what would your conclusion be

What kind of breakdown did she have? What kind of treatment/follow-up did she receive afterward.

You mention that she is "having problems getting back what she had before the breakdown." Can you tell us more about what exactly (kids, job, ???) she is trying to get back and how she is going about the task now?

Do you know what precipitated the breakdown and what she is doing now to keep herself healthy?

It sounds like she is a strong and resilient woman who may have reached a breaking point when overloaded with stressors.

I would like to give you a fictional person's history and get some feed back. Here goes.

This woman in her 40's suffered childhood abuse, both physical and sexual. No family support was in foster care as a child, married had 2 children husband died early on, developed some physical impairments from an accident which left her in pain all the time. In spite of all this she managed to put herself through college, raise her kids but has a breakdown in her 40's and now is having problems getting back what she had before the breakdown. any suggestions?

I can't give much feedback without data about current/past behaviors. What has she done that makes her of interest to psych?

I was refering to her job, housing and general respect. The breakdown was major depression.

If she is getting the help and support she needs I think her prospects are good. Sometimes things can overwhelm and one slips into that deep dark hole of depression. This lady has surmounted some big obstacles in the past, and has had some more big ones thrown her way. When the blocks get knocked out from under us it sometimes takes time to get back up.

If she is getting the help and support she needs I think her prospects are good. Sometimes things can overwhelm and one slips into that deep dark hole of depression. This lady has surmounted some big obstacles in the past, and has had some more big ones thrown her way. When the blocks get knocked out from under us it sometimes takes time to get back up.

unfortunately she isn't getting any kind of help and is fumbling around on her own.

Is this someone you know personally? There are community resources out there. Mental health, financial assistance, churches, support groups, etc. Investigate and see what you can hook her up to

Is this someone you know personally? There are community resources out there. Mental health, financial assistance, churches, support groups, etc. Investigate and see what you can hook her up to

I already checked around, there just isn't anything.

My thoughts are that she tackled all the problems life threw at her, by keeping busy and not addressing the issues. I think she buried the feelings and moved on, for the sake of her sanity, for the kids, all the traditional reasons. Something minor probably happened, which triggered a breakdown, due to all these feelings that haven't been dealt with.

I had the same thing happen to me. I've been abused, my dh committed suicide when I was only 25 y.o., I raised 2 kids on my own, was in abusive relationships, etc... I never dealt with any of it with a professional counselor, instead I stayed busy, went to college, bettered myself in all areas of life, but not mentally.

I thought I was doing great, and didn't see it coming. One day I stuck myself with a syringe I had just used to inject a resident, whom I knew was Hep + and possibly HIV + due to her life hx. I had a complete meltdown. I tested negative for everything, but couldn't move beyond it.

I think something similar is going on there. She needs to explore her feelings on issues that have happened throughout her life and figure out what is causing this, and deal with it with professional help. I used an online psychologist, believe it or not, with Huge success. His website is www.onestepatatime.com - he deals with anxiety & panic, not depression, but she probably has those as well. I wish her success in her future. I know what a hard struggle it can be. I live in a rural area & finding help locally was especially difficult.

Sher

My thoughts are that she tackled all the problems life threw at her, by keeping busy and not addressing the issues. I think she buried the feelings and moved on, for the sake of her sanity, for the kids, all the traditional reasons. Something minor probably happened, which triggered a breakdown, due to all these feelings that haven't been dealt with.

I had the same thing happen to me. I've been abused, my dh committed suicide when I was only 25 y.o., I raised 2 kids on my own, was in abusive relationships, etc... I never dealt with any of it with a professional counselor, instead I stayed busy, went to college, bettered myself in all areas of life, but not mentally.

I thought I was doing great, and didn't see it coming. One day I stuck myself with a syringe I had just used to inject a resident, whom I knew was Hep + and possibly HIV + due to her life hx. I had a complete meltdown. I tested negative for everything, but couldn't move beyond it.

I think something similar is going on there. She needs to explore her feelings on issues that have happened throughout her life and figure out what is causing this, and deal with it with professional help. I used an online psychologist, believe it or not, with Huge success. His website is www.onestepatatime.com - he deals with anxiety & panic, not depression, but she probably has those as well. I wish her success in her future. I know what a hard struggle it can be. I live in a rural area & finding help locally was especially difficult.

Sher

this is a rural area also. money is a big issue.