nervous breakdown

American  

noun

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

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of nervous breakdown

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

In my mid 60s, I found myself divorced and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

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

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Another great performance in a go-for-broke horror flick about a woman well over the verge of a nervous breakdown.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025

In the mostly forgotten 1990 film "Crazy People," Dudley Moore's character, an advertising executive, has a nervous breakdown and starts creating brutally honest ads.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2024

Nobody gets a nervous breakdown or a heart attack from selling kerosene to gentle country folk from the back of a tanker in Somerset on a fine summer’s day.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl