nervous breakdown
[noun]
Synonyms: breakdown, collapse, crack-up, nervous prostration

---

Related Words: neurasthenia, prostration

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ˌnervous ˈbreakdown noun [countable]
a mental illness in which someone becomes extremely anxious and tired and cannot deal with the things they usually do:
Colin came close to having a nervous breakdown last year.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

nervous breakdown
noun
ADJ. complete
VERB + NERVOUS BREAKDOWN have, suffer
PHRASES the brink/edge/verge of a nervous breakdown The stress of her job had brought her to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

nervous breakdown

have a nervous breakdown
My mother had a nervous breakdown after my father's death.
suffer a nervous breakdown
At university, Jan suffered a nervous breakdown and was treated for depression.
be heading for a nervous breakdown (=be likely to suffer one soon)
She should slow down a bit - I think she's heading for a nervous breakdown.
a complete nervous breakdown
He had a complete nervous after leaving university.
be on the verge/edge of a nervous breakdown (=to be very close to having a nervous breakdown)
These events left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

nervous breakdown
n. A mild or severe attack of mental illness; a collapse of a person's ability to make decisions and solve problems because of overwork, great mental strain, or the like.
When the mother saw her baby run over, she suffered a nervous breakdown.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