Nervous breakdown
Meaning: Mental health crisis, inability to cope (dated but understood).
'Nervous breakdown' is an older term for mental health crisis. 'She had a nervous breakdown' means she couldn't cope. Not clinical term but widely understood.
Examples
- He had a nervous breakdown. 他精神崩溃了Tuvo una crisis nerviosa「彼はノイローゼになった」그는 신경쇠약에 걸렸어.
- On the verge of a nervous breakdown. 在精神崩溃的边缘Al borde de una crisis nerviosa「精神崩壊寸前だ」신경쇠약 직전이야.
- After the breakdown. 精神崩溃之后Después de la crisis「精神的に参った後」정신적으로 무너진 후에.
Pronunciation
/ˈnɜːvəs ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
Usage Guide
Context: mental health, crisis, older term
Tone: serious, sympathetic
✓ Do Say
- Nervous breakdown精神崩溃crisis nerviosa精神崩壊신경쇠약(Nervous breakdown)
- Had a breakdown精神上崩溃了tuvo una crisis精神的に参った정신적으로 무너지다(Had a breakdown)
✗ Don't Say
- Dated term—not clinical较旧的说法,不是临床术语Término anticuado, no clínicoやや古い表現で、臨床用語ではない오래된 표현—임상 용어 아님
Common Mistakes
- Not a clinical diagnosis—colloquial term
Origin & History
Older term for mental health crisis before modern diagnostic terms. 'Nervous' = mental/emotional, 'breakdown' = collapse. Still used colloquially though medically outdated.
Etymology: Nervous (mental) + breakdown (collapse)
First recorded: 19th century, now dated
Cultural Context
Era: 19th century, still used
Generation: All ages understand it
Social background: Universal
Pop culture: General usage
Regional notes: Universal, slightly dated.
Variations
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