--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of…" description: "\"MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental collapse occurring in one's twenties, often caused by an inability to function outside of school or structur..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg" --- # MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental collapse… ![“MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental collapse occurring in one's twenties, often caused by an inability to function outside of school or structured environments coupled with a realization of one's essential aloneness in the world. Often marks induction into the ritual of pharmaceutical usage.” quote by Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg) > “MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental collapse occurring in one's twenties, often caused by an inability to function outside of school or structured environments coupled with a realization of one's essential aloneness in the world. Often marks induction into the ritual of pharmaceutical usage.” [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In one's twenties, mental collapse can occur when leaving structured environments, leading to feelings of aloneness and often the start of medication use. **In simple terms:** Young adults may feel isolated and overwhelmed, turning to meds. Key Takeaway Seek support and structure during transitions. Themes mental health transition isolation Mood anxious hopeful Type advice cautionary When to use this quote - college graduation - career start - relationship changes Key Concepts emerging adulthood pharmaceutical reliance Questions to Reflect On - What support could replace medication? - How can you build resilience after school? A Different Perspective Medication may mask underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) [Collapse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collapse/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Realization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realization/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-possibility-of-physical-and-mental-collapse-is-now-very-real-no/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [The possibility of physical and mental collapse is very real now... but collapse is out of the question; as a solution or even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-possibility-of-physical-and-mental-collapse-is-very-real-now-but/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I was still thought of as a kid actor even though I was in my mid twenties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/i-was-still-thought-of-as-a-kid-actor-even-though-i-was-in-my-mid/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [I love my genre films, but I think when I get older, the way I tell it will be very different to how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-love-my-genre-films-but-i-think-when-i-get-older-the-way-i-tell-it/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [When I was in my mid-twenties, I was a copy editor at Doubleday, and for a brief period, it was my job to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/when-i-was-in-my-mid-twenties-i-was-a-copy-editor-at-doubleday-and/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [I think that a lot of teenagers think they got it all down-pat. Especially when they first move out and they're on their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-think-that-a-lot-of-teenagers-think-they-got-it-all-down-pat/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I grew up around food and in a restaurant, so it never dawned on me that this was a thing to do; it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-choi/i-grew-up-around-food-and-in-a-restaurant-so-it-never-dawned-on-me/) [Roy Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-choi/) > [I look so fondly back on that time in my life when you first got an agent and you were in your mid-twenties and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-lowes/i-look-so-fondly-back-on-that-time-in-my-life-when-you-first-got-an/) [Katie Lowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-lowes/) > [There's another style of meditation that I've been doing since my mid-twenties. Tapping into your higher self to get a glimpse of yourself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie-2/there-s-another-style-of-meditation-that-i-ve-been-doing-since-my-mid/) [India.Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie-2/) > [The lyrics to me are a result of the emotional and creative climate present while making the record as well as personally going through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-pecknold/the-lyrics-to-me-are-a-result-of-the-emotional-and-creative-climate/) [Robin Pecknold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-pecknold/) > [“I remember the juvenile stuff, where you put your arm along the sofa and let it drop onto her shoulder, or press your leg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-remember-the-juvenile-stuff-where-you-put-your-arm-along-the-sofa/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [In your mid-twenties, the paint is still wet on who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/in-your-mid-twenties-the-paint-is-still-wet-on-who-you-are/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [I have not spent years in therapy; I tried therapy in my mid-twenties, and it did not go very well. I just thought, 'This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-have-not-spent-years-in-therapy-i-tried-therapy-in-my-mid-twenties-2/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [I think I spent a lot of my mid-twenties thinking it was a problem of my onstage persona. But, actually, it was my actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nish-kumar/i-think-i-spent-a-lot-of-my-mid-twenties-thinking-it-was-a-problem-of/) [Nish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nish-kumar/) > [I've always had individual friends, but I didn't find the people I wanted to learn from as an adult until my mid-twenties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-ve-always-had-individual-friends-but-i-didn-t-find-the-people-i-2/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## More by Douglas Coupland > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [A man in a bookstore buys a book on loneliness and every woman in the store hits on him. A woman buys a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-man-in-a-bookstore-buys-a-book-on-loneliness-and-every-woman-in-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [The future and eternity are two entirely different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/the-future-and-eternity-are-two-entirely-different-things/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Do you remember how you felt at seventeen? I do and I don't (...) Imagine you came from outer space and someone showed you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/do-you-remember-how-you-felt-at-seventeen-i-do-and-i-don-t-imagine/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [You can't fake competence, creativity, or sexual arousal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-can-t-fake-competence-creativity-or-sexual-arousal/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“But Dag, for all of his efforts, might as well have been talking to a cat. Our parents’ generation seems neither able nor interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/but-dag-for-all-of-his-efforts-might-as-well-have-been-talking-to-a/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Negative? Moi? I think realistic might be a better word. You mean to tell me we can drive all the way here from L.