nervous breakdown

See more synonyms for nervous breakdown on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Origin of nervous breakdown

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for nervous breakdown

collapse, depression, neurosis, burnout, crackup, neurasthenia

British Dictionary definitions for nervous breakdown

nervous breakdown

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nervous breakdown in Medicine

nervous breakdown

A severe or incapacitating emotional disorder, especially when occurring suddenly and marked by depression.