Psychosis. Causes, types, manifestations, treatment of pathology
Psychosis– a mental illness in which a person cannot adequately perceive the surrounding reality and respond to it appropriately. Psychoses are very diverse in their manifestations. They accompany many diseases, such as schizophrenia, senile dementia, “delirium tremens” or may be an independent pathology.
So what is psychosis?
This mental disorder, in which reality is so distorted in a person’s mind that this “picture” no longer has anything in common with what other people see. What prevents a person from being objective is constant fear for his life, voices in his head that order him to do something, visions that are no longer available to anyone... These internal prisms change the patient’s behavior. His reactions become completely inadequate: causeless laughter or tears, anxiety or euphoria. Psychosis manifests itself differently in all patients. Some are sure that the special services are hunting for them, others assure others of their superpowers, and still others persistently pursue the object of their love, groundlessly laying claim to it. It is impossible to list all the manifestations of psychosis, but psychiatrists managed to systematize them by combining them into groups.
Psychosis is not just a wrong train of thought. There is no need to think that the sick person is mistaken or cannot keep his nerves under control. There is no point in arguing, much less condemning him. Psychosis is the same disease as diabetes. This is also a metabolic disorder, but only in the brain. You are not afraid of diabetics, you do not judge them for their disease. You sympathize with them. Patients with neurosis deserve the same treatment. By the way, scientists have proven that mentally healthy people are more likely to commit crimes than patients with psychosis.
You shouldn't put a mark on a person. Psychosis is not a life sentence. It happens that after a period of illness, which can be quite severe, the psyche is completely restored and problems never arise again. But more often the disease is cyclical. In this case, after long period health, an aggravation occurs: hallucinations appear, crazy ideas. This happens if you do not strictly follow the recommendations of your doctor. In severe cases, the disease becomes chronic, and mental health does not return.
Psychosis is a fairly common problem. According to statistics, 15% of patients in mental hospitals are patients with psychosis. And 3-5% of the entire population suffers from psychosis caused by various diseases: asthma, cerebral atherosclerosis, etc. But there are still thousands of people whose psychosis is associated with external causes - taking drugs, alcohol, medications. To date, doctors cannot calculate the exact number of patients with psychosis.
Psychosis affects both children and adults, men and women. But some forms of the disease predominantly affect women. Thus, women suffer from manic-depressive syndrome 3-4 times more often. Psychoses most often occur during menstruation, menopause and after childbirth. This suggests that mental illness is associated with fluctuations in hormone levels in the female body.
If you or someone close to you shows signs of psychosis, do not despair. Modern medicine successfully copes with this disease. And the infamous “registration” was replaced by a consultation with a local psychiatrist - advisory and therapeutic assistance. Therefore, the fact of treatment will not ruin your future life. But attempts to cope with the disease on your own can lead to irreparable changes in the psyche and disability.
Causes of psychosis
The mechanism of psychosis. Psychosis is based on dysfunction of brain cells (neurons). Inside the cell there are components - mitochondria, which ensure cellular respiration and give it energy for activity in the form of ATP molecules. These compounds act as electrical current for a special sodium-potassium pump. It pumps into the neuron what is necessary for its operation. chemical elements: potassium, sodium, calcium.If the mitochondria do not produce ATP, the pump does not work. As a result, the vital activity of the cell is disrupted. This neuron remains “hungry” and experiences oxygen deficiency, despite the fact that the person eats normally and spends enough time in the fresh air.
Neurons in which the chemical balance is disturbed cannot form and transmit nerve impulses. They disrupt the functioning of the entire central nervous system, leading to the development of psychosis. Depending on which parts of the brain are more affected, the manifestations of the disease depend. For example, lesions in the subcortical emotional centers lead to manic-depressive psychosis.
Factors and pathologies that lead to psychosis
- Bad heredity.
There is a group of genes that are passed on from parents to children. These genes control brain sensitivity external influences and signaling substances. For example, the neurotransmitter dopamine, which causes feelings of pleasure. People with a family history are more susceptible to the influence of negative factors than others, be it illness or psychological trauma. Their psychosis develops at an early age, quickly and in severe form.
If both parents are sick, the child has a 50% chance of developing psychosis. If only one of the parents is sick, then the risk for the child is 25%. If the parents did not suffer from psychosis, then their children may also face the same problem, having received “defective genes” from previous generations.
- Brain injuries:
- injuries received by the child during childbirth;
- bruises and concussions;
- closed and open craniocerebral injuries.
- Brain intoxication can be caused by various substances.
- Nervous system diseases: multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, temporal lobe epilepsy. These brain diseases cause damage to nerve cell bodies or their processes. The death of cells in the cortex and deeper structures of the brain causes swelling of the surrounding tissue. As a result, the functions for which the damaged areas of the brain are responsible are disrupted.
- Infectious diseases: influenza, mumps (mumps), malaria, leprosy, Lyme disease. Living and dead microorganisms release toxins that poison nerve cells and cause their death. Brain intoxication negatively affects a person’s emotions and thinking.
- Brain tumors. Cysts, benign and malignant tumors compress the surrounding brain tissue, disrupt blood circulation, and the transmission of excitation from one brain structure to another. Nerve impulses are the basis of emotions and thinking. Therefore, a violation of the signal transmission manifests itself in the form of psychosis.
- Bronchial asthma. Severe asthma attacks are accompanied by panic attacks and oxygen starvation brain Lack of oxygen for 4-5 minutes causes the death of nerve cells, and stress disrupts the coordinated functioning of the brain, leading to psychosis.
- Diseases accompanied severe pain : ulcerative colitis, sarcoidosis, myocardial infarction. Pain is stress and anxiety. Therefore, physical suffering always has a negative impact on emotions and psyche.
- Systemic diseases associated with impaired immunity: systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatism. Nervous tissue suffers from toxins secreted by microorganisms, from damage to cerebral vessels, from allergic reaction, which occurs in systemic diseases. These disorders lead to failure of higher nervous activity and psychosis.
- Lack of vitamins B1 and B3 that affect the functioning of the nervous system. They are involved in the production of neurotransmitters, ATP molecules, normalize metabolism at the cellular level, and have a positive effect on a person’s emotional background and mental abilities. Vitamin deficiency makes the nervous system more sensitive to external factors that cause psychosis.
- Electrolyte imbalance associated with a deficiency or excess of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium. Such changes can be caused by persistent vomiting or diarrhea, when electrolytes are washed out of the body, long-term diets, and uncontrolled use of mineral supplements. As a result, the composition of the cytoplasm in nerve cells changes, which negatively affects their functions.
- Hormonal disorders, caused by abortion, childbirth, disruption of the ovaries, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, hypothalamus, adrenal glands. Long-term violations hormonal levels disrupt brain function. There is a direct relationship between the nervous system and the endocrine glands. Therefore, strong fluctuations in hormone levels can cause acute psychosis.
- Mental trauma: severe stress, situations in which life was endangered, loss of work, property or loved one and other events that radically change future life. Nervous exhaustion, overwork and lack of sleep also provoke mental disorders. These factors disrupt blood circulation, the transmission of nerve impulses between neurons, metabolic processes in the brain and lead to the appearance of psychosis.
Risk factors for psychosis
Age factorVarious psychoses manifest themselves in different period human life. For example, in adolescence When a hormonal explosion occurs, the likelihood of schizophrenia is high.
Manic-depressive psychosis most often affects young, active people. At this age, fateful changes occur that place a heavy burden on the psyche. This means entering a university, finding a job, starting a family.
During maturity, syphilitic psychoses occur. Since changes in the psyche begin 10-15 years after infection with syphilis.
In old age, the appearance of psychosis is associated with menopause in women, age-related changes in blood vessels and nerve cells. Circulatory impairment and destruction nerve tissue leads to senile psychosis.
