Can Fibro lead to a Nervous Breakdown?

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Sarafina

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Joined
Jun 28, 2016
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DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
06/2016
Country
US
State
NY
I've been throwing this around in my (anxious) mind all morning.

If psychological trauma could have caused fibro, could being under continuous psychological duress push us into an official nervous breakdown that we cant' come back from?

This might be off the wall, I think I'm in a panic attack at the moment. But, sometimes my brain just feels like the wires are shredded and one day, one good panic attack and I'll never come back.

It takes me to think of my cousin who has Schizophrenia. She had one major melt down and that was it, she's been hospitalized her entire adult life.

Sorry to scare anyone, but is this a wake up call for us to work harder to reduce anxiety? Or am I falling victim to anxiety itself? ughhh
 
I don't normally have mental health problems. I do have low mood, an extreme need for sleep and a heavy stress load that is not going anywhere any time soon and so, I have the same questions as you do with regards to fibro, but mine is more about how the heavy stress/psychological duress will effect my body rather than my mind, as it seems the load has affected me physically more than it did mentally.

I think we must work to reduce our stress levels and manage any psychological symptoms that add to the heavy stress load, generally.

I know people w/ severe anxiety and cannot imagine having that on top of any of this.

Perhaps part of the fibro protocol should include mindfulness exercises and programs.

It's something we may have neglected to do in the past, but I feel it's important to say now that we know better, do take good care of yourself.
 
Sarafina, it sounds like your struggling mentally right now, and yes I think this can all take a heavy toll on us. I too wondered at one point if I was going over the edge of no return. There are so many factors of fibromyalgia that when put together they just become almost seemingly impossable to escape. One affects the other and they just start snowballing. Lack of sleep is HUGE for me and I seem to need so much more then others and when anxiety kicks in sleep escapes me causing more anxiety hence more pain then mor fibro fog and so on.
If you can pin point what causes your biggest trigger then work on getting it under control you can slowly start reducing the other factors.
A mental break down is not uncommon I believe more people have had them then ever reported. But never returning is unlikely. The body has a way of readjusting and as sceptical as I am of the medical field there are some very good doctors out there that in the event of a break down they would step in.
It is none of my business but I hope you are if not seeing a mental health provider then maybe find a good one. There are some that are familiar with the needs of fibro patients and could help get your anxiety under control.
Anyway, just wanted you to know your not the only one that has pondered this question.
 
Sometimes we develop patterns of thinking that may have once kept us safe but now amplify anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches how to recognize patterns of thinking that aren't helpful, and then to develop new patterns of thinking that are more helpful. I've seen CBT really help family members who were dealing with anxiety
 
DK, that would be my advise as well to Sarafina; CBT will really help the circular arguments and the panic. But please know that FM does not kill a person. As time goes on you will learn the things that help you most. Give yourself time, give yourself a break, you are NOT alone, you cannot learn everything in one day-or month-or year. Slow down and breathe. You will work this out and you can find help. I have what I call my 'team',;the professionals that help keep me going. It takes awhile to find the right people-even though it may be tiring or frustrating, eventually things will come together.

There is a FM program my Chiro clinic offers, that includes chiro, nutritional training, massage, PT and CBT. A very good program! Perhaps you could look for something like that. It's convenient to have most of it under one roof and my insurance pays part of it. There are fibro sites that offer much help in finding doctors in your area too.
 
Thanks friends. My anxiety is definitely heightened lately. I think I probably have always been more on the "nervous nelly" side, but always kept it internal. Now, it just seems like it flares up out of no-where when I start dwelling on this illness.

Great things to remember in this thread, thank you!
 
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