Personality change in mental illness symptoms. What signs indicate a mental disorder. There are two groups of affective syndromes
Sometimes it seems that a loved one has gone crazy.
Or it starts to go down. How to determine that "the roof has gone" and did not seem to you?
In this article, you will learn about 10 main symptoms of mental disorders.
There is a joke among the people: "There are no mentally healthy people, there are under-examined people." This means that individual signs of mental disorders can be found in the behavior of any person, and the main thing is not to fall into a manic search for appropriate symptoms from others.
And the point is not even that a person can become dangerous to society or himself. Some mental disorders arise as a consequence of organic brain damage that requires immediate treatment. Delay can cost a person not only mental health, but also life.
Some symptoms, on the contrary, are sometimes regarded by others as manifestations bad character, licentiousness or laziness, when in fact they are manifestations of the disease.
In particular, depression is not considered by many to be a disease requiring serious treatment. “Pull yourself together! Stop whining! You are weak, you should be ashamed! Stop digging into yourself and everything will pass! " - this is how relatives and friends admonish the patient. And he needs the help of a specialist and long-term treatment, otherwise not to get out.
The onset of senile dementia or early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can also be mistaken for age-related decline in intelligence or a bad temper, but in fact it is time to start looking for a caregiver to look after the patient.
How to determine whether it is worth worrying about a relative, colleague, friend?
Signs of a mental disorder
This condition can accompany any mental disorder and many of the somatic diseases. Asthenia is expressed in weakness, low efficiency, mood swings, increased sensitivity. The person starts crying easily, instantly gets irritated and loses his composure. Often, asthenia is accompanied by sleep disturbances.
Obsessive states
A wide range of obsessions includes many manifestations: from constant doubts, fears that a person is not able to cope with, to an irresistible desire for purity or performing certain actions.
Under the power of an obsessive state, a person can return home several times to check whether he turned off the iron, gas, water, or closed the door with a key. The obsessive fear of an accident can lead the patient to perform certain rituals that the sufferer believes can ward off trouble. If you notice that your friend or relative washes their hands for hours, have become overly squeamish and are always afraid of contracting something, this is also an obsession. The desire not to step on cracks in the asphalt, tile joints, avoiding certain types of transport or people in clothes of a certain color or type is also an obsessive state.
Mood changes
Melancholy, depression, a desire for self-accusations, talking about one's own worthlessness or sinfulness, about death can also turn out to be symptoms of the disease. You should also pay attention to other manifestations of inadequacy:
- Unnatural frivolity, carelessness.
- Foolishness, not typical of age and character.
- A euphoric state, optimism that has no basis.
- Fussiness, talkativeness, inability to concentrate, confused thinking.
- Heightened self-esteem.
- Projection.
- Strengthening sexuality, extinction of natural modesty, inability to restrain sexual desires.
You have cause for concern if your loved one begins to complain about unusual sensations in the body. They can be extremely unpleasant or just annoying. These are sensations of squeezing, burning, stirring "something inside", "rustling in the head." Sometimes such sensations can be the result of very real somatic diseases, but often senestopathies indicate the presence of a hypochondriac syndrome.
Hypochondria
It is expressed in manic concern about the state of one's own health. Examinations and test results may indicate the absence of diseases, but the patient does not believe and requires more and more examinations and serious treatment. A person speaks almost exclusively about his state of health, does not get out of clinics and demands to be treated like a patient. Hypochondria often goes hand in hand with depression.
Illusions
Illusions and hallucinations should not be confused. Illusions make a person perceive real objects and phenomena in a distorted form, while in hallucinations, a person feels something that does not really exist.
Examples of illusions:
- the pattern on the wallpaper looks like a plexus of snakes or worms;
- the sizes of objects are perceived in a distorted form;
- the sound of raindrops on the windowsill seems to be the careful steps of someone terrible;
- the shadows of the trees turn into terrible creatures, crawling with frightening intentions, etc.
