19th Nervous Breakdwon

Nervous breakdown is a great term. It is not a precisely medical term, but it has medical implications, overtones of health problems.

The Mayo Clinic says "nervous breakdown is sometimes used to describe a stressful situation in which someone becomes temporarily unable to function normally in day to day life. It's commonly understood to occur when life's demands become physically and emotionally overwhelming."

There's a lot riding on that word "normally."

Most likely, "normally" within this context means acting like good little boys and girls. Doing what you are told, being punctual and reliable at work, and generally not upsetting the pre-ordained fabric of society.

In fact, the Mayo Clinic identifies one of the symptoms as "calling in sick to work for days or longer."

Another symptom is "having trouble following healthy patterns of eating, sleeping and hygiene."

It is possible that nervous breakdown is a synonym for "human."

Breakdown is a harsh word. It sounds like somebody who suddenly runs out of work screaming "where can I buy an Uzi? Where did I leave my hunting knife? Under the front seat? Is it under the front seat? I have to kill all of my co-workers to teach them a lesson and absolve them of all their sins to make them right with Jesus."

A nervous breakdown is more benign than that. It seems more like a withdrawing, an avoiding, a shutting down. Closing the circle for protection.

Sounds like survival.

The Mayo Clinic says "Nervous breakdown isn't a medical term, however, nor does it indicate a specific mental illness.   ......................the term was commonly used in the past to cover a variety of mental disorders; it's used less often today."

One possibility is that doctors in the past were sympathetic to the human struggle. Maybe today this way of coping with life is just considered normal.