nervous breakdown

noun

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

nervous breakdown

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nervous breakdown¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

He had pushed himself to the point of a nervous breakdown by the constant traveling and his need to write and produce new material.

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She endured a heartbreaking divorce and a nervous breakdown, while raising a daughter and writing books, only to rally again and find love again in the most unexpected place.

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The finale, a musical nervous breakdown, illuminates what’s been driving the character all along.

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“Even to this day,” she says, “people think of me as the woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”

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"We often wonder whether mum had a nervous breakdown during that time," she said.

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