinning in the air and they need to continue to spin because then other people will fall too, so I plaster a face on and just get in with it but inside I’m a complete wreck but no one takes me seriously, how do you get anyone to take you seriously? Do I need to just collapse and refuse to get up? Lay in bed for days and stay there until someone takes it seriously or do I live out my fantasy of just disappearing so those around me may actually see that I can’t do it all anymore and I need help?

Honestly, no one sees how broken I am inside - no one.

I am so pleased you have your husband. Try not to let your worries about what he might be going through set in right now - it sounds like there are other things it would be good to prioritise first.

It's great you have a re-assessment / review set up for your Mum. What I am wondering, kindly, is if you were open with Social Services about how you are feeling and the impact of seeing to your Mum and Dad on your well-being? Maybe have a little think and work out whether you need to give them a call back to explain that, on top of everything else you're dealing with (your physical health, your children, your mental state), co-ordinating your Mum and Dad's lives doesn't feel sustainable and you are reaching the point of break down. The wheels might move a bit quicker for you...

Are you in touch with any carer's support service, such as the carer's trust? You might not have the energy at the moment to try to find out about what they could offer but maybe save it for when you can manage it.

You mention not wanting to end up in a mental health unit. That is generally very last resort (i.e. if you're a risk to your own or other's health and safety and can't keep yourself safe at home). But I've supported people into and out of hospital settings and for some people it can be the beginning of a positive change. x

Hi OP this sounds tough. In answer to your original question, yes some people do just get into bed and don't get up. There's such a variety to a breakdown. Yes it's not called a breakdown really in psychiatry but they do exist in that there can be a build up of events or stress or what have you.

So some people go to bed, some do genuinely go a bit mad, like they're found wandering by police muttering things that don't make sense. Some express thoughts of serious harm to self or others, some get aggressive and a bit doolally with it. It's the going a bit mad I guess that could be called a breakdown. And that can manifest in various ways - as I've put above. A good few are picked up by emergency services and transferred to a s136 suite where they're assessed. Then they might be detained under section.

To have a hospital stay, you need a Mental Health Act assessment. Then you can be detained under section. But it has to be deemed impossible to care for you at home if that makes sense. Or the community team can't contain the risk anymore.

It does sound like something might need to change in your situation. Crying a lot is information that you're overwhelmed. And that's understandable given your situation. Good talking therapy can work wonders. Even if you could afford once a month? Or talking to the Samaritans or other charity organisations. Getting it off your chest and helping you think about things you can change, and things you can't etc. 💐

Thank you.

Sadly I have zero funds for anything privately but I am on a waiting list for advanced CBT, I have been on the waiting list for some time and it looks as though it could be into the new year now but it's something I suppose.

Is your mental health linked to any specific events? e.g. mine was linked to a very specific trauma. There was a charity who specialised in that trauma who gave me counselling for 18 months. They had a 3 month waiting list but that was way shorter than the NHS and more specialised.

Whilst I was waiting for therapy I had a friend who taught me about EFT (emotional freedom technique/tapping) I found it really helpful to help slowly learn to regulate myself - I was way outside the window of tolerance.
I also learnt lots of breathing techniques. Breathing out for longer than you breathe in for can trick your brain into believing that things are ok.
Things like that helped me keep going until I got the proper therapy I needed. Might be worth a google for a youtube video? Or another friend recommended the headspace app. It is paid for, but there are loads of different meditation type techniques on it, to help to regulate the nervous system.

Talk to someone about your distress. Try therapy.

Is it all the spinning plates that are causing you to feel this way? Can you cut back hours at work or free up some more time for yourself some other way?

How old are you? I was crying every day and feeling overwhelmed, suicidal ideation and I was stunned at how much HRT helped. So if you’re in the peri/menopause age bracket that’s something to asked a GP about.

I also have bad gastrointestinal reactions to SSRIs. They literally make me feel like I’ve been poisoned. I now take a mood stabiliser. I was very scared about taking it at first, but it’s made an enormous difference for me.

No, nothing I can think of as a trigger. I have been very anxious and prone to poor mental health since I was a child. Many on my maternal side of the family had mental health issues. I was diagnosed with adhd last year, not sure if that has any bearing?

I have tried many different therapies over the years including EFT but nothing has helped longer term, I find I have to keep going back to things which will help for a short period but it all inevitably returns, no matter how much time and effort I invest into it all. It’s very frustrating.

I have spent years (decades) in various forms of therapy.

It’s certainly not helping the issue. I have withdrawn a lot from everything I was doing but it’s still having a negative impact on me. I can’t walk away completely sadly.

I am 53 and very much in perimenopause. I have endometriosis and found hrt has made that much worse so I was advised to stop. I also have some other gynae issues and am due a hysterectomy soon (surgery fear is also driving the poor mental health) but I am hoping post surgery I can take a modified hrt. Finger crossed.

Can I ask which mood stabiliser you take? I have never been offered those.

It’s called Rexulti. It’s actually an antipsychotic which at lower doses acts as an antidepressant. I’m not sure it would be what they’d typically recommend as a first line treatment. It’s often given to people who have very resistant depression and for whom SSRIs haven’t worked. I was very nervous about taking it but also very desperate. It ended up being a miracle worker for me, I’ve had zero side effects, not put on any weight or any of the other things some people experience. There are some horror stories online of people having an awful time with it, but that’s the same for any medication. There are also mood stabilisers that aren’t antipsychotics.

I am with you OP. The pressure inside me feels immense but I still have to carry on for everyone else. I too am a carer (for my husband) and have two kids and an overbearing mother. I have already bawled my eyes out today and now I am just off to work.

I know it sounds patronising but keep strong but insist to whoever can help that you need respite because there is only so much one person can dale. You are not alone xxx

I had one last year. Combined with extreme physical exhaustion due to DC2 having a sleep issue caused by health.

I spent every day wishing I was dead so I could get some rest and then one day just decided I couldn’t cope with the thought of feeding my kids dinner that day.

I got signed off work for 6 weeks, went on a low Sertraline dose and DC2 also had surgery for her health issue. Felt loads better.

I am so sorry you are also under so much pressure, I really feel for you. I hope today gets a a little brighter for you xx

I'm glad to hear things have gotten better for you.