Sweet Chestnut is for agonizing mental anguish, described by Dr Bach as ‘the hopeless despair of those who feel they have reached the limit of their endurance.’ It may take the form of intense sorrow; sufferers can feel almost destroyed by it. Dejection is accompanied by a sense of loneliness and feeling that the future is bleak and utterly hopeless.

People in need of Sweet Chestnut may feel on the point of nervous breakdown, though not suicidal. There may be the feeling that God has forsaken them.

The state may follow a bereavement, or years of difficulty, suffered bravely and uncomplainingly.