nervous breakdown
noun/ˌnɜːvəs ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
/ˌnɜːrvəs ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
(also breakdown)
(old-fashioned)- a period of serious mental illness in which somebody is unable to deal with normal life This term was used in the past to refer to a range of different mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and psychosis.
- to have/suffer a nervous breakdown
- The stress of her job had brought her to the brink of a nervous breakdown.
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nervous breakdown