The nervous breakdown, a mysterious affliction that has been a staple of American life for more than a century has been wiped out by the combined forces of psychology and pharmacology. The question remains however, why do people keep breaking down"

The term nervous breakdown is inexact. Nervous breakdowns are no longer thought to be conditions of the nerves, but of the mind.

It seems psychology, over the years, has separated the term nervous breakdown into more definite categories. Today, they seem more likely to be schizophrenic episodes, manic breaks, or more closely resembling major depressive disorder. Diagnosis depends on different patients and symptoms they experience.

In the movie, Shine, Australian concert pianist David Helfgott is thought to experience a "nervous breakdown" due to the pressures of life with an overbearing, driving father. When in fact at an important performance he collapsed into a catatonic state, and is...