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/negative-moi-i-think-realistic-might-be-a-better-word-you-mean-to/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [It was pivotal in making you but you don't remember it. Or do you? Do we understand the events that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/it-was-pivotal-in-making-you-but-you-don-t-remember-it-or-do-you-do/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds makes you believe that the whole world is as amoral as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/your-ability-to-rationalize-your-own-bad-deeds-makes-you-believe-that/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“I like to go beach-combing, and I like to find interestingly shaped rocks. When I really get into the groove I start finding beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-like-to-go-beach-combing-and-i-like-to-find-interestingly-shaped/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“You know, Dag and Claire smile a lot, as do many people I know. But I always wondered if there is something either mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-know-dag-and-claire-smile-a-lot-as-do-many-people-i-know-but-i/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Brain research tells us that only twenty percent of human beings have a sense of irony, which means that eighty percent of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/brain-research-tells-us-that-only-twenty-percent-of-human-beings-have/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I keep vampire hours, going to bed at 2 A.M. and waking up at about 10:30-11 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-keep-vampire-hours-going-to-bed-at-2-a-m-and-waking-up-at-about-10/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Anna-Louise leans over and whispers in my ear. "This is so surreal," she says, "I think I'm turning into a melting clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/anna-louise-leans-over-and-whispers-in-my-ear-this-is-so-surreal-she/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [When you grow up these days, you're told you're going to have four or five different careers during your lifetime. But what they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/when-you-grow-up-these-days-you-re-told-you-re-going-to-have-four-or/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) [Explore all 704 Douglas Coupland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More Breakdown quotes > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [When Mom had her first nervous breakdown, she said she had a vision of Christ coming to her in the living room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spalding-gray/when-mom-had-her-first-nervous-breakdown-she-said-she-had-a-vision-of/) [Spalding Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spalding-gray/) > [By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/by-measuring-the-proportion-of-children-living-with-the-same-parents/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [I myself am hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-myself-am-hell/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [I understand why creative people like dark, but American audiences dont like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/i-understand-why-creative-people-like-dark-but-american-audiences/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [“The demand being made of me was to treat the breakdown as if fear and frustration were not a part of it, to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-frank/the-demand-being-made-of-me-was-to-treat-the-breakdown-as-if-fear-and/) [Arthur W. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-frank/) > [No matter what, once in your life, someone will hurt you. That someone will take all that you are, and rip it into pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/no-matter-what-once-in-your-life-someone-will-hurt-you-that-someone/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [Consider that all accomplishment is constituted by a series of resolved breakdowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/consider-that-all-accomplishment-is-constituted-by-a-series-of/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Yes, Jenna, I love you with all my heart. And with my atoms and molecules and electrons and whatever further breakdown you require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/yes-jenna-i-love-you-with-all-my-heart-and-with-my-atoms-and/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [Every god is a jealous god after the breakdown of the bicameral mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/every-god-is-a-jealous-god-after-the-breakdown-of-the-bicameral-mind/) [Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/) > [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) > [Distance cannot kill this relationship. Time cannot breakdown anything we have. This is a relationship that I am ready to sacrifice and stand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-cannot-kill-this-relationship-time-cannot-breakdown-anything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) [Browse all 385 Breakdown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental collapse occurring in one's twenties, often caused by an inability to function outside of school or structured environments coupled with a realization of one's essential aloneness in the world. Often marks induction into the ritual of pharmaceutical usage.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Coupland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-mental-collapse-occurring-in-one-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breakdown" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-mental-collapse-occurring-in-one-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/douglas-coupland-305_breakdown_mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-menta_1984336.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental collapse occurring in one's twenties, often caused by an…” — Douglas Coupland", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Douglas Coupland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "MID-TWENTIES BREAKDOWN: A period of mental...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-mental-collapse-occurring-in-one-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/mid-twenties-breakdown-a-period-of-mental-collapse-occurring-in-one-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```