What Are The Symptoms of a Mental Breakdown? The Day I Snapped (Mental Health Doc) | Only Human

In contrast to socially acceptable moaning about minor stresses and strains, The Day I Snapped investigates what happens when the stress of working life causes a major meltdown.

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From: The Day I Snapped

[YleniaCubasMendoza]

This is not a mental illness. This is a normal reaction to a society that is sick.
It is easier for the system to blame on the individual, to point at someone and say "you're ill, you're having breakdown, you need medication, you need theraphy" than to be honest and say "you're right, this lifestyle is unsustainable, the society needs to change, working conditions need to change, access to a properhousing needs to change, the priorities of society need to change".
Don't let the system blame you, you're not sick, the world is.

[ankiking]

In the US, breakdown is no option as there is no support if you can’t work. Those who break end up on the streets, generally with no way back.

[kdeuler]

The sad thing is, we leave our jobs because of stress, only to find the stress of unemployment.

[quietgiant]

Most people assume breakdowns are only like what they see on tv, but it can be different for everyone. In my case i didn't explode.. i "imploded." On the outside i looked normal (for a while) but i just went quiet and stopped talking to everyone, lost interest in everything, slept all the time to pass the days, barely ate AND ate like a glutton at the same time, stopped taking care of myself and neglected everything, and much more.
What really hurt the most was my family noticed but acted like nothing ever happened.

[iLilith]

I've been here... I know exactly how it feels to want to just be "gone" not necessarily dead, but gone... To anyone fighting right now, I wish you strength and good health 🙏♥️ I'm still fighting... I hope we will make it.

[sigmarecovery]

I am a former police officer that developed PTSD. I had heard of the illness but didn’t understand that it was actually a brain injury, it changes the structure of your brain. It was just cumulative trauma. Eventually, my nervous system just snapped. It just couldn’t take any more hits. The illness just warps the way you see the world. You feel like there is no escape. You have been running on “hot” for so long that you are either emotionally flat or furious. Your mood is completely unstable, you get flashes of the images of things you have seen everyday…..these thoughts are intrusive and cannot be controlled. PTSD will leave you feeling like a wounded animal on the side of the road, snarling and nipping at anyone that gets close…..as you perceive that everyone is trying to hurt you. It’s the kind of madness and psychological pain that carries with it suicidal ideation. There is no quick fix or simple treatment with PTSD. Some of us never completely recover, even if we receive quality treatment. I wouldn’t wish PTSD on anyone. It absolutely cripples you.

[khoqoet]

The hardest part is how you are absolutely mortally wounded and eviscerated inside but you have to act like everything is ok.

[yourbestfriendliz]

So brutally honest... "Choosing to die is one of the last taboos isn't it? Once one has tried to end it, and survived, one knows you can always do it again. Not doing so is more out of respect for those around you than out of a real desire to live, "

[prettybullet]

In the mid-1990's I had a mental breakdown at work. I was working on a very hectic Med Surg unit at the hospital one evening and I finally snapped after I was told for the 5th time that Mrs so and so needed medication. I had so much coming at me at the same time and no one to help that I started screaming and crying hysterically in the middle of the hall and afterward I stood there babbling incoherently. I was sent home and took two months off, started on anti-depressants, and started seeing a therapist. I went back to work and was doing O.K until a year and a half later and then had to take another month off due to extreme stress. Again I returned to work and was able to transfer to a less stressful unit and worked there for 5 years without a problem until the unit closed. Then I was transferred to Oncology and within two years I had to resign because I could no longer deal with the stress. As of 2015 I no longer work in health care.

[ghost]

This was amazing. When the man said he feels good when he leaves work on Friday but then feels anxiety about going to work as soon as he wakes on Saturday... that's me.

[indiaalmighty]

I had a breakdown during Covid. My body was tired, mind was tired, I was completely burned out. I was diagnosed with Catatonia. Honestly being on the mental health unit was the most peaceful time in my life and that’s saying a lot…

[Terri_Hugs]

Working in mental health care is one of the most difficult jobs one can possibly do! Taking on other people's grief is incredibly difficult!

[Dragonfly]

Depression is anger without enthusiasm.

[feanacar]

That doesn’t happen in the US. We’re not allowed to have breakdowns if we do, we just get fired.

[barbaralewis]

I left my whole career last year due to stress. My boss was bullying me and the expectations and lack of support had become too much. When I decided to leave I felt a physical lightness.

[sheriashley]

We have had 6 suicides on the train network in Melbourne Aus in the last fortnight . People at moment are so stressed out by cost of living ; rising rents; grocery costs etc etc. please reach out and get the help you need.

[deren]

After struggling with general anxiety and stress for years I finally collapsed. I was screaming and crying and banging my head against the steering wheel. The pain was so overwhelming my body and mind just could not contain it any longer. I just wanted to stop existing, But it was also a blessing, it was my turning point to seek for professional help. Sometimes we need to hit bottom, and then the only way is up.

[jmgfx]

This is every day in the States. When you have a breakdown, you lose everything. If you say something, you're told that you will be replaced.

[ototech]

I’ve been in the operating room for 22 years, and we’ve always been overworked and underpaid. Long hours, insufficient staffing, unsupportive management and mean surgeons have destroyed my body and soul.

[SpiritBear]

I work in a toxic place. Yesterday was horrible and I called in sick today because I almost lost it on several people yesterday. I feel bad about taking a day but I need it.