How a breakup can drive you crazy: As Helen Flanagan reveals ’emotional struggle’ with split from ex, psychologists say heartbreak is similar to grief, leaving you feeling ‘lost’ and triggering withdrawal symptoms like cocaine
You may have heard of the classic trope of the toxic “psycho ex.”
Although it sounds cliché, psychologists say that an intense breakup can really drive people crazy.
Former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan is the latest to reveal her mental health struggles following the end of a relationship.
The 32-year-old today revealed she was diagnosed with psychosis following her split from ex Scott Sinclair, 35.
In a post on Instagram, she explained how the pressures of working as a single mother led her to take ADHD medication to cope, but ultimately suffered psychosis due to a “bad reaction.”
Dr. Touroni explains that your partner may have been your most important source of companionship and emotional support. Suddenly not having him around can make you feel ‘lost’ and trigger feelings of ‘self-doubt’ (stock image)
Psychosis is a serious mental illness in which patients lose touch with reality.
These can include hallucinations and internal mental delusions where they believe people are out to harm them.
In her social media post, Flanagan said: ‘I was feeling awful so I was due for my theater tour which I was excited about so when I got back from holiday I thought it was best for me to take some medicine, so that I would feel better and I could better cope with the fact that I was a working single mother of three children and I was struggling emotionally with the breakup with the father of my children.
‘But I reacted very badly to the medication (an ADHD medication) and that put me into a psychosis for a few days that I didn’t know I was in.’
Ultimately, she was forced to withdraw from her planned theater tour for Cluedo 2.
Helen Flanagan (pictured) has revealed she was diagnosed with psychosis after having a ‘bad reaction’ to her ADHD medication
In a lengthy post on Instagram, the mother-of-three explained that she was ‘struggling emotionally’ with her divorce from ex Scott Sinclair (pictured right) and the demands of life as a single mother.
But she’s not the only famous face to be hit by mental health issues after a breakup.
Singer Paloma Faith, 42, said she suffered a “nervous breakdown” following her split from husband Leyman Lahcine.
Fellow musical star Adele, 35, also admitted she suffered an ‘anxiety attack’ following her split from Simon Konecki.
Former EastEnders actress Rita Simmons, 47, revealed she suffered from depression following her split from her 14-year-old husband Theo Silveston.
Actress Drew Barrymore, 49, also opened up about having a “nervous breakdown” that was so bad that her therapist “stopped” seeing her after her divorce from Will Kopelman.
Fellow actress Eva Longoria, of Desperate Housewives fame, also previously admitted she was at her ‘unhealthiest’ following her split from ex-husband Tony Parker, and starved herself after the split.
Candid: Paloma Faith admitted her split from husband Leyman Lahcine was ‘the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life’ (pictured together in 2015)
Exes: Adele and charity CEO Simon Konecki, 47, announced they were splitting in April 2019 and their divorce was finalized in March this year (pictured in 2013)
Actress Emma Stone, 35, who starred in the film La La Land, has said that during her first heartbreak she ‘crawled on the floor’ and ‘vomited’.
Experts told MailOnline that there are a host of reasons why many people struggle to pick themselves up after heartbreak.
“A major breakup is similar to grief, especially if that person was very entrenched in your life,” says Dr. Elena Touroni, consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic.
She said that because a partner may have been your main source of companionship and emotional support, its sudden absence can leave you feeling “lost” and trigger feelings of “self-doubt” that can worsen or trigger mental health problems.
“This kind of stress and anxiety can trigger existing mental health problems or even cause new ones to develop,” says Dr. Touroni.
Rita Simons revealed she suffered from deep depression following her divorce from husband of 14 years Theo Silveston. Both pictured in 2017
Following her divorce from Will Kopelman, Drew, 49, opened up about having a “nervous breakdown” and her therapist “quitting” her. Both pictured in 2014
Flanagan split with her footballer in 2022 after 13 years together and withdrew from her theater tour at the beginning of this year.
The mum-of-three has also been open about her previous mental health struggles, after speaking about her battle with postpartum depression, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and intrusive thoughts last October.
Psychosis can be caused by many things, including a traumatic experience, stress, and side effects of prescription medications.
‘Although psychosis is rare, breakups can certainly lead to a range of other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and in more severe cases even symptoms of PTSD,’ says Dr Touroni.
Anyone who has been dumped knows the feeling of sadness and rejection.
“You may feel very sad, lose interest in things you used to enjoy, or withdraw from friends and family,” explains Dr. Touroni.
Emma Stone, 35, has said in the past that her first heartbreak – which she did not reveal names – left her ‘crawling on the floor’ and ‘vomiting’. Pictured in March
In 2013, the actress, now 49 (pictured earlier this month), gave a candid interview to Dr. Oz, in which she revealed that she was so heartbroken that she stopped eating.
According to experts, the brain essentially becomes deprived of the love hormones oxytocin and dopamine in the weeks following a breakup.
When you feel attracted to someone else, your brain releases the happiness hormones dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin.
But when you get rid of that special someone, all these “happiness hormones” go with them.
According to researchers at Columbia University, this feeling has even been compared to a desire.
A 2011 study found that the areas of the brain that become active during a breakup are the same as when cocaine addicts experience withdrawal symptoms.
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology also found that the brain can register physical pain after a breakup.
Researchers found that this activity was generated in tests where people were shown photos of their exes.
This physical pain and anxiety can cause people to turn to unhealthy habits to try to compensate and get over their ex, but experts warn that this can only make things worse.
Dr. Touroni said: ‘Anxiety can also creep in, making you worry about your future or the pressure to come back.
‘To cope, some people may turn to alcohol, drugs or other unhealthy habits, which can make the situation even more difficult.’