Gender factor
The number of men and women suffering from psychosis is approximately the same. But some types of psychosis may affect more than one sex. For example, manic-depressive (bipolar) psychosis develops 3 times more often in women than in men. And unipolar psychosis (attacks of depression without a period of excitement) has the same tendency: there are 2 times more female representatives among patients. This statistics is explained by the fact that the female body more often experiences hormonal surges, which affect the functioning of the nervous system.
In men, psychosis due to chronic alcoholism, syphilitic and traumatic psychosis are more common. These “male” forms of psychosis are not related to the level of hormones, but to the social role and behavioral characteristics of the stronger sex. But early cases of psychosis in Alzheimer's disease in men are associated with genetic characteristics.
Geographical factor
It has been noticed that mental illnesses, including psychosis, more often affect residents of large cities. And those who live in small towns and in rural areas take less risk. The fact is that life in big cities is fast paced and full of stress.
Illumination, average temperature and length daylight hours have little effect on the prevalence of diseases. However, some scientists note that people born in the northern hemisphere during the winter months are more prone to psychosis. The mechanism of disease development in this case is not clear.
Social factor
Psychosis often appears in people who have failed to realize themselves socially:
- women who did not marry and did not give birth to a child;
- men who were unable to build a career or achieve success in society;
- people who are not happy with their social status, have failed to demonstrate their inclinations and abilities, and have chosen a profession that does not suit their interests.
Factor of psychophysiological constitution
Hippocrates described 4 types of temperament. He divided all people into melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic and sanguine. The first two types of temperament are considered unstable and therefore more prone to the development of psychosis.
Kretschmer identified the main types of psychophysiological constitution: schizoid, cycloid, epileptoid and hysteroid. Each of these types is equally at risk of developing psychosis, but depending on the psychophysiological constitution, the manifestations will differ. For example, the cycloid type is prone to manic-depressive psychosis, and the hysteroid type more often than others develops hysteroid psychosis and has a high tendency to attempt suicide.
How psychosis manifests itself
The manifestations of psychosis are very diverse, since the disease causes disturbances in behavior, thinking, and emotions. It is especially important for patients and their relatives to know how the disease begins and what happens during an exacerbation in order to begin treatment in a timely manner. You may notice unusual behavior, refusal to eat, strange statements, or an overly emotional reaction to what is happening. The opposite situation also happens, a person ceases to be interested in the world, nothing touches him, he is indifferent to everything, does not show any emotions, moves and talks little. Main manifestations of psychosis
Hallucinations. They can be auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory, olfactory. Most often, auditory hallucinations occur. The person thinks he hears voices. They can be in the head, come from the body, or come from outside. The voices are so real that the patient does not even doubt their authenticity. He perceives this phenomenon as a miracle or a gift from above. Voices can be threatening, accusing or commanding. The latter are considered the most dangerous, since a person almost always follows these orders.
You can guess that a person has hallucinations based on the following signs:
- He suddenly freezes and listens for something;
- Sudden silence mid-sentence;
- Conversation with oneself in the form of replicas to someone else’s phrases;
- Laughter or oppression without apparent reason;
- The person cannot concentrate on a conversation with you and is staring at something.
- Manifestations of depressive disorders:
- A person sits in one position for a long time; he has no desire or strength to move or communicate.
- Pessimistic attitude, the patient is dissatisfied with his past, present, future and the entire environment.
- To relieve anxiety, a person can eat constantly or, conversely, give up eating completely.
- Sleep disturbances, early awakenings at 3-4 o'clock. It is at this time that mental suffering is most severe, which can lead to a suicide attempt.
- Manifestations manic disorders:
- The person becomes extremely active, moves a lot, sometimes aimlessly.
- Unprecedented sociability and verbosity appear, speech becomes fast, emotional, and may be accompanied by grimacing.
- An optimistic attitude; a person does not see problems or obstacles.
- The patient makes unrealistic plans and significantly overestimates his strength.
- The need for sleep decreases, the person sleeps little, but feels alert and rested.
- The patient may abuse alcohol and engage in promiscuous sex.
Delusion is a thinking disorder that manifests itself in the form of ideas that do not correspond to reality. Distinctive feature nonsense - you are unable to convince a person using logical arguments. In addition, the patient always tells his delusional ideas very emotionally and is firmly convinced that he is right.
Distinctive signs and manifestations of delirium
- Delusion is very different from reality. Incomprehensible, mysterious statements appear in the patient’s speech. They may concern his guilt, doom, or, conversely, greatness.
- The patient's personality always takes center stage. For example, a person not only believes in aliens, but also claims that they arrived specifically to establish contact with him.
- Emotionality. A person talks about his ideas very emotionally and does not accept objections. He does not tolerate arguments about his idea and immediately becomes aggressive.
- Behavior is subordinated to a delusional idea. For example, he may refuse to eat, fearing that they want to poison him.
- Unreasonable defensive actions. A person curtains the windows, installs additional locks, and fears for his life. These are manifestations of delusions of persecution. A person is afraid of special services that monitor him with the help of innovative equipment, aliens, “black” magicians who send damage to him, acquaintances who weave conspiracies around him.
- Delusions related to one's own health (hypochondriacal). The person is convinced that he is seriously ill. He “feels” the symptoms of the disease and insists on numerous repeated examinations. He is angry with doctors who cannot find the cause of his poor health and do not confirm his diagnosis.
- Delirium of damage manifests itself in the belief that ill-wishers spoil or steal things, add poison to food, influence with radiation, or want to take away an apartment.
- Nonsense of invention. A person is confident that he has invented a unique device, a perpetual motion machine, or a method of combating a dangerous disease. He fiercely defends his invention and persistently tries to bring it to life. Since the patients are not impaired mental capacity, their ideas may sound quite convincing.
- Delirium of love and delirium of jealousy. A person concentrates on his emotions, pursues the object of his love. He comes up with reasons for jealousy, finds evidence of betrayal where there is none.
- Nonsense of litigiousness. The patient inundates various authorities and the police with complaints about his neighbors or organizations. Files numerous lawsuits.
- Lethargy or stupor. A person freezes in one position and remains motionless for a long time (days or weeks). He refuses food and communication.
- Motor excitement. Movements become fast, jerky, and often aimless. Facial expressions are very emotional, the conversation is accompanied by grimaces. Can mimic other people's speech and imitate animal sounds. Sometimes a person is unable to perform simple tasks because he loses control of his movements.
What to do if someone close to you has alarming symptoms?
If you notice such manifestations, then talk to the person. Find out what is bothering him and what is the reason for the changes in his behavior. In this case, it is necessary to show maximum tact, avoid reproaches and claims, and not raise your voice. One carelessly spoken word can cause a suicide attempt.Convince the person to seek help from a psychiatrist. Explain that the doctor will prescribe medications that will help you calm down and make it easier to endure stressful situations.
Types of psychoses
The most common are manic and depressive psychoses - an apparently healthy person suddenly shows signs of depression or significant agitation. Such psychoses are called monopolar - the deviation occurs in one direction. In some cases, the patient may alternately show signs of manic and depressive psychosis. In this case, doctors talk about bipolar disorder- manic depressive psychosis.
Manic psychosis
Manic psychosis – severe mental disorder that causes three characteristic symptoms: elevated mood, accelerated thinking and speech, noticeable motor activity. Periods of excitement last from 3 months to one and a half years.
Depressive psychosis
Depressive psychosis is a disease of the brain, and psychological manifestations are the external side of the disease. Depression begins slowly, unnoticed by the patient and those around him. As a rule, good, highly moral people fall into depression. They are tormented by a conscience that has grown to pathological proportions. Confidence appears: “I am bad. I'm not doing my job well, I haven't achieved anything. I'm bad at raising children. I'm a bad spouse. Everyone knows how bad I am and they talk about it.” Depressive psychosis lasts from 3 months to a year.Depressive psychosis is the opposite of manic psychosis. He also has triad of characteristic symptoms
- Pathologically low mood
Thoughts are centered around your personality, your mistakes and your shortcomings. Concentrating on one’s own negative sides gives rise to the belief that everything was bad in the past, the present cannot please anyone, and in the future everything will be even worse than now. On this basis, a person with depressive psychosis can commit suicide.
Since a person’s intellect is preserved, he can carefully hide his desire for suicide so that no one disturbs his plans. At the same time, he does not show his depressed state and assures that he is already better. It is not always possible to prevent a suicide attempt at home. Therefore, people with depression who are focused on self-destruction and their own low value are treated in a hospital.
A sick person experiences causeless melancholy, it presses and oppresses. It is noteworthy that he can practically show with his finger where the unpleasant sensations are concentrated, where the “soul hurts.” Therefore, this condition even received a name - pre-cardiac melancholy.
Depression in psychosis has a distinctive feature: the condition is worst early in the morning, and in the evening it improves. The person explains this by saying that in the evening there are more worries, the whole family gathers and this distracts from sad thoughts. But with depression caused by neurosis, on the contrary, the mood worsens in the evening.
It is characteristic that in the acute period of depressive psychosis, patients do not cry. They say they would like to cry, but there are no tears. Therefore, crying in this case is a sign of improvement. Both patients and their relatives should remember this.
- Mental retardation
Mental and metabolic processes in the brain proceed very slowly. This may be due to a lack of neurotransmitters: dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. These chemical substances ensure proper signal transmission between brain cells.
As a result of a deficiency of neurotransmitters, memory, reaction, and thinking deteriorate. A person gets tired quickly, doesn’t want to do anything, nothing interests him, doesn’t surprise or make him happy. You can often hear them say, “I envy other people. They can work, relax, have fun. It’s a pity that I can’t do that.”
The patient always looks gloomy and sad. The gaze is dull, unblinking, the corners of the mouth are downcast, avoids communication, tries to retire. He reacts slowly to calls, answers in monosyllables, reluctantly, in a monotonous voice.
- Physical inhibition
Depressive psychosis physically changes a person. Appetite drops and the patient quickly loses weight. Therefore, weight gain during depression indicates that the patient is getting better.
A person’s movements become extremely slow: a slow, uncertain gait, hunched shoulders, a lowered head. The patient feels a loss of strength. Any physical activity causes deterioration of the condition.
At severe forms Depressive psychosis causes a person to fall into a stupor. He can sit for a long time without moving, looking at one point. If you try to read notation at this time; “Get yourself together, pull yourself together,” then you will only make the situation worse. A person will have the thought: “I should, but I can’t - that means I’m bad, good for nothing.” He cannot overcome depressive psychosis through willpower, since the production of norepinephrine and serotonin does not depend on our desire. Therefore, the patient needs qualified help and drug treatment.
There are a number of physical signs of depressive psychosis: daily mood swings, early awakenings, weight loss due to poor appetite, menstrual irregularities, dry mouth, constipation, and some people may develop insensitivity to pain. These signs indicate that you need to seek medical help.
Basic rules for communicating with patients with psychosis
- Don't argue or talk back to people if you see signs of manic excitement in them. This can provoke an attack of anger and aggression. As a result, you can completely lose trust and turn the person against you.
- If the patient exhibits manic activity and aggression, remain calm, self-confident and friendly. Take him away, isolate him from other people, try to calm him down during the conversation.
- 80% of suicides are committed by patients with psychosis in the stage of depression. Therefore, be very attentive to your loved ones during this period. Don't leave them alone, especially in the morning. Please contact Special attention for signs warning of a suicide attempt: the patient talks about an overwhelming feeling of guilt, voices ordering him to kill himself, about hopelessness and uselessness, about plans to end his life. Suicide is preceded by a sharp transition from depression to a bright, peaceful mood, putting things in order, and drawing up a will. Don't ignore these signs, even if you think it's just an attempt to attract attention.
- Hide all items that could be used for a suicide attempt: household chemicals, medicines, weapons, sharp objects.
- If possible, eliminate the traumatic situation. Create a calm environment. Try to ensure that the patient is surrounded by close people. Reassure him that he is safe now and that everything is over.
- If a person is delusional, do not ask clarifying questions, do not ask about details (What do aliens look like? How many are there?). This may make the situation worse. “Get hold of” any nonsense statement he makes. Develop the conversation in this direction. You can focus on the person's emotions by asking, “I can see you're upset. How can I help you?"
- If there are signs that the person has experienced hallucinations, then calmly and confidently ask him what just happened. If he saw or heard something unusual, find out what he thinks and feels about it. To cope with hallucinations, you can listen to loud music on headphones or do something exciting.
- If necessary, you can firmly remind about the rules of behavior and ask the patient not to scream. But you shouldn’t make fun of him, argue about hallucinations, or say that it’s impossible to hear voices.
- You should not turn to traditional healers and psychics for help. Psychoses are very diverse, and for effective treatment it is necessary to accurately determine the cause of the disease. To do this, it is necessary to use high-tech diagnostic methods. If you waste time on treatment with unconventional methods, acute psychosis will develop. In this case, it will take several times longer to fight the disease, and in the future it will be necessary to constantly take medications.
- If you see that a person is relatively calm and in the mood to communicate, try to convince him to see a doctor. Explain that all the symptoms of the disease that bother him can be eliminated with the help of medications prescribed by the doctor.
- If your relative flatly refuses to see a psychiatrist, persuade him to see a psychologist or psychotherapist to combat depression. These specialists will help convince the patient that there is nothing wrong with a visit to a psychiatrist.
- The most difficult step for loved ones is calling an emergency psychiatric team. But this must be done if a person directly declares his intention to commit suicide, may injure himself or cause harm to other people.
Psychological treatments for psychosis
For psychosis psychological methods successfully complement drug treatment. A psychotherapist can help a patient:- reduce symptoms of psychosis;
- avoid recurrent attacks;
- increase self-esteem;
- learn to adequately perceive the surrounding reality, correctly assess the situation, your condition and react accordingly, correct behavioral errors;
- eliminate the causes of psychosis;
- increase the effectiveness of drug treatment.
Psychotherapy eliminates personality disorders that occurred during the period of psychosis, puts thoughts and ideas in order. Working with a psychologist and psychotherapist makes it possible to influence future events and prevent relapse of the disease.
Psychological treatment methods are aimed at restoring mental health and socializing a person after recovery to help him feel comfortable in his family, work team and society. This treatment is called psychosocialization.
Psychological methods that are used to treat psychosis are divided into individual and group. During individual sessions, the psychotherapist replaces the personal core lost during illness. It becomes an external support for the patient, calms him down and helps him correctly assess reality and respond adequately to it.
Group therapy helps you feel like a member of society. A group of people struggling with psychosis is led by a specially trained person who has managed to successfully cope with this problem. This gives patients hope for recovery, helps them overcome awkwardness and return to normal life.Hypnosis, analytical and suggestive (from the Latin Suggestio - suggestion) methods are not used in the treatment of psychosis. When working with altered consciousness, they can lead to further mental disorders.
Good results in the treatment of psychosis are given by: psychoeducation, addiction therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, psychoanalysis, family therapy, occupational therapy, art therapy, as well as psychosocial trainings: social competence training, metacognitive training.
Psychoeducation– this is the education of the patient and his family members. The psychotherapist talks about psychosis, the characteristics of this disease, the conditions for recovery, motivates to take medications and lead a healthy lifestyle. Tells relatives how to behave correctly with the patient. If you disagree with something or have questions, be sure to ask them in the time designated for discussion. It is very important for the success of treatment that you have no doubts.
Classes take place 1-2 times a week. If you visit them regularly, you will develop the right attitude towards the disease and drug treatment. Statistics say that thanks to such conversations, it is possible to reduce the risk of repeated episodes of psychosis by 60-80%.
Addiction therapy necessary for those people who have developed psychosis against the background of alcoholism and drug addiction. Such patients always have an internal conflict. On the one hand, they understand that they should not use drugs, but on the other hand, there is a strong desire to return to bad habits.
Classes are conducted in the form of individual conversation. A psychotherapist talks about the connection between drug use and psychosis. He will tell you how to behave to reduce temptation. Addiction therapy helps to create strong motivation to abstain from bad habits.
Cognitive (behavioral) therapy. Cognitive therapy is recognized as one of the best methods of treating psychosis accompanied by depression. The method is based on the fact that erroneous thoughts and fantasies (cognitions) interfere with the normal perception of reality. During the sessions, the doctor will identify these incorrect judgments and the emotions associated with them. It will teach you to be critical of them and not let these thoughts influence your behavior, and will tell you how to look for alternative ways to solve the problem.
To achieve this goal, the Negative Thought Protocol is used. It contains the following columns: negative thoughts, the situation in which they arose, emotions associated with them, facts for and against these thoughts. The course of treatment consists of 15-25 individual sessions and lasts 4-12 months.
Psychoanalysis. Although this technique is not used to treat schizophrenia and affective (emotional) psychoses, its modern “supportive” version is effectively used to treat other forms of the disease. At individual meetings, the patient reveals his inner world to the psychoanalyst and transfers to him feelings directed at other people. During the conversation, the specialist identifies the reasons that led to the development of psychosis (conflicts, psychological trauma) And defense mechanisms, which a person uses to protect himself from such situations. The treatment process takes 3-5 years.
Family therapy – group therapy, during which a specialist conducts sessions with family members where the person with psychosis lives. Therapy is aimed at eliminating conflicts in the family, which can cause exacerbations of the disease. The doctor will tell you about the characteristics of the course of psychosis and correct models behavior in crisis situations. Therapy is aimed at preventing relapses and ensuring that all family members can live comfortably together.
Occupational therapy. This type of therapy most often occurs in a group setting. The patient is recommended to attend special classes where he can engage in various activities: cooking, gardening, working with wood, textiles, clay, reading, composing poetry, listening and writing music. Such activities train memory, patience, concentration, develop creative abilities, help to open up, and establish contact with other members of the group.
Specific setting of goals and achievement of simple goals gives the patient confidence that he again becomes the master of his life.
Art therapy – art therapy method based on psychoanalysis. This is a “no words” treatment method that activates self-healing capabilities. The patient creates a picture that expresses his feelings, an image of his inner world. Then a specialist studies it from the point of view of psychoanalysis.
Social competence training. A group lesson in which people learn and practice new forms of behavior so that they can then apply them in Everyday life. For example, how to behave when meeting new people, when applying for a job, or in conflict situations. In subsequent classes, it is customary to discuss the problems that people encountered when implementing them in real situations.Metacognitive training. Group training sessions that are aimed at correcting thinking errors that lead to delusions: distorted attribution of judgments to people (he doesn’t love me), hasty conclusions (if he doesn’t love me, he wants me dead), depressive way of thinking, inability to empathize , feeling other people's emotions, painful confidence in memory impairment. The training consists of 8 lessons and lasts 4 weeks. At each module, the trainer analyzes thinking errors and helps to form new patterns of thoughts and behavior.
Psychotherapy is widely used for all forms of psychosis. It can help people of all ages, but is especially important for teenagers. During the period when life attitudes and behavioral stereotypes are just being formed, psychotherapy can radically change life for the better.
Drug treatment of psychosis
Drug treatment of psychosis is a prerequisite for recovery. Without it, it will not be possible to get out of the trap of the disease, and the condition will only get worse.There is no single regimen for drug therapy for psychosis. The doctor prescribes medications strictly individually, based on the manifestations of the disease and the characteristics of its course, gender and age of the patient. During treatment, the doctor monitors the patient’s condition and, if necessary, increases or decreases the dose in order to achieve a positive effect and not cause side effects.
Treatment of manic psychosis
Group of drugs Mechanism of treated action Representatives How is it prescribed? Antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) Used for all forms of psychosis. Block dopamine-sensitive receptors. This substance is a neurotransmitter that promotes the transfer of excitation between brain cells. Thanks to the action of neuroleptics, it is possible to reduce the severity of delusions, hallucinations and thought disorders. Solian (effective for negative disorders: lack of emotions, withdrawal from communication) In the acute period, 400-800 mg/day is prescribed, up to a maximum of 1200 mg/day. Take regardless of meals.
Maintenance dose 50-300 mg/day.Zeldox 40-80 mg 2 times a day. The dose is increased over 3 days. The drug is prescribed orally after meals. Fluanxol The daily dose is 40-150 mg/day, divided into 4 times. The tablets are taken after meals.
The drug is also available in the form of an injection solution, which is given once every 2-4 weeks.Benzodiazepines Prescribed for acute manifestations of psychosis together with antipsychotic drugs. Reduces the excitability of nerve cells, has a calming and anticonvulsant effect, relax muscles, eliminate insomnia, reduce anxiety. Oxazepam Take 5-10 mg twice or thrice a day. If necessary daily dose may be increased to 60 mg. The drug is taken regardless of food, washed down with a sufficient amount of water. Duration of treatment is 2-4 weeks. Zopiclone Take 7.5-15 mg 1 time per day half an hour before bedtime, if psychosis is accompanied by insomnia. Mood stabilizers (mood stabilizers) They normalize mood, preventing the onset of manic phases, and make it possible to control emotions. Actinerval (a derivative of carbamazepine and valproic acid) The first week, the daily dose is 200–400 mg, divided into 3-4 times. Every 7 days, the dose is increased by 200 mg, bringing it to 1 g. The drug is also discontinued gradually so as not to cause a worsening of the condition. Contemnol (contains lithium carbonate) Take 1 g per day once in the morning after breakfast, with a sufficient amount of water or milk. Anticholinergic drugs (cholinergic blockers) Necessary for neutralization side effects after taking antipsychotics. Regulates the sensitivity of nerve cells in the brain by blocking the action of the mediator acetylcholine, which ensures the transmission of nerve impulses between cells of the parasympathetic nervous system. Cyclodol, (Parkopan) The initial dose is 0.5-1 mg/day. If necessary, it can be gradually increased to 20 mg/day. Frequency of administration: 3-5 times a day, after meals. Treatment of depressive psychosis
Group of drugs Mechanism of treated action Representatives How is it prescribed? Antipsychotic drugs Makes brain cells less sensitive to excess amounts of dopamine, a substance that promotes signal transmission in the brain. The drugs normalize thinking processes, eliminate hallucinations and delusions. Quentiax During the first four days of treatment, the dose is increased from 50 to 300 mg. In the future, the daily dose can range from 150 to 750 mg/day. The drug is taken 2 times a day, regardless of meals. Eglonil Tablets and capsules are taken 1-3 times a day, regardless of meals. Daily dose from 50 to 150 mg for 4 weeks. It is not advisable to use the drug after 16 hours so as not to cause insomnia. Rispolept Konsta A suspension is prepared from microgranules and the included solvent, which is injected into the gluteal muscle once every 2 weeks. Risperidone The initial dose is 1 mg 2 times a day. Tablets of 1-2 mg are taken 1-2 times a day. Benzodiazepines Prescribed for acute manifestations of depression and severe anxiety. The drugs reduce the excitability of the subcortical structures of the brain, relax muscles, relieve feelings of fear, and calm the nervous system. Phenazepam Take 0.25-0.5 mg 2-3 times a day. The maximum daily dose should not exceed 0.01 g.
Prescribed in short courses so as not to cause dependence. After improvement occurs, the dosage is gradually reduced.Lorazepam Take 1 mg 2-3 times a day. For severe depression, the dose can be gradually increased to 4-6 mg/day. The drug is discontinued gradually due to the risk of seizures. Normotimics Medicines designed to normalize mood and prevent periods of depression. Lithium carbonate Take orally 3-4 times a day. The initial dose is 0.6-0.9 g/day, gradually the amount of the drug is increased to 1.5-2.1 g. The medicine is taken after meals to reduce the irritant effect on the gastric mucosa. Antidepressants Remedies to combat depression. Modern 3rd generation antidepressants reduce the uptake of serotonin by neurons and thereby increase the concentration of this neurotransmitter. They improve mood, relieve anxiety, melancholy, and fear. Sertraline Take 50 mg orally, 1 time per day after breakfast or dinner. If there is no effect, the doctor may gradually increase the dose to 200 mg/day. Paroxetine Take 20-40 mg/day in the morning with breakfast. Swallow the tablet without chewing and wash it down with water. Anticholinergic drugs Medicines that help eliminate the side effects of taking antipsychotics. Slowness of movements, muscle stiffness, trembling, impaired thinking, increased or absent emotions. Akineton 2.5-5 mg of the drug is administered intravenously or intramuscularly.
In tablets, the initial dose is 1 mg 1-2 times a day, gradually the amount of the drug is increased to 3-16 mg/day. The dose is divided into 3 doses. The tablets are taken during or after meals with liquid.
Let us remember that any independent dose change can have a very severe consequences. Reducing the dosage or stopping taking medications causes an exacerbation of psychosis. Increasing the dose increases the risk of side effects and dependence.Prevention of psychosis
What needs to be done to prevent another attack of psychosis?Unfortunately, people who have experienced psychosis are at risk of experiencing a relapse of the disease. Repeated episode of psychosis - ordeal both for the patient himself and for his relatives. But you can reduce your risk of relapse by 80% if you take the medications prescribed by your doctor.
- Drug therapy– the main point of prevention of psychosis. If you have difficulty taking your medications on a daily basis, talk to your doctor about switching to a depot form of your antipsychotic medications. In this case, it will be possible to give 1 injection every 2-4 weeks.
It has been proven that after the first case of psychosis, it is necessary to use drugs for one year. For manic manifestations of psychosis, lithium salts and Finlepsin are prescribed at 600-1200 mg per day. And for depressive psychosis, Carbamazepine 600-1200 mg per day is needed.
- Regularly attend individual and group psychotherapy sessions. They will increase your self-confidence and motivation to get better. In addition, the psychotherapist can notice signs of an approaching exacerbation in time, which will help adjust the dosage of medications and prevent a recurrence of the attack.
Follow a daily routine. Train yourself to get up and take food and medications at the same time every day. A daily schedule can help with this. In the evening, plan for tomorrow. Add all necessary things to the list. Mark which ones are important and which ones are unimportant. Such planning will help you not to forget anything, get everything done and be less nervous. When planning, set realistic goals.- Communicate more. You will feel comfortable among people who have overcome psychosis. Communicate in self-help groups or specialized forums.
- Exercise daily. Running, swimming, cycling are suitable. It’s very good if you do this in a group of like-minded people, then the classes will bring both benefit and pleasure.
- Make a list early symptoms approaching crisis, the appearance of which must be reported to the attending physician. Pay attention to these signals:
- Behavior Changes: frequent leaving the house, prolonged listening to music, unreasonable laughter, illogical statements, excessive philosophizing, conversations with people with whom you usually do not want to communicate, fussy movements, squandering, adventurism.
- Mood changes: irritability, tearfulness, aggressiveness, anxiety, fear.
- Changes in health: sleep disturbance, lack or increased appetite, increased sweating, weakness, weight loss.
- Don't drink a lot of coffee. It can have a strong stimulating effect on the nervous system. Avoid alcohol and drugs. They have a bad effect on brain function, cause mental and motor agitation, and attacks of aggression.
- Don't overwork yourself. Physical and mental exhaustion can cause severe confusion, inconsistent thinking, and increased reaction to external stimuli. These deviations are associated with a violation of the absorption of oxygen and glucose by nerve cells.
- Do not take a steam bath, try to avoid overheating. An increase in body temperature often leads to delirium, which is explained by an increase in the activity of electrical potentials in the brain, an increase in their frequency and amplitude.
- Don't conflict. Try to resolve conflicts constructively to avoid stress. Severe mental stress can become a trigger for a new crisis.
- Don't refuse treatment. During periods of exacerbation, the temptation to refuse to take medications and visit a doctor is especially great. Do not do this, otherwise the disease will become acute and require hospital treatment.
What is postpartum psychosis?
Postpartum psychosis Quite a rare mental illness. It develops in 1-2 women giving birth out of 1000. Signs of psychosis most often appear during the first 4-6 weeks after birth. Unlike postpartum depression, this mental disorder is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and desires to harm yourself or the baby. Manifestations of postpartum psychosis.
The first signs of the disease are sudden mood swings, anxiety, severe restlessness, and unreasonable fears. Subsequently, delusions and hallucinations appear. A woman may claim that the child is not hers, that he is stillborn or crippled. Sometimes a young mother develops paranoia, she stops going out for walks and does not allow anyone near the child. In some cases, the disease is accompanied by delusions of grandeur, when a woman is confident in her superpowers. She may hear voices telling her to kill herself or her child.
According to statistics, 5% of women in a state of postpartum psychosis kill themselves, and 4% kill their child. Therefore, it is very important for relatives not to ignore the signs of the disease, but to consult a psychiatrist in a timely manner.
Causes of postpartum psychosis.
The cause of mental disorders can be difficult childbirth, unwanted pregnancy, conflict with the husband, fear that the spouse will love the child more than her. Psychologists believe that psychosis can be caused by a conflict between a woman and her mother. It can also cause brain damage due to injury or infection. A sharp decrease in the level of the female hormone estrogen, as well as endorphins, thyroid hormone and cortisol, can affect the development of psychosis.
In approximately half of cases, postpartum psychosis develops in patients with schizophrenia or manic-depressive syndrome.
Treatment of postpartum psychosis.
Treatment must be started as soon as possible because the woman’s condition is rapidly deteriorating. If there is a risk of suicide, the woman will be treated in psychiatric department. While she is taking medications, the baby cannot be breastfed, since most drugs pass into mother's milk. But communication with the child will be useful. Taking care of the baby (provided that the woman herself wants it) helps to normalize the state of the psyche.
If a woman is severely depressed, antidepressants are prescribed. Amitriptyline, Pirlindol are indicated if anxiety and fear predominate. Citalopram and Paroxetine have a stimulating effect. They will help in cases where psychosis is accompanied by stupor - the woman sits motionless and refuses to communicate.
For mental and motor agitation and manifestations of manic syndrome, lithium preparations (Lithium Carbonate, Micalite) and antipsychotics (Clozapine, Olanzapine) are needed.
Psychotherapy for postpartum psychosis is used only after elimination acute manifestations. It is aimed at identifying and resolving conflicts that led to mental disorders.
What is reactive psychosis?
Reactive psychosis or psychogenic shock - a mental disorder that occurs after severe psychological trauma. This form of the disease has three characteristics that distinguish it from other psychoses (Jaspers triad): - Psychosis begins after a severe emotional shock very significant for this person.
- Reactive psychosis is reversible. The more time has passed since the injury, the weaker the symptoms. In most cases, recovery occurs after about a year.
- Painful experiences and manifestations of psychosis depend on the nature of the trauma. There is a psychologically understandable connection between them.
Mental disorders occur after severe shock: disasters, attacks by criminals, fire, collapse of plans, career failure, divorce, illness or death of a loved one. In some cases, psychosis can also be triggered by positive events that cause an outburst of emotions.
Emotionally unstable people, those who have suffered a bruise or concussion, severe infectious diseases whose brain has been damaged by alcohol or drug intoxication. As well as teenagers going through puberty and women going through menopause.
Manifestations of reactive psychosis.
Symptoms of psychosis depend on the nature of the injury and the form of the disease. The following forms of reactive psychosis are distinguished:
- psychogenic depression;
- psychogenic paranoid;
- hysterical psychosis;
- psychogenic stupor.
Psychogenic paranoid accompanied by delusions, auditory hallucinations and motor agitation. The patient feels that he is being persecuted, he fears for his life, is afraid of exposure and is fighting with imaginary enemies. Symptoms depend on the nature of the stressful situation. The person is very excited and commits rash acts. This form of reactive psychosis often occurs on the road, as a result of lack of sleep and alcohol consumption.
Hysterical psychosis has several forms.
- Delusional fantasies – delusional ideas that relate to greatness, wealth, persecution. The patient tells them very theatrically and emotionally. Unlike delusion, a person is not sure of his words, and the essence of the statements changes depending on the situation.
- Ganser syndrome patients do not know who they are, where they are, or what year it is. They answer simple questions incorrectly. They perform illogical actions (eating soup with a fork).
- Pseudodementia – short-term loss of all knowledge and skills. A person cannot answer the simplest questions, show where his ear is, or count his fingers. He is capricious, grimaces, and cannot sit still.
- Puerilism syndrome – an adult develops childish speech, childish emotions, and childish movements. It may develop initially or as a complication of pseudodementia.
- The "feral" syndrome – human behavior resembles the habits of an animal. Speech gives way to a growl, the patient does not recognize clothes and cutlery, and moves on all fours. This condition, if unfavorable, can replace puerilism.
Treatment of reactive psychosis.
The most important stage in the treatment of reactive psychosis is the elimination of the traumatic situation. If you manage to do this, then there is a high probability of a quick recovery.
Drug treatment of reactive psychosis depends on the severity of manifestations and characteristics of the psychological state.At reactive depression antidepressants are prescribed: Imipramine 150-300 mg per day or Sertraline 50-100 mg once a day after breakfast. Therapy is supplemented with tranquilizers Sibazon 5-15 mg/day or Phenazepam 1-3 mg/day.
Psychogenic paranoid treated with antipsychotics: Triftazin or Haloperidol 5-15 mg/day.
For hysterical psychosis, it is necessary to take tranquilizers (Diazepam 5-15 mg/day, Mezapam 20-40 mg/day) and antipsychotics (Alimemazine 40-60 mg/day or Neuleptil 30-40 mg/day).
Psychostimulants, for example Sidnocarb 30-40 mg/day or Ritalin 10-30 mg/day, can bring a person out of a psychogenic stupor.Psychotherapy can free a person from excessive fixation on a traumatic situation and develop defense mechanisms. However, you can start consulting with a psychotherapist only after acute phase the psychosis has passed, and the person has again gained the ability to perceive the specialist’s arguments.
Remember – psychosis is curable! Self-discipline, regular medication, psychotherapy and the help of loved ones guarantee the return of mental health.
Mental disorders– these are human conditions that are characterized by a change in the psyche and behavior from normal to destructive. The term is ambiguous and has different interpretations in the fields of law, psychology and psychiatry.
A little about concepts
According to the International Classification of Diseases, mental disorders are not entirely identical to concepts such as mental illness or mental illness. This concept gives a general description of various types of human mental disorders. From a psychiatric point of view, it is not always possible to identify biological, medical and social symptoms of a personality disorder. Only in some cases can a mental disorder be based on a physical disorder of the body. Based on this, ICD-10 uses the term “mental disorder” instead of “mental illness”.
Etiological factors
Any disturbance in a person’s mental state is caused by changes in the structure or function of the brain. Factors influencing this can be divided into two groups:
- Exogenous, which includes all external factors influence on the state of the human body: industrial poisons, narcotic and toxic substances, alcohol, radioactive waves, microbes, viruses, psychological trauma, traumatic brain injury, vascular diseases of the brain;
- Endogenous – immanent reasons for the manifestation of psychological exacerbation. They include chromosomal abnormalities, gene diseases, hereditary diseases that can be inherited due to an injured gene.
But, unfortunately, on at this stage With the development of science, the causes of many mental disorders remain unknown. Today, every fourth person in the world is prone to mental disorder or behavior change.
The leading factors in the development of mental disorders include biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Mental syndrome can be transmitted genetically in both men and women, which causes frequent similarities in the characters and individual specific habits of some family members. Psychological factors combine the influence of heredity and environment, which can lead to personality disorder. Raising children with incorrect family values increases their chances of developing a mental disorder in the future.
Mental disorders most often occur in people with diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases brain, infectious
diseases, in the state of a stroke. Alcoholism can deprive a person of sanity and completely disrupt all psychophysical processes in the body. Symptoms of mental disorders also appear with the constant use of psychoactive substances that affect the functioning of the central nervous system. Autumn aggravation or troubles in the personal sphere can unsettle any person, put him in a state of mild depression. Therefore, especially in the autumn-winter period, it is useful to take a course of vitamins and medications that have a calming effect on the nervous system.Classification
For ease of diagnosis and processing of statistical data, the World Health Organization has developed a classification in which types of mental disorders are grouped by etiological factor and clinical picture.
Groups of mental disorders:
Group Characteristic Conditions caused by various organic diseases of the brain. This may include conditions after traumatic brain injury, strokes or systemic diseases. The patient may be affected by both cognitive functions (memory, thinking, learning) and may experience “plus symptoms”: delusions, hallucinations, sudden changes in emotions and moods; Persistent mental changes caused by alcohol or drug use This includes conditions that are caused by taking psychoactive substances that do not belong to the class of narcotics: sedatives, hypnotics, hallucinogens, solvents and others; Schizophrenia and schizotypal disorders Schizophrenia – chronic psychological illness, which has negative and positive symptoms, is characterized by specific changes in the state of the individual. It manifests itself in a sharp change in personality, the commission of ridiculous and illogical acts, a change in interests and the emergence of unusual hobbies, a decrease in performance and social adaptation. The individual may completely lack sanity and understanding of the events occurring around him. If the manifestations are mild or are considered a borderline state, then the patient is diagnosed with schizotypal disorder; Affective disorders This is a group of diseases for which the main manifestation is a change in mood. The most prominent representative of this group is bipolar affective disorder. Also included are manias with or without various psychotic disorders, and hypomania. Depressions of various etiologies and courses are also included in this group. Persistent forms of affective disorders include cyclothymia and dysthymia. Phobias, neuroses Psychotic and neurotic disorders contain panic attacks, paranoia, neuroses, chronic stress, phobias, somatized deviations. Signs of a phobia in a person can manifest themselves in relation to a huge range of objects, phenomena, and situations. The classification of phobias typically includes: specific and situational phobias; Behavioral syndromes that are associated with physiological disorders. These include various disorders of eating (anorexia, bulimia, overeating), sleep (insomnia, hypersomnia, somnambulism and others) and various sexual dysfunctions (frigidity, lack of genital response, premature ejaculation, increased libido); Personality and behavior disorder in adulthood This group includes dozens of conditions, which include violation of gender identity (transsexualism, transvestism), disorder of sexual preference (fetishism, exhibitionism, pedophilia, voyeurism, sadomasochism), disorder of habits and desires (passion for gambling, pyromania, klptomania and others). Specific personality disorders are persistent changes in behavior in response to a social or personal situation. These conditions are distinguished by symptoms: paranoid, schizoid, dissocial personality disorder and others; Mental retardation A group of congenital conditions characterized by delayed mental development. This is manifested by a decrease in intellectual functions: speech, memory, attention, thinking, social adaptation. According to the degrees, this disease is divided into mild, moderate, moderate and severe, depending on the severity clinical manifestations. Reasons that can provoke this condition include genetic predisposition, intrauterine growth retardation, trauma during childbirth, lack of attention in early childhood Psychological development disorders A group of mental disorders that includes speech impairment, delayed development of learning skills, motor function, and psychological development. This condition debuts in early childhood and is often associated with brain damage: the course is constant, smooth (without remission or deterioration); Impaired activity and concentration, as well as various hyperkinetic disorders A group of conditions that typically begin in adolescence or childhood. Here there is a behavior disorder, attention disorder. Children are disobedient, hyperactive, and sometimes even somewhat aggressive. Myths
IN Lately It has become fashionable to classify any mood swings or deliberately pretentious behavior as a new type of mental disorder. Selfies can also be included here.Selfie is the tendency to constantly take pictures of yourself with your mobile phone camera and post them on social media. A year ago, news flashed in the news that psychiatrists from Chicago had identified the symptoms of the development of this new addiction. In the episodic phase, a person takes photographs of himself more than 3 times a day and does not post the pictures publicly. The second stage is characterized by taking photographs of yourself more than 3 times a day and publishing them on social networks. At chronic stage the person takes his own pictures throughout the day and posts them more than six times a day.
None scientific research this data has not been confirmed, so we can say that this kind of news is designed to attract attention to one or another modern phenomenon.
Symptoms of mental disorder
The symptoms of mental disorders are quite large and varied. Here we look at their main features:
View Subspecies Characteristic Sensopathy - a violation of tactile and nervous sensitivity Hyperesthesia increased sensitivity to normal stimuli, Hypesthesia decreased sensitivity to visible stimuli Senesthopathy a feeling of squeezing, burning, tearing, spreading from different parts of the body Different types of hallucinations True The object is in real space, “outside his head” Pseudohallucinations Perceived object "inside" the patient Illusions Distorted perception of a real object Changing the perception of your body size Metamorphopsia Possible deterioration thought process: its acceleration, incoherence, inhibition, perseveration, thoroughness.
The patient may develop delusions (a complete distortion of the idea and non-acceptance of other points of view on to the question asked) or simply obsessive phenomena - an uncontrolled manifestation of difficult memories in patients, obsessive thoughts, doubts, fears.
Disorders of consciousness include: confusion, depersonalization, derealization. Mental disorders may also have memory impairments in their clinical picture: paramnesia, dysmnesia, amnesia. This also includes sleep disorders and disturbing dreams.
The patient may experience obsessions:
- Distracted: obsessive counting, recalling names and dates in memory, decomposing words into components, “sterile philosophizing”;
- Figurative: fears, doubts, obsessive desires;
- Taking possession: a person gives out wishful thinking. Often occurs after the loss of a loved one;
- Obsessive actions: more like rituals (washing hands a certain number of times, tugging at a locked front door). The patient is confident that this helps prevent something terrible.
Psychiatric pathologies have existed at all times. Previously, clinics for mentally ill people were considered a scary place. After all, the methods of treating such diseases were barbaric. They are currently being revised. Therefore, mentally ill people and their relatives began to seek help more often. There is no trend toward a decrease in psychiatric pathologies. This is due to the emergence of new diseases that arise as a result of changes in society. Such pathologies include a tendency to computer games, Internet addiction, commitment to extremist organizations.
Mentally ill people: signs, photos
We will consider treatment of patients suffering from similar ailments below. For now, let's talk about how to understand when we're talking about about pathology.
It is worth knowing that it is not always possible to distinguish a subject from a healthy one. Often during the period of remission, patients seem quite adequate. Mentally ill people move freely around the city and lead a normal life. This helps them adapt to public life and does not infringe on human rights. However, some patients require constant care. Otherwise, they pose a danger to themselves and others. Such people immediately stand out in the crowd for their antisocial behavior. Some patients appear normal but can be understood when interacting with them. Therefore, it is important to know how mentally ill people differ. Signs of pathology are listed below.
- Marked antisocial behavior. These people often talk to themselves and use profanity. Their words are sometimes not connected in meaning. In some cases, they try to attract the attention of others: they shout, express aggression, and start inappropriate conversations. Most often, these people do not pose a danger to others.
- Mental retardation. Diseases accompanied by this symptom include Down syndrome and dementia. With a mild degree of pathology, patients can lead an independent life, engage in physical labor or simple mental activity. In severe cases, they are always accompanied by relatives. Patients with mental retardation are non-dangerous mentally ill people. The signs, photos and characteristics of a person suffering from this pathology are usually easy to determine in comparison with healthy subjects. The difference is not only in behavior, but also in appearance (wide bridge of the nose, small size heads, flattened cranial vaults, enlarged tongue).
- Disturbance in self-orientation, pronounced changes in memory. Similar pathologies include Pick's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Patients do not understand where they are, who is next to them, and confuse past events with the present time.
- various types of delirium. Often considered a manifestation of schizophrenia.
- Refusal to eat, reluctance to get out of bed, get dressed, etc. Such symptoms indicate an unfavorable form of schizophrenia (catatonic syndrome).
- The appearance of depressive and manic states.
- Split personality.
Treatment is based on providing moral assistance to a person. Not only the doctor must conduct conversations with the patient, but also close people are obliged to support him and not isolate him from society.
Causes of mental illness
Naturally, it was not by chance that mentally ill people became like this. Many pathologies are considered congenital and, when exposed to unfavorable factors, appear at a certain point in life. Other diseases are acquired ailments; they arise after stressful situations. The following causes of mental disorders are identified:
- Transmission of pathology by inheritance. It is believed that some diseases are caused by the presence of mutant genes.
- Adverse effects on the mother's body during pregnancy. These include: use of drugs, chemical agents, stress, infectious pathologies, taking medications.
- Infringement of personality development during its formation (cruelty, aggression towards a child).
- Severe stress - loss of loved ones, favorite work, dissatisfaction with life and the inability to change something.
- Alcoholism and drug addiction.
- Progressive brain lesions, tumors.
Mentally ill people: symptoms of mental illness
The clinical picture depends on the type of pathology that the patient suffers from. However, there are some General characteristics ailments. Thanks to them, you can understand how mentally ill people differ. Their symptoms may not always be pronounced, but sometimes they still appear. We have already mentioned some of them earlier.
Obvious symptoms also include:
- Changing a person's appearance. In some cases, mentally ill people do not take care of their appearance and wear unkempt clothes. With congenital syndromes, a change in the structure of the skull is noted. Also, the main symptom includes an unusual expression in the eyes for healthy people. They may reflect anxiety, fear, aggression, and lack of mental activity.
- Coprolalia is the unmotivated use of profanity in speech.
- Change of mood: transition from depressive state to gaiety, excitement (mania).
- Hallucinatory syndrome.
Diagnosis of psychiatric pathologies
When entering the clinic, all mentally ill people are examined. They are interviewed and asked to undergo psychiatric tests. Diagnosis is based on external manifestations disease, assessment of the patient’s consciousness, his orientation in time, space, and his own personality. Also important is the story of relatives about a person’s behavior throughout life, about the changes that have occurred to him.
Treatment methods for mentally ill people
The main way to treat mentally ill people is psychotherapy. Its benefit lies in the possibility of identifying the causes of the development of pathology and its impact on human consciousness. During the conversation, the patient tries to understand himself and recognize his illness. In this case, he develops a desire to be cured. Drug treatment is used for attacks of mania, depression, and hallucinations. The drugs used are Carbamazepine, Haloperidol, and Amitriptyline.
Features of mentally ill people
Despite their illness, people suffering from mental illness often have great potential. Psychiatric pathologies are combined with the development of intuition, various talents, abilities to see the future, etc. Mentally ill patients are often excellent artists, poets and writers. Not at the moment scientific explanation this phenomenon.
Is it possible to cure mentally ill people?
Unfortunately, psychiatric illnesses are difficult to treat. It is impossible to completely get rid of the pathology if it is congenital or caused by dystrophic lesions of the brain. Diseases that appear as a result of alcoholism and drug addiction are treatable. With the right attitude of the patient and long-term psychotherapy, stable remission and even recovery can be achieved.
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– pathological conditions, accompanied by a violation of the perception of reality, behavioral disorders, deviations in the volitional, emotional and mental spheres. They can be exogenous (caused by somatic diseases, injuries and stressful situations) or endogenous (genetically determined). The diagnosis, treatment and study of mental disorders is carried out by psychiatrists, psychotherapists and medical psychologists, in some cases in collaboration with narcologists, neurologists, therapists, traumatologists and doctors of other specialties.
An epidemic of violence has spread across Russia: teenagers mercilessly slaughter people and rape corpses, and students revive Columbine and attack schools with Molotov cocktails. There is panic in parent chats: horror stories are replacing each other with great speed, and everyone wants to isolate inadequate people from society at any cost. At this time, deputies are looking for something else to ban so that the violence stops.
Of course, this happens to people for a reason: probably, each of the perpetrators of the incidents had their own reasons for this, and they cannot be generalized. But you can understand how to recognize a mentally ill person and try to provide him with timely help, because, as a rule, such people subconsciously ask others for it.
the site decided to look into the problem and turned to the chief psychotherapist of the Sverdlovsk region, Mikhail Pertsel, who has been dealing with mental disorders of all types for many years and knows everything about them.
Almost every day on the news agenda there are murders and attacks, the “heroes” of which are teenagers. What is this connected with, is it some kind of pathology?
I think it’s impossible to generalize; there are many factors here. But many experts believe that this is due to the lack of some kind of educational work in the family and school. In fact, teenagers can be subjected to some kind of external influence in the form of websites, interest groups, communities, without having ideas about what is good and what is bad formed by their upbringing. The presence of these ideas should be the main prevention of such deviations. In my opinion, such statements have been heard since the time of Socrates. The older generation will probably always exclaim that the children turned out to be the wrong ones, thereby stating their ideas about their own inadequacy as educators. Such manifestations of aggression have always existed, they just take a different form now. Now this gives rise to imitation and looks terrible, primarily due to the lack of some kind of education system among some young people and an understanding of who really is a scumbag and who is worthy of respect.
Is it possible to somehow drive a person crazy from the outside? What happens to people in sects and terrorist groups?
Under normal conditions, it is almost impossible to influence the human psyche in this way. In order to change a person's worldview and his mental condition, a very serious impact is needed. But the fact is that a person gets there, already being vulnerable due to insufficient, for various reasons, adaptation in normal life. A healthy person will resist brainwashing in every possible way.
- What has to happen for a person to go crazy?
The disorder can be either congenital and genetic in nature, or formed in the process of abnormal personality development. It all depends on what mechanisms a person has to respond to a stressful situation. It is quite natural that a person will react heavily to the loss of some values and relationships that are important to him - there will be a reaction of adaptation to some kind of loss or to a change in a state of affairs that is significant for him. He will try to adapt his life to new conditions or change conditions - this is a healthy way.
An unhealthy path is possible when the stressor is excessive or lasts too long. For example, after hostilities and disasters - when a person is faced with the question of life and death, physical or moral survival. So-called chronic stress disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder, may occur. Severe stress can also trigger another mental disorder that is not directly related to it, but can be triggered as a result of a strong emotional “shock.”
As a rule, those who come to the attention of official statistics are people with diseases that are associated with organic dysfunction of the brain. Such people have borderline disorders.
- How many mentally ill people are there among us who could really use the help of specialists?
Mental health conditions and mental illness They do not have a clearly defined boundary between themselves: at some point a person may feel completely healthy, at another - sick and unhappy. However, research suggests that about 30-50 percent of people in the world suffer from mental illness. In addition, according to data obtained during a survey of visitors to Russian clinics several years ago, about 40 percent suffer from depressive disorders. Moreover, adequate psychiatric care receive no more than 10 percent. The rest either simply do not seek it or do not receive a correct diagnosis.
- How many of them are aggressive and dangerous to society, many should be afraid?
The percentage is not that big. Part mental illness really causes significant changes: personality, worldview, way of thinking. For example, a person suffering from pathological delusions of jealousy (an obsessive and groundless belief in betrayal on the part of a partner - approx. edit.), will perceive others in a completely distorted way - in this case, he can really be dangerous. But if you look at the crime statistics, most crimes are still committed by healthy people for some selfish or other motives.
- How do you understand that the person next to you is mentally ill, what are the symptoms?
Here you need to start from the idea of what the norm is. Normally, a person is cheerful, cheerful, healthy, sociable and functional - he does what depends on him. Noticeable deviations may exist for a long time or appear unexpectedly. The person may become exceptionally sad and begin to talk about issues related to life and death. If he is depressed, if he suddenly becomes inhibited and stops coping with responsibilities, if he has some inappropriate actions and statements, this is always a reason to think about it and at least draw the attention of the person himself to this.
It is, of course, impossible to say unequivocally that a mentally ill person should become sad and mourn his failed life. It happens that the opposite is true. Most important indicator- this is a change in behavior in a direction that is not typical for a person. Separate mention should be made of the risk of suicide. This is a very complex phenomenon in which a person, due to various reasons feels in a hopeless situation. He may become overly anxious - or, conversely, overly calm - as if he is living on the edge, preparing to leave, putting his affairs in order. This can manifest itself in statements regarding the future - people with mental problems often do not see themselves in the future at all and avoid this topic. If this happens, then the person definitely needs help.
If a person is ironic about the topic of death, is this normal? Is it necessary to try to drag such a person for psychological help?
In our culture, it is not very common to joke about death - it is believed that people are quite sensitive to such issues. But it is impossible to drag him for psychological help until he himself wants it. Behind such bravado about death there may really be serious problems. Most often, a person in this way can unconsciously call on others for help - in such cases, he begins to sneer at the topic of his value, life in general, and underestimates his achievements. For example, all studies show that people who have attempted suicide in one way or another, in their life path tried to turn to others for help in some way. If they were heard, everything ended well, if not, they moved on this way.
Not certainly in that way. Depression and aggression are two different things. With depression, a person may have a negative attitude towards himself, but at the heart of the disorder is depression, the loss of the opportunity to enjoy life. A person stops feeling positive sides that exist in the current moment. To this are added the ideas of one’s worthlessness and guilt, worthlessness and irrelevance. Mood decreases, and all body functions are inhibited. Severe depression is accompanied by intellectual and motor retardation.
Aggression is a completely different mechanism, which in its essence is as universal as the anxiety mechanism. Any creature needs aggression to survive. Another thing is that normally it is constructive and aimed at the right direction, is regulated in degree of expression. Constructive means aimed at achieving some socially acceptable result.
Are psychopaths more likely to become cold-blooded killers? What is the basis of psychopathic disorder?
This term today belongs to the category of household ones - in international classification this is called a “personality disorder”, which can manifest itself in completely different aspects. This is not only aggressiveness - it happens that, on the contrary, a person is characterized by excessive scrupulousness and defenselessness. Personality disorder refers to the dominant in a person’s life rigid features of his reaction, motivation, behavior, thinking, emotions that do not correspond to standards, leading to maladaptation of a person in society. This is caused by the uneven maturation of different parts of the personality structure due to congenital reasons and pathological upbringing, which characterizes the personality as a whole. Due to the immaturity of inhibition mechanisms, for example, aggressiveness may be increased; due to the peculiarities emotional sphere and characteristics of thinking - a tendency to react depressively. Essentially, a personality disorder is a general disharmony mental sphere, which leads to the fact that a person does not achieve a harmonious internal state and the possibility of prosperous functioning in society.
The most discussed at the intersection of psychiatry and psychology now is the so-called borderline personality disorder, in which the main characteristic is the immaturity, first of all, of the sense of one’s own “I”, general idea About Me. A person does not feel like a whole person, therefore he constantly needs complex relationships with other people, rapid changes in these relationships, and risk - this is how he tries to feel his “I”. Often the disorder is accompanied by some kind of self-harm - this is a tool that allows you to drown out mental pain with physical pain. A way out of states of maladaptation due to personality disorders can only be achieved through qualified assistance from specialists - a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist.
- The most dangerous to society are those who have increased excitability?
Most often, we are faced with the fact that the greatest damage is caused by hooligans and brawlers, that is, asocial individuals. Thus, in the American psychiatric tradition, people with the so-called dissocial disorder are usually called psychopaths. In this case, the immaturity of personal structures concerns the lack of social feeling, the feeling of being a person and part of society. In such a person, the structures in the higher nervous system that are responsible for conscience, integrity, humanity, compassion and empathy are not developed or not trained. He becomes a cold, excitable, insensitive egoist who is ready to do everything only for himself and his momentary pleasure.