Mother was a great Bridge player, and when I was a small boy, I used to be allowed in the room during tea, when I'd feast as much as was allowed on various delicate sandwiches and any cakes that mother had managed to buy or make.
This was just after the war, and commodities were tight.
But I do remember how she, or one of the other ladies, used to lean across the table and say in hushed tones; "You know Muriel Brevitt? Well, she's had a nervous breakdown, you know.
" Then they'd all sit back and take in that piece of earth shattering news.
In my childish mind, I had visions of this poor woman literally falling to bits, cracking and breaking like a piece of delicate porcelain.
Truth to tell, though, a lot of adults don't know what constitutes a nervous breakdown.
Cars break down, but people don't.
It's a popular term, but certainly not a clinical diagnosis.
A nervous breakdown occurs when someone reaches a point of complete exhaustion after a protracted spell of anxiety.
The anxiety could be caused by any number of factors; an unhappy romantic relationship, a worsening financial period, worries at work about whether or not you may lose your job.
Perhaps a combination of all these things.
Indeed, it's unlikely that a nervous breakdown would be brought on by just one factor.
It's usually when worry is piled on to worry that you find yourself headed down this most unpleasant path.
Eventually, you find that you simply can't deal with life anymore.
It's all too much and you just want to stay in bed and make the world go away, to borrow the words of the song! Sometimes, it can be just one more adverse event that sends the person into a tailspin; the sudden death of a loved one, or the sudden and totally unexpected loss of a job.
But like most mental conditions, except for the panic attack, which suddenly comes and slaps you around the side of the head, so to speak, there are definite symptoms.
The person doesn't want to eat.
Sex is the last thing on their mind.
Like depression, they have no further interest in hobbies or life in general.
They may well feel guilty for feeling the way they do.
Then they may feel pathetic and this makes them feel even worse.
Even the smallest task is way beyond them.
Feelings of being alone, even in the bosom of their family.
And desperation.
If someone's had the misfortune to experience a nervous breakdown, they may well become impatient with themselves, lose their confidence and not surprisingly, be afraid that there may be a repeat performance.
Speaking personally, when I found myself unable to cope, I resorted to a suicide attempt about which I still feel guilty.
Because of the severity of this condition, we'll pursue the matter in further articles