Crisis control

ANYONE can reach a crisis point — reports suggest media mogul Simon Cowell did this summer.

Cowell, 52, said the reports “are a little bit exaggerated”, but confirmed: “I did turn my phone off for six weeks, because, you know, I had a lot going on.”

Even the most successful people are vulnerable to stress. But at what point does ‘feeling stressed’ turn into a breakdown?

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jim Bolton says ‘breakdown’ is a term to describe a significant episode of anxiety or depression.

Rather than being a single diagnosis, it’s a culmination of signs that a person is finding it difficult to cope, and is struggling to function with everyday life. Depression and anxiety are key factors.

As Dr Bolton says, depression causes many other problems, including difficulty making decisions, an inability to cope with everyday tasks, a loss of interest and enjoyment in life, sleeplessness, a lack of appetite, a lack of self-confidence, and feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness.

Many depressed people will also be irritable and angry and they may seem ‘out of character’.

“But what we might call a nervous breakdown, or becoming ill with depression, happens when those feelings of sadness or significant stress don’t lift after a few days — they carry on for weeks or months, or become so bad that they interfere with everyday life,” says Dr Bolton.

Avoiding a breakdown may be possible, though, if a person is able to recognise early on that their stress levels or depression are becoming a problem, and if they address the issue before it worsens. Addressing it could mean following Cowell’s example and taking time out, or it could mean seeking professional support by visiting a GP or contacting a mental health charity or organisation.

Anti-depressants may be prescribed, while talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps a person develop coping strategies, can be beneficial.

Dr Bolton also says that people can reduce their risk of depression, anxiety and breakdowns through lifestyle factors, such as exercise, eating a good, balanced diet, and being aware that drowning their sorrows with alcohol is likely to make their depression worse, rather than better.

“The main thing is that you don’t keep it to yourself,” says Dr Bolton.