nervouswreck

[[quoteright:250:[[Webcomic/{{Zoophobia}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2012-09-17-aliens_8033.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:She's ''always'' like this.]]

There are some characters who can [[NervesOfSteel keep a cool head no matter what]]. Then at the other end of the scale, there's this person. They'll be the first to panic under pressure, and [[HeroicBSOD Heroic BSODs]] are a common thing for them. Pessimistic by nature, they'll automatically assume the worst and worry even when everything's going right. And when the worst really does happen, they might even reduce to spouting incoherent gibberish.

Often, this character is revealed to have a [[DarkAndTroubledPast painful past]] that left them like this. As such, this is sometimes a trait of a ShrinkingViolet or a more emotional BrokenBird. Some versions of this will hide their anxiety (or at least try to) behind a [[StepfordSmiler cheerful facade]].

Contrast TheStoic, NervesOfSteel.

----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Miranda in ''Manga/DGrayMan''.
* Jyou Kido from ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', although he mellowed out in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', as he matured.
* Crona from ''Manga/SoulEater'', thanks to being raised [[spoiler:to become a new [[EldritchAbomination Kishin]]]] by [[AbusiveParents Medusa]]. S/he's even quite jittery when s/he's AxeCrazy.
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Poor Shinji Ikari, in the first few episodes. It comes in [[SarcasmMode very handy]] when he's shanghaied into being a mecha pilot. He spends his first few battles [[FreakOut freaking out]]. While he does get ''much'' better after the Futagoyama incident as far as battles go, he never quite stops acting like this in his everyday life... and then, of course, any progress he made is undone as [[TraumaCongaLine everything goes straight to hell...]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'', this happens to Krillin. He cannot shut up when he's scared.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* Panic in ''Disney/{{Hercules}}''. The series also introduced Neurosis, whom even Panic considers a mess.
* The second princess in ''Animation/SonOfTheWhiteHorse'' is one. Of course, she did get married to a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] who seems to represent the horrors of industrial warfare.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Creator/WoodyAllen is famous for playing this kind of character.
* Many, many of the lead roles from French comic actor Creator/LouisDeFunes are this, a good part of his humor consisting on watching how his protagonists are cracking up under pressure. Although De Funès had to tone it down after his heart attack in 1974.
* Ken the stutterer in ''Film/AFishCalledWanda''.
* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Universe, Nute Gunray (the Trade Federation Viceroy) nearly embodies this trope. Although beings from his species, Neimodians, are usually pessimistics and prone to great stress by nature, Gunray's overly-nervous personnality is well beyond even Neimoidian standards.
* Leo Bloom in all adaptations of ''Film/TheProducers''.
* Felix in the film version of ''Theatre/TheOddCouple''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Nettie in ''NeedfulThings'' is always tense and jumpy due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband. Keeton also gradually becomes this as [[SanitySlippage paranoia sets in]].
* The Bursar from the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' books. He starts off fine in ''Discworld/{{Eric}}'' and becomes only slightly twitchy in ''Discworld/MovingPictures''. However the events of that book, and the following one ''Discworld/ReaperMan'' leave him a paranoid, twitching, nervous mess, who has to be medicated into hallucinating he is sane (attempts to cure of his nervous state proved impossible).
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Molly Carpenter becomes this in ''Ghost Story'', following [[spoiler:Harry's apparent death in the previous book and her own attempt to fill in his shoes as the magic defender of Chicago]].
* Piglet, from ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'', is a classic example: meek, timid, stuttering, always fretting over something, and in the Creator/{{Disney}} version is usually seen visibly trembling.
* The White Rabbit, in almost all adaptations of ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'', is a Nervous Wreck due to being "late for a very important date," even going so far as twitching a lot.
* Lori reacts to motherhood this way in ''[[Literature/AuntDimity Aunt Dimity Digs In]]''. In [[PlayedForLaughs an exaggerated bid to childproof the cottage]], she fastens the kitchen cabinet doors so securely that no one can open them, padlocks the medicine cabinet and misplaces the key, and covers the edges of the coffee and end tables with miles of cotton batting. Ultimately, Bill finds her trying to wrestle their mattress out of its frame and onto the floor so the boys cannot crawl under it, although their little knees have yet to touch the carpet. Though she does calm down with time (and the services of a couple of nannies), Lori is still apt to react badly to the idea that her sons could get hurt, and the start of their schooling at Morningside in nearby Upper Deeping sets off another crisis in ''Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter''.
* Shrewtooth from ''Literature/WarriorCats''...until he TookALevelInBadass.
* Matt in ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'' panics about things like giving an oral presentation to the class.
* It's not uncommon for characters in the Franchise/CthulhuMythos to become this, usually the result of surviving an indescribable horror. Danforth in ''Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness'' would be a good example.
* Pharamond in ''Franchise/DragonAge: Literature/{{Asunder}}'' as a result of [[spoiler:curing his Tranquil condition -- i.e. having been severed from his emotions for years if not decades, which all come back to him at the same time]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Doug ("Nervous Guy") Murphy from ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', nervous about... everything.
* These show up a LOT in ''Series/CanadasWorstDriver''. They're as scary as road ragers and ditzes.
* Rebecca from ''Series/{{Cheers}}''.
* Miles from ''Series/MurphyBrown''.
* Lydia from ''Series/BreakingBad'' is an business executive who's secretly running a drug empire despite the fact that she's high-strung to the point of being completely nuts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* "Basket Case" by Music/GreenDay is from the point of view of an extremely neurotic person.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* One character in ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' named Ted (not to be confused with Ted the generic guy) with an appropriate nickname.
