Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

Author:      Renee Nuckols
Text:        Physiologically, what causes a mental/nervous breakdown besides 
normal everyday stress?  Is it a process that kills neurons?  Also please 
include some internal and external symptoms that occur prior to, during, and 
after a nervous breakdown.

Response #:  1 of 2
Author:      wizkid
Text:        "Nervous breakdown" may be a misnomer, though.  What "breaks 
down" is not so much the nerves and neurons, but the adrenal glands.  A more 
accurate term would be the "exhaustion phase of the general adaption 
syndrome," but obviously that is quite a mouthful.  Excessive STRESS is what 
can cause "nervous breakdowns."  Stress includes the obvious things like exam 
pressures, trouble with parents or teachers, peer pressure, but also includes 
things like a significant personal achievement, making a major purchase, 
changes in routines of life (sleeping, eating habits), moving to a different 
part of town - even the change in seasons and temperatures.  It can come from 
almost anything which causes a disturbance in normal living.      Stress 
triggers a number of physiological changes collectively termed "GENERAL 
ADAPTATION SYNDROME."  There are three phases:  1) alarm, 2) resistance, and 
3) exhaustion.  These phases are controlled and regulated by the adrenal 
glands.  Your adrenal glands lie just above your kidneys and are composed of 
inner and outer parts.  The inner part is called the adrenal medulla, and it 
secretes the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.  These hormones help your 
body deal with stressful situations.  If you were alone and met a gang in some 
back alley, your adrenal glands would flood your body with the hormones, your 
blood pressure, heart rate, sweat production would shoot way high!  Your body 
is in a "FIGHT or FLIGHT" mode.  (Just thinking about getting in such a 
situation may have caused some stress!)  Well, whenever your body deals with 
smaller stresses, the same hormones are released.  The outer part of the 
adrenal glands is the adrenal cortex.  They also produce hormones, but 
slightly different ones:  glucocorticoids and mineralcorticoids.  
Glucocorticoids can increase blood sugar levels profoundly, while 
mineralcorticoids affect mineral excretion.  These hormones are largely 
responsible for helping the body deal with prolonged stress.  They help 
provide extra energy and blood supply.  For instance, if you had a whole week 
of finals, your adrenal cortex would work overtime as you burn the midnight 
oil studying.  These instances are the "resistance" phase of the general 
adaptation syndrome.



Now, STRESS can accumulate to a point when it is impossible to cope.  You feel 
like pulling your hair, giving up, screaming, etc.  Or, you are having a 
"nervous breakdown."  What is happened is you have reached the "exhaustion" 
stage of the general adaptation syndrome.  Essentially, the adrenal cortex has 
depleted stores of glucocorticoids, and your cells cannot get the extra sugar 
and nutrients they need to cope.  Furthermore, minerals like potassium are 
excreted, causing an unbalanced mineral status.  These causes place tremendous 
loads on the heart, blood vessels, immune system, brain, and virtually every 
other part of your body.  Exhaustion can be a collapse of one specific organ 
or of the entire body.  Psychological stress has even been linked to cancer, 
diabetes, autoimmune diseases, asthma, menstrual problems, PMS, arthritis, 
colitis, ulcers, heart disease, depression, and depression.   Signs of 
impending exhaustion:  fatigue, irritation, loss of appetite or insatiable 
appetite, chronic high blood pressure, thoughts of giving up, loss of interest 
in what use to provide pleasure.  For a few tips as to how to avoid "nervous 
breakdowns."  Stress management can include exercise, stretching, meditation, 
relaxation, biofeedback, massage, taking a vacation, getting enough sleep, 
talking to a good listener, eating well-balanced meals, etc.  In other words, 
try to get away from stress regularly - set apart times in the day to refresh.  
Taking some vitamins and minerals may help, too.  Potassium is lost to a great 
degree during stressful situations, so eat an extra banana or take a potassium 
tablet.  Vitamin C is known to support the adrenal glands, so eat lots of 
fruits and vegetables, or take a C tablet.  Good nutrition is very important, 
so if you live off fast food, it may do some good to add some fruits, nuts, 
juices, whole grain cereals, and a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to your 
diet.

Response #:  2 of 2
Author:      Lou Harnisch
Text:        I commend wizkid on an excellent review of nervous exhaustion.  I 
would only add that the term "nervous breakdown"  also is often a laymen's 
term for many sorts of psychological/psychiatric disorders.  These can include 
things like anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, schizophrenic spectrum 
disorders, bipolar disorder, dissociative disorders, and probably a few other 
things as well.  We are still learning about the brain physiology involved in 
these disorders.  Generally though, anxiety disorder after seem to involve 
GABA receptors, depressive disorders involve adrenergic/serotinergic systems 
and the psychotic disorders (ie schizophrenia) involve dopaminergic systems.  
Areas of the brain that seem important for these disorders include the locus 
ceruleus (panic/anxiety), frontal lobes (schizophrenia), and the hippocampal 
regions (obsessive compulsive disorder).