A mid-life crisis is an emotional condition that can appear in both men and women, usually around the age of 35 to 50 years. The anxiety felt usually focuses on the realization that the person’s life is halfway over. There are many reasons why a person may have a mid-life crisis. According to research, one of the factors in this condition has to do with aging. The person may feel that by the time she reaches the supposed halfway point in life, she should have achieved more.

A mid-life crisis may be triggered by certain conditions. An unhappy marriage, dissatisfaction with work, or the simple truth that one is getting older may account for the condition. Some theories hold that a mid-life crisis may be the result of depression.

Whatever the reasons behind the crisis, it is a very real condition that can manifest itself in different ways. The stereotypical image of the male in mid-life crisis is one who seeks different ways to regain his youth. His clothes and girlfriends become younger, and he buys a sports car and adopts a carefree attitude towards life. A more serious reaction to mid-life crisis can be suicide.

A mid-life crisis can last for around ten years in some men and five years in women. Apart from aging, another factor that can trigger this condition is the death of one’s parents. This experience can bring about a sudden realisation of one's mortality and can have a severe psychological effect.

Many men and women who marry at a young age are prone to mid-life crisis. Another factor that can bring on the condition is one's children eventually leaving home. The feeling of emptiness in the home can trigger a mid-life crisis. A mid-life crisis is not always a bad thing. It can be the mind’s reaction to a person's feelings of dissatisfaction.

Many people who have been set in their ways for many years can suddenly change, and others may put it down to a mid-life crisis. The change may result from a realisation that one can do better in life and achieve more as time seemingly begins to run out. The mid-life crisis, combined with anxiety and doubt, may be the kick some people need to achieve more in their lives.