How a break up can drive you to the point of insanity: As Helen Flanagan reveals ’emotional struggle’ with split from ex, psychologists say heartbreak is comparable to grief, making you feel ‘lost’ and triggering withdrawal effects like cocaine

You may have heard the classic trope of the toxic ‘psycho ex’.

Although it may sound cliché, psychologists say that people can actually reach the point of insanity after an intense breakup.

Helen Flanagan, former Coronation Street actress She is the latest to reveal her mental health issues after the end of a relationship.

The 32-year-old revealed today that she was diagnosed with psychosis following her split from ex Scott Sinclair, 35.

In a post on Instagram, she explained how the pressure of being a working single mother led her to turn to ADHD medication to cope, but she ended up suffering psychosis as a result of a “bad reaction.”

Psychosis is a serious mental illness in which sufferers lose contact with reality.

This can include hallucinations and internal mental delusions in which they believe that people want to harm them.

In her social media post, Flanagan said: “I felt terrible so I had to do my theater tour which I was excited about so when I came back from vacation I thought it was best for me to take some medication to feel better and being able to better cope with being a single, working mother of three who was struggling emotionally with the breakup with my children’s father.

“But I had a really bad reaction to the medication (an ADHD medication) and it sent me into a psychosis for a few days that I didn’t know I was having.”

She was eventually forced to withdraw from her planned theater tour for Cluedo 2.

But she’s not the only famous face to be affected by mental health issues after a breakup.

Singer Paloma Faith, 42, said she suffered a “nervous breakdown” after separating from her husband Leyman Lahcine.

Fellow music star Adele, 35, also admitted to suffering an “anxiety attack” following her divorce from Simon Konecki.

Former EastEnders actress Rita Simmons, 47, revealed she suffered from depression after divorcing her husband of 14 years, Theo Silveston.

Actress Drew Barrymore, 49, also opened up about having a “nervous breakdown” and spiraling so badly that her therapist “quit” on her after her divorce from Will Kopelman.

Fellow actress Eva Longoria, of Desperate Housewives fame, also previously admitted that she was at her “unhealthiest” after splitting from ex-husband Tony Parker, and that she starved herself after the breakup.

Actress Emma Stone, 35, who starred in the film La La Land, said her first heartbreak saw her “crawling on the floor” and “vomiting”.

Experts told MailOnline there are a multitude of reasons why many people struggle to recover after a heartbreak.

“A big breakup is comparable to grief, especially if that person was deeply embedded in your life,” said Dr. Elena Touroni, consulting psychologist and co-founder of the Chelsea Psychology Clinic.

He said that because a partner may have been your main source of companionship and emotional support, their sudden absence can make you “feel lost” and trigger feelings of “insecurity” that can exacerbate or trigger mental health problems.

“This type of stress and agitation can trigger existing mental health problems or even cause new ones to emerge,” Dr. Touroni said.

Flanagan split from her footballer in 2022 after 13 years together and retired from her theater tour at the beginning of the year.

The mother of three has also been open about her past mental health struggles, after opening up about her battle with postpartum depression, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and intrusive thoughts last October.

Psychosis can be triggered by many things, including a traumatic experience, stress, and the side effects of prescription medications.

“While psychosis is rare, breakups can definitely lead to a variety of other mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse and, in more severe cases, even symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Dr. Touroni.

Anyone who has been abandoned is familiar with the feelings of sadness and rejection.

“You may feel very sad, lose interest in things you used to enjoy, or withdraw from your friends and family,” Dr. Touroni explained.

According to experts, the brain is actually deprived of the love hormones oxytocin and dopamine in the weeks after a breakup.

When you feel attracted to another person, your brain releases the happiness hormones dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

But when you let go of that special someone, all of these “happy hormones” disappear with them.

In fact, this feeling has been compared to a craving, according to researchers at Columbia University.

A 2011 study found that the areas of the brain that activate during a breakup are the same as when cocaine addicts experience withdrawal.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology also found that the brain can register physical pain after a breakup.

The researchers discovered that this activity was generated in tests in which people were shown photos of their exes.

This physical pain and anxiety can lead people to turn to unhealthy habits to try to make up for and get over their ex, but experts warn that this can only make things worse.

Dr Touroni said: “Anxiety can also set in, causing one to worry about their future or the pressure to recover.”

“To cope, some people may turn to alcohol, drugs or other unhealthy habits, which can make things even more difficult.”