nervous breakdown

American  

noun

1. (not in technical use) any disabling mental disorder requiring treatment.

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nervous breakdown British  

noun

1. any mental illness not primarily of organic origin in which the patient ceases to function properly, often accompanied by severely impaired concentration, anxiety, insomnia, and lack of self-esteem; used esp of episodes of depression

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Etymology

Origin of nervous breakdown

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

"And for goodness sake, stop twitching! You look like you're having a nervous breakdown."

From Literature

It’s the closest O’Hara gets to playing the straight man, if a straight man was a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times

The court heard details of the defendant's mental health issues, including a nervous breakdown in the 1990s.

From BBC

In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times

As present becomes past, we see nervous breakdowns first, then the teetering points that predate them and lastly those first blooms of camaraderie, success and love.

From Los Angeles Times