If outsiders may not even guess about the presence of illusions, then the susceptibility to hallucinations may manifest itself more noticeably.
Hallucinations can affect all senses, that is, be visual and auditory, tactile and gustatory, olfactory and general, and also be combined in any combination. To the patient, everything that he sees, hears and feels seems completely real. He may not believe that all this is not felt, heard, or seen by others. He can perceive their bewilderment as a conspiracy, deception, mockery, be annoyed that they do not understand him.
With auditory hallucinations, a person hears all sorts of noises, scraps of words or coherent phrases. "Voices" can give commands or comment on every action of the patient, laugh at him or discuss his thoughts.
Gustatory and olfactory hallucinations often produce a sensation of an unpleasant property: an offensive taste or odor.
With tactile hallucinations, it seems to the patient that someone is biting, touching, strangling him, that insects are crawling on him, that some creatures are invading his body and there they move or eat the body from the inside.
Outwardly, susceptibility to hallucinations is expressed in conversations with an invisible interlocutor, sudden laughter or constant intense listening to something. The patient can shake something off of himself all the time, scream, examine himself with a preoccupied look, or ask others if they see something on his body or in the surrounding space.
Rave
Delusional states often accompany psychosis. Delirium is based on erroneous judgments, and the patient stubbornly maintains his false belief, even if there are obvious contradictions with reality. Delusional ideas acquire an overvalue, a significance that determines all behavior.
Delusional disorders can be expressed in an erotic form, or in a conviction in their great mission, in descent from a noble family or aliens. The patient may think that someone is trying to kill or poison him, rob or kidnap him. Sometimes the development of a delusional state is preceded by a feeling of unreality of the surrounding world or one's own personality.
Gathering or excessive generosity
Yes, any collector can be suspicious. Especially in cases where gathering becomes an obsession, dominates a person's entire life. This can be expressed in the desire to lug things found in the garbage into the house, to accumulate food, not paying attention to the expiration dates, or to pick up stray animals in quantities that exceed the ability to provide them with normal care and proper maintenance.
The desire to give away all of their property, excessive squandering can also be regarded as a suspicious symptom. Especially in the case when the person was not previously distinguished by generosity or altruism.
There are people who are unsociable and uncommunicative by virtue of their character. This is normal and should not raise suspicion of schizophrenia or other mental disorders. But if a born cheerful person, the soul of the company, a family man and a good friend suddenly begins to destroy social ties, becomes unsociable, shows coldness towards those who were dear to him until recently, this is a reason for concern about his mental health.
A person becomes sloppy, ceases to take care of himself, in society he may begin to behave shockingly - to commit acts that are considered indecent and unacceptable.
What to do?
It is very difficult to make the right decision in the event that there are suspicions of a mental disorder in someone close. Perhaps the person is just having a difficult period in life, and his behavior has changed for this very reason. Things will get better - and everything will return to normal.
But it may turn out that the symptoms you notice are a manifestation of a serious medical condition that needs to be treated. In particular, oncological diseases of the brain in most cases lead to one or another mental disorder. Delay in starting treatment can be fatal in this case.
Other diseases need to be treated in time, but the patient himself may not notice the changes taking place with him, and only loved ones will be able to influence the state of affairs.
However, there is another option: the tendency to see potential patients in a psychiatric clinic in everyone around them can also turn out to be a mental disorder. Before calling an ambulance for a neighbor or relative, try to analyze your own condition. What if you have to start with yourself? Remember the joke about the under-examined?
"There is a grain of a joke in every joke" ©
Traditionally, psychiatry has been involved in the recognition and treatment of mental illness and disorders. We study those disorders of human mental activity, which are manifested in thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, behavior in general. These violations may be obvious, strongly pronounced, or may not be so obvious as to speak of "abnormality". Unbalanced people are not always mentally unhealthy.
