breakdown
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Related to breakdown: nervous breakdown
breakdown
[brāk´doun]1. the act or process of ceasing to function, or the resulting condition.
2. an often sudden collapse in health, physical or mental.
3. loss of self-control.
nervous breakdown a nonspecific, popular name for any type of mental disorder that interferes with the affected individual's normal activities, often implying a severe episode of sudden onset.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
breakdown
(brāk′doun′)n.
1. A typically sudden collapse in physical or mental health.
2. Disintegration or decomposition into parts or elements.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Vox populi Any deterioration or reduction to a lesser state
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.