There is a thin line between sanity and insanity. The brain is a vital organ in the body that helps to coordinate the body activities.

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The human brain is divided into a left and right hemisphere with a connection called corpus callosum; these hemispheres are divided into four lobes.

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The Frontal Lobe- is the part of the brain that plays a vital role in memory, attention, motivation and other numerous activities
Damage to the frontal lobe may lead to personality changes, intellectual impairment etc.

Temporal Lobe- The temporal lobe is the region of the brain that processes sound and speech impulses. It also helps to process memory
A damage to this part of the brain would bring about speech disabilities, memory loss (amnesia), loss of perception Agnosia) etc.

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The occipital Lobe is located at the back of the brain and it helps to process visual impulses; damage to this part of the brain may lead to blindness.

Parietal Lobe -I won’t dwell much here, but just keep in mind that it helps to process sensory impulses.

Having processed the above information about the brain, you would notice that various parts of the brain control the five major senses.

You may also observe that the frontal lobe of the brain plays a major part in cognitive functions, which coordinates the mental state of an individual.

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Thus a mental state examination, a periodic examination is done by health care professionals helps to access five basic components which include:

• Mood and Affect- this accesses the mood alteration a person has, a persistent change in mood can cause Depression.

• INSIGHT- which helps the person to access his/her problem themselves.

• THOUGHT CONTENT- which accesses the content of a person’s thought.

• APPEARANCE AND BEHAVIOUR – from the name, it is obvious what this examination aims at.

• SPEECH- This accesses the rate, rhythm, and content of speech

A mental breakdown is a term used to describe a period of mental distress which could be masking other mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, acute stress disorders etc. A study of these conditions would reveal a similar trend that heralds this mental break down.
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There are risk factors that may predispose an individual towards a mental break down

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• VULNERABILITY – These are the factors that come into play in an individual because of his/her constitution. Some of these factors could be spelled out in the family history, e.g. A family history of similar illness may be a pointer.

• PERPETUATING FACTORS- the current social situation may contribute to a mental breakdown, situations like social-economic stressors, quality of a relationship, quality of present Job etc.

• PRECIPITATING FACTORS- In this category, recent traumatic events e.g. death of a loved one can cause a mental breakdown, major life changes e.g. a recently divorced couple. All these can precipitate an emotional breakdown.

• MISCELLANEOUS- These are the factors like sleep deprivation, eating disorders persistent work stress etc.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF A MENTAL BREAK DOWN?

These are the signs one should look out for in a person that is about to have a breakdown.

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• EATING AND SLEEPING DISORDERS- these problems may arise as a result of low esteem, feeling inadequate of lack of control in life, loneliness etc. The person may develop anorexia nervosa (self-starvation and excessive weight loss) which is a deliberate act , and also Bulimia Nervosa( another eating disorder). There may be also altered patterns in sleep on close observation.

• SOCIAL ANHEDONIA –The person would call in sick frequently and would not want to associate with friends and family, he/she gradually withdraws from social functions and engagement and isolates him/herself.

• SUBSTANCE ABUSE- studies show that when humans don’t feel connected to anyone, they may result to do drugs/alcohol as a form of solace, this will further catalyze the breakdown.

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• RISKY BEHAVIOUR- The person may involve in risky behavior e.g. reckless driving, picking up frequent fights etc.

• FREQUENT EMOTIONAL TANTRUMS- Unexplained emotional outburst in response to what people have said or done of which normally shouldn't have gotten you upset could be another pointer.

WHEN YOU SEE ALL THESE SIGNS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO HELP OUT?

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• Ask questions that can help you know how to assist.

• Try to listen and be patient.

• Help the person find help if you cannot be of help

• Check in on them to show that you care.

You might be the last person that could save the sanity of that individual, try to lend a helping hand and show his that you care.