The line where pathology begins behind the norm is rather blurred and has not yet been clearly defined either in psychiatry or in psychology. Therefore, mental illness is difficult to interpret and evaluate unequivocally. If there are signs of a mental disorder in women, then they may be the same in men. Explicit gender differences in the nature of mental illness are sometimes difficult to notice. In any case, with pronounced mental disorders. However, the prevalence rate by gender may vary. Signs of mental disorders in men are manifested with no less force, although they are not devoid of originality.
If a person believes, for example, that he is Napoleon or has supernormal abilities, or he has sudden mood swings for no reason, or melancholy begins or he falls into despair because of the most trivial everyday problems, then we can assume that he has signs of mental diseases. There may also be perverted drives or his actions will clearly differ from normal. The manifestations of morbid states of the psyche are very different. But the general thing will be that, first of all, the personality of a person, his perception of the world will undergo change.
Personality is a set of mental and spiritual properties of a person, his way of thinking, responding to changes in the environment, his character. Personality traits different people have the same differences as bodily, physical - the shape of the nose, lips, eye color, height, etc. That is, the individuality of the person has the same meaning as the physical individuality.
By the manifestation of personality traits, we can recognize a person. Personality traits do not exist separately from each other. They are closely related, both in their functions and in the nature of their manifestation. That is, they are organized into a kind of integral system, just like all our organs, tissues, muscles, bones form a bodily shell, a body.
Just as the body undergoes change with age or under the influence of external factors, the personality does not remain unchanged, it develops, changes. Personality changes can be physiological, normal (especially with age) and pathological. Personality changes (normal) with age, under the influence of external and internal factors, occur gradually. The mental image of a person is also gradually changing. At the same time, the personality traits change so that the harmony and integrity of the personality are not violated.
What happens with a sharp change in personality traits?
But sometimes, the personality can change dramatically (or in any case, so it will seem to others). Familiar people suddenly turn from modest to boastful, too harsh in judgments, they were calm, balanced, and became aggressive and hot-tempered. From detailed they turn into frivolous, superficial. Such changes are hard to miss. The harmony of the personality has already been broken. Such changes are already obvious pathological, are abnormalities in the psyche. It is obvious that it is mental illness that can cause such changes. Both doctors and psychologists talk about this. After all, mentally ill people often behave inappropriately to the situation. Yes, and it becomes obvious to others over time.
Factors provoking the onset and development of mental illness:
- Traumatic injuries to the head and brain. At the same time, mental activity changes dramatically, clearly not for the better. Sometimes it stops altogether when a person falls into unconsciousness.
- Organic diseases, congenital brain pathologies. In this case, both individual mental properties and the entire activity of the human psyche as a whole can be disturbed or "fall out".
- General infectious diseases(typhoid, septicemia or blood poisoning, meningitis, encephalitis, etc.). They can cause irreversible changes in the psyche.
- Intoxication of the body under the influence of alcohol, drugs, gases, medicines, household chemicals (such as glue), poisonous plants. These substances can cause profound changes in the psyche and disruption of the central nervous system (central nervous system).
- Stress, psychological trauma. In this case, signs of mental abnormalities may be temporary.
- Weighed down heredity. If a person has a history of close relatives with mental chronic diseases, then the likelihood of the manifestation of such a disease among subsequent generations increases (although this point is sometimes disputed).
Among the above factors, there may be other reasons. There may be many of them, but not all of them are known to medicine and science. Usually, a clearly mentally unbalanced person is immediately noticeable, even to the townsfolk. And yet, the human psyche is perhaps the most poorly studied system of the human body. Therefore, its changes are so difficult to analyze clearly and unambiguously.
Each case of pathological changes in the psyche must be studied individually. Mental disorder or illness may be acquired or congenital. If they are acquired, it means that a certain moment has come in a person's life when the pathological properties of a person come to the fore. Unfortunately, the moment of transition from norm to pathology cannot be traced, and when the first signs arose it is difficult to find out. Also, how to prevent this transition.
Where and when does the "abnormality" start?
Where is the line behind which mental illness immediately begins? If there was no obvious outside interference in the psyche (head injury, intoxication, illness, etc.), in any case, in the opinion of both the sick person and his environment, then why did he get sick or mental disorders occurred, even if not psychogenic? What went wrong, at what point? Doctors do not yet answer these questions. One can only assume, carefully study the anamnesis, try to find at least something that could provoke changes.
Talking about congenital, it is assumed that the mental properties of a person have never been in harmony. A person was born with a broken personality integrity. Mental disorders in children and their symptoms represent a separate area for study. Children have their own mental characteristics, which differ from adults. And it should be borne in mind that the signs of a mental disorder can be obvious and obvious, or they can appear, as it were, gradually and by accident, occasionally. Moreover, anatomical changes (in this case, most often they mean changes in the brain, in the first place) in diseases and mental disorders can be visible and obvious, and it happens that they cannot be traced. Or their changes are so subtle that they cannot be traced at a given level of development of medicine. That is, with purely physiological point vision, there are no impairments, but the person is mentally ill and needs treatment.
The pathophysiological basis of mental illness should be considered, first of all, disorders of the central nervous system - a violation of the basic processes of higher nervous activity (according to I.P. Pavlov).
If we talk directly about the signs of mental disorders, then the peculiarities of the classification of mental illnesses should be taken into account. In each historical period in the development of psychiatry, classifications have undergone various changes. Over time, it became obvious that there is a need for coordinated diagnostics of the same patients by different psychiatrists, regardless of their theoretical orientation and practical experience. Although even now this can be difficult to achieve, due to the conceptual disagreement in understanding the essence of mental disorders and diseases.
Another difficulty lies in the fact that there are different national systematics of diseases. They may differ among themselves according to various criteria. On the this moment in terms of the significance of reproducibility, the International Classification of Diseases 10 revision (ICD 10) and the American DSM-IV are used.
Types of mental pathology (according to the domestic classification), depending on the main reasons that cause them:
- Endogenous (under the influence of external factors) mental illness, but with the participation of exogenous factors. These include schizophrenia, epilepsy, affective disorders, etc.
- Exogenous (under the influence of internal factors) mental illness, but with the participation of endogenous factors. These include somatogenic, infectious, traumatic diseases, etc.
- Diseases caused by developmental disorders, as well as due to dysfunctions or disturbances in the functioning of the formed systems of the body. These types of diseases include various personality disorders, and so on.
- Psychogenics. These are diseases with signs of psychosis, neuroses.
It is worth considering that all classifications not perfect and are open to criticism and revision.
What is a mental disorder and how can it be diagnosed?
Patients with mental health problems may often visit doctors. Many times they can be in the hospital and undergo numerous examinations. Although, above all, mentally unhealthy people more often complain of a somatic condition.
The World Health Organization has identified the main signs of a mental disorder or illness:
- Explicit psychological discomfort.
- Impaired ability to perform normal work or school responsibilities.
- Increased risk of death. Suicidal thoughts, attempts to commit suicide. General mental impairment.
It is worthwhile to be wary, if even with a thorough examination no somatic disorders are revealed (and the complaints do not stop), the patient has been “treated” for a long time and unsuccessfully by different doctors, and his condition does not improve. Diseases of the psyche or mental illness can be expressed not only by signs of mental disorders, but in the clinic of the disease there can also be somatic disorders.
Somatized Symptoms Caused by Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are 2 times more common in women than in men. In anxiety disorders, patients are more likely to present somatic complaints than complaints of changes in the general mental state. Often, somatic disorders are observed with various types of depression. It is also a very common mental disorder among women.
Somatized Symptoms Caused by Depression
Anxiety and depressive disorders are often found together. There is even a separate anxiety-depressive disorder in ICD 10.
Currently, in the practice of a psychiatrist, a complex psychological examination is actively used, which includes a whole group of tests (but their results are not a sufficient basis for a diagnosis, but play only a clarifying role).
When diagnosing a mental disorder, a comprehensive personal examination is carried out and various factors are taken into account:
- The level of development of higher mental functions (or their changes) - perception, memory, thinking, speech, imagination. What is the level of his thinking, how adequate his judgments and conclusions are. Whether there are memory impairments, attention is not exhausted How much the thoughts correspond to the mood, behavior. For example, some people may tell sad stories and laugh at the same time. The rate of speech is assessed - whether it is slow or vice versa, the person speaks quickly, incoherently.
- The general mood is assessed (depressed or unreasonably high, for example). How adequate are his emotions to the environment, to the changes in the world around him.
- They observe the level of his contact, readiness to discuss his condition.
- The level of social and professional productivity is assessed.
- The nature of sleep, its duration,
- Eating behavior. Does a person suffer from overeating or, on the contrary, eat too little, rarely, haphazardly.
- The ability to experience pleasure, joy is assessed.
- Can the patient plan his activities, control his actions, behavior, are there any violations of volitional activity.
- The degree of adequacy of orientation in oneself, other people, in time, place - do patients know their name, do they recognize themselves as who they are (or consider themselves a superhuman, for example), do they recognize relatives, friends, can build a chronology of events in their lives and life of loved ones.
- The presence or absence of interests, desires, drives.
- Sexual activity level.
- The most important thing is how critical a person is to his condition.
These are only the most general criteria, the list is far from complete. In each specific case age, social status, health status will also be taken into account, individual characteristics personality. In fact, the usual behavioral reactions, but in an exaggerated or distorted form, can serve as signs of mental disorders. Of particular interest to many researchers is the creativity of the mentally ill, its influence on the course of the disease. Mental illness is not such a rare companion even for great people.
It is believed that "Mental illnesses have the ability to open sometimes suddenly the springs of the creative process, the results of which are sometimes ahead of ordinary life for a very long time." Creativity can serve as a means of calming and have a beneficial effect on the patient. (PI Karpov, "Creativity of the mentally ill and its influence on the development of art, science and technology", 1926). They also help the doctor to penetrate deeper into the patient's soul, to better understand him. It is also believed that creators in the fields of science, technology and the arts often suffer from nervous instability. According to these views, the creativity of the mentally ill is often of no less value than the creativity of healthy people. Then what kind of mentally healthy people should be? This is also an ambiguous formulation and approximate signs.
Signs of mental health:
- Behavior and deeds adequate to external and internal changes.
- Healthy self-esteem not only of yourself, but also of your capabilities.
- Normal orientation in one's personality, time, space.
- Ability to work normally (physically, mentally).
- Ability to think critically.
A mentally healthy person is a person who wants to live, develop, knows how to be happy or sad (shows a large number of emotions), does not threaten himself and others with his behavior, in general is balanced, in any case, this is how he should be evaluated by the people around him. These characteristics are not exhaustive.
Mental disorders most common in women:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Anxiety-depressive disorders
- Panic disorder
- Eating disorders
- Phobias
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Adjustment disorder
- Hysterical personality disorder
- Dependent personality disorder
- Pain disorder, etc.
Often, signs of a mental disorder are observed in women after the birth of a child. Especially, there may be signs of neuroses and depressions of various nature and severity.
In any case, doctors should deal with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. The success of the cure is highly dependent on the timeliness of therapy. The support of relatives and friends is very important. In the treatment of mental disorders, a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy is usually used.
IN modern world not all people manage to remain calm and positive at all times. We often do not pay attention to the bad mood of the people around us and even the closest relatives. And in vain! What signs in men can be seen at the initial stages of the disease?
Mental disorders - what is it?
Mental disorders are called the variety of mental states of a person that do not correspond to the norm. Often, such diseases begin to be treated only in critical stages with vivid manifestations of inappropriate behavior and thinking. In our country, many people in the street are still not serious about mental illness.
Many people prefer to attribute the manifestation of mental illness symptoms to their opponent. At the same time, many signs of mental disorders in men can be noticed without being a specialist. Be more attentive to yourself and your loved ones. Don't be lazy or afraid to seek professional help if you discover any suspicious symptoms.
The main external signs
Folk proverbs urge not to judge others by appearance... And this is not always the right decision. If a person suddenly stopped taking care of himself, began to neglect the rules of personal hygiene, often looks untidy and sloppy - this is already a reason to think about his mental state. A neat and attractive appearance is one of the indicators of mental well-being and inner balance.
Remarkably, the sick person himself may be aware of what is happening. To criticism regarding his appearance, he can respond with something with the meaning that "appearance is not the main thing." This portrayal of overconfidence combined with indifference is also a symptom of mental health problems in men. Degradation of the personality in general can be mentioned as symptoms of such diseases. In this process, a person loses interest in everything that happens to him and around him.
Behavioral symptoms
In everyday life, it is easiest to notice the main manifestations in the behavior of the sick person. The most striking symptom is rapid mood swings. Sadness, joy, apathy, anger, anxiety and other emotions change, like in a kaleidoscope. At the same time, they are not associated with real-life events.
Quite often, people with mental disorders are aggressive. Aggression can manifest itself in different ways, for one person it is only excessive rudeness in words, for another - physical effects on surrounding objects, attempts to organize fights. Hypertrophied jealousy is also often noted in mental disorders. This is a common symptom of mental illness among the stronger sex. If a man is constantly jealous of his woman without real reason, this is a reason to seek professional psychological help.
Emotional manifestations
What does a person feel with mental illness? Do not forget that mental disorders can occur with a variety of symptoms. In some diseases, agitation of consciousness is noted, while for others, apathy is characteristic. Almost everyone with psychological problems comes to the conclusion that "no one understands him." The sick person feels lonely and unnecessary.
In some cases, there may be a critical attitude towards others. With this symptom, a person sincerely considers others to be guilty of all his problems. Despite the instability, most often people with mental disorders experience something unpleasant. Most often these are emotions such as sadness, sadness, anxiety, fear.
Various phobias and psychological complexes can also develop against the background of more serious diseases. Curiously, many patients notice changes at the physiological level. Sleep disturbances, migraines, unnecessary pain, convulsions - all these can be indirect manifestations of mental disorders. Eating problems are sometimes observed. The sick person may start to eat more than usual, or, conversely, refuse to eat.
Cognitive symptoms of psychological disorders
Any mental disorder occurs with a noticeable deterioration in mental abilities. Memory disorders are especially noticeable. The sick person may forget some facts and events. The ability to operate with existing knowledge decreases, logical thinking is impaired. In some cases, there may be a slowdown in reaction, while in others, on the contrary, an acceleration of thought processes. Obvious signs of mental disorders in men: inability to adequately assess what is happening, exacerbation of adherence to principles.
Many diseases occur with the formation of obsessions, criticism of which is met with a vivid negative reaction. Often a person himself in such a state feels himself literally "an unrecognized genius." On the basis of this, an obvious passion for philosophy is possible. At the same time, it can be expressed in the study of the works of recognized sages or the creation of your own "teaching". Most mental illness occurs with a distorted perception of reality and oneself. People suffering from them plunge into the world of their own, often not entirely adequate, fantasies and cease to realize the boundaries and importance of reality.
Perceptual manifestations of mental illness
Serious mental illness comes with a whole bunch of vivid symptoms. The most popular of these is hallucinations. The sick person can see or hear something that does not exist in reality. Hallucinations are varied. Sometimes it is a disembodied voice that sounds "in the head" or in a dark room. Some patients see very real objects, animals, or even familiar people. Others talk about seeing irrational pictures, unreal beings.
In 70% of cases, hallucinations are frightening and disturbing in nature. At the same time, the sick person fully believes in their reality. Most people who experience this symptom are happy to talk about their visions and experiences. Some patients try to find a rational explanation for their visions. This applies primarily to auditory hallucinations, when the patient hears strange sounds and cannot accurately determine their source.
The most common mental disorders in the world today
Studying the main signs of a mental disorder, you probably remembered at least one friend who has any of the listed symptoms. And it's no wonder life modern man full of excitement and stress. With constant haste and an abundance of worries, it is difficult to always remain positive and maintain peace of mind. It sounds scary, but depression is common today. But this mental disorder, despite its outward harmlessness, can cause death.
Women are more emotional than men. Perhaps it is due to their openness and desire to share experienced emotions that the fair sex is less likely to suffer from serious mental illness than their husbands. According to the statistics of mental disorders, among men - 60% first encounter this problem at a young age. The remaining 40% are representatives of the stronger sex who fell ill in adulthood.
The most common mental disorders in men are neuroses, syndromes, phobias, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis. But if you suspect that someone close to you is suffering from a mental disorder, it is in your power to record the most striking symptoms and convince the sick person to seek professional help.
Schizophrenia: symptoms and signs in men, features of the disease
Each of us has heard the name of this disease at least once. This is a fairly serious mental disorder that can be successfully corrected when starting therapy in the early stages. Pathology is characterized by a loss of interest in life. How does schizophrenia manifest itself? Symptoms and signs are similar in men of all ages. A responsible person gradually stops thinking about work or study, gradually loses interest in his family. The schizophrenic also abandons all personal interests and hobbies.
Many patients develop symptoms of autism. This is, first of all, isolation, unwillingness to contact with other people. A sick person seems to be trying to fence himself off from the world with an invisible wall, to be alone with his own thoughts, experiences and problems. Signs of anxiety disorders in men can be easily confused with schizophrenia. This diagnosis proceeds with a deterioration in mental abilities, impaired concentration and attention. As the disease progresses, a person begins to think illogically, and his speech may become incoherent.
They do not like to leave the house, disturbing thoughts do not leave them. The mood of a man with such a diagnosis is more often depressed and apathetic, sometimes relatives can notice an unreasonable fear. In special cases, schizophrenia occurs with impaired motor functions, neuroses and hallucinations. This pathology is characterized by seasonal exacerbations. Painful symptoms in schizophrenics become more pronounced in the spring and fall.
Causes of mental illness
Today, official medicine is not always able to establish the root causes of diagnosed mental illness. And yet there are a number of provoking factors. These are: stress, increased mental and emotional stress, a tense environment at work or at home, serious shocks. Also, one should not forget about genetic predisposition, brain diseases and other medical factors.
The first signs of a mental disorder in men may appear against the background of the systematic use of alcohol and drugs. More often, drug addiction and alcoholism provoke the development of psychosis, delirium tremens, delirium of jealousy and other specific disorders. Traumatic brain damage can often be the cause of mental illness. Mental disorders are observed against the background of epilepsy and somatic disorders. With these pathologies, the psychoemotional state of a person is extremely unstable.
There is a high percentage of people suffering from mental disorders among patients with malignant tumors and diseases of the cerebral vessels. In these cases, mental problems arise against a background of physiological disorders, the most common of which is an increase in blood pressure. A separate group of diseases is age-related mental disorders. Symptoms in men of diseases of this category are diagnosed in the older age group. It is about such diseases as paranoia, Alzheimer's disease, insanity, dementia, Pick's disease and some others.
Treatment of mental disorders
Most of our compatriots still do not perceive mental disorders as serious illnesses. And this is an unforgivable mistake. We make an appointment with a doctor with bronchitis or heart pain, as we are afraid of serious complications, up to and including death. And at the same time, we completely ignore the bad mood and anxiety, attributing these symptoms to natural reactions of consciousness or banal laziness. But mental disorders can be much more dangerous than a runny nose or high fever.
If you are careful enough, it’s not hard to spot signs of mental illness in men. The test can be done at home. If at least 2-3 symptoms are observed