* TNT the cowardly talking dog from ''Webcomic/RipHaywire''.
* Wade Duck from ''ComicStrip/USAcres''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* Hysterium in ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum''. Even the song "I'm Calm" reflected his status as a near-basket case.
* Harpagon from ''Theatre/TheMiser'', who's almost perpetually high-strung and paranoid about his money.
* Malvolio in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'' is reduced to this by the end of the play thanks to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice inhumanly cruel]] [[MindScrew practical joke]] the other characters played on him. Granted, Malvolio personifies the AssholeVictim trope, but even ''the characters'' acknowledge they may have gone too far at the end.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims 3'', any Sim with the Neurotic trait is this.
* ''Every single [[WhiteCollarWorker Elsen]]'' in ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' is one of these, to the point taking them two inches out of their comfort zone will trigger [[OneWingedAngel some nasty transformations]] and get them to assault you.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Hanako of ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' has severe anxiety issues and regularly has panic attacks, and her teacher knows to simply let her run out of class if she needs to.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Flaky from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends''. Taken UpToEleven in "Without a Hitch" where she got so scared of Flippy killing her, she '''stabbed him in the [[EyeScream eye]].'''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Dies-Horribly in ''[[Webcomic/{{Goblins}} Goblins: Life Through Their Eyes]]'' is always on edge. This is justified because most goblins in his clan are named due to prophecy.
* Jack Delitt from ''Webcomic/{{Newheimburg}}'' has this issue in spades.
* Dr. Riley Zinc from ''Webcomic/ALoonaticsTale''.
* Cameron (pictured) and Jack from ''Webcomic/{{Zoophobia}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Edward Borman in ''WebVideo/TheMercuryMen''. Justified, given the situation he's in.
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic is very prone to panic and stressing out over nothing.
* ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG''
** Kate Bishop. The fact that she was an 18-year-old stuck in the middle of a war certainly doesn't help.
** Sam Race also becomes a Nervous Wreck when he starts showing early signs of PTSD.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Tweek from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''.
* The Earl of Lemongrab from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. Whether his character and situation are hilarious, or terribly depressing, is debatable.
* In the episode "The Truth Hurts" from ''WesternAnimation/TheReplacements'', the head of the school newspaper who is replaced is a NervousWreck who is constantly jittery and gets extremely nervous about the idea of anything being published in the school newspaper that would make things like fruit on the bottom yogurt as opposed to being like plain yogurt, as he likes it.
* Shaggy and Franchise/ScoobyDoo are usually this.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''
** Fluttershy, frequently.
** Rainbow Dash normally presents the exact opposite of this. However, in a few cases it's shown that her cocky façade is just that, and when she is no longer able to put up that façade she collapses into a ball of nerves.
** Twilight Sparkle in "Lesson Zero" and "It's About Time".
* Jitters A. Dog from ''WesternAnimation/RawToonage'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}''.
* Mr. Nervous from ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow''. He frequently lapses into daydreams, sort of blown-out-of-proportion scenarios involving whatever is going on around him at the time. Whether it be a short two-minute ride outside a store or a spider crawling out of his musical instrument. He will then usually flee for his life, screaming and shouting "Oh no no no!" or "This is the end!"
* Skywarp of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerates]] this. Here, the Seekers are clones of [[TheStarscream Starscream]], each with one aspect of his personality, and Skywarp has his {{Dirty Coward}}ice. Thus, ''the only emotional and mental state he can process is utter fear''. No wonder fans see him as TheWoobie.
* Munchy Beaver from ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter''. Oh man, Munchy Beaver. In one episode, he's just getting over getting the measles. Peanut, Baby Butter and Jelly find a frog that looks like it has measles, decide to call it Measles and try to give it to him, but he incorrectly thinks that they want to give him the measles. In another episode, when two of his friends are arguing, he declares out loud, "I hate conflict." When he gets very nervous or worried, [[FurryReminder he tends to eat large amounts of wood]].
-->'''Munchy:''' I'm so nervous. I'm so nervous. I have to go munch some wood.
* PJ on ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop''. He's very uptight, panicky, pessimistic, fearful, and will often be shown trembling or freezing with anxiety. Considering that [[WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} his father]] thinks the proper way to raise him is to [[AbusiveParents insult and belittle him and to dominate him through intimidation and power]], this is understandable. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets significantly better by the end of the second movie.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': What Olga Pataki actually is. Underneath her [[PuritySue "perfect girl"]] [[StepfordSmiler façade]] there's a FragileFlower who has next to no self-worth and is severely stifled under her parents's super-high expectations of her, and who breaks down in tears at the mere ''thought'' of failing at something.
* The animated version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'''s Loud Howard, borrowing a trait from Nervous Ted to make him at least a tad more rounded.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalized_anxiety_disorder Generalized anxiety disorder]].
* Some people with PTSD are this to some measure. Because of their trauma, they are constantly "on guard" and wary of something bad happening to them. Additionally, they may be easily startled and have a HairTriggerTemper.
[[/folder]]

----