come apart at the seams

Etymology:

• This expression explains the behavior of any person under stressful condition. When a piece of any garment, clothing or other fabric is stitched, it is kept strong and in one place with the help of seams. When the seam comes apart, there is no way of keeping the stitching together. This mechanism is compared with the behavior of any person under a stressful condition. A nervous person coming apart at seams tells us that he gone beyond his limit of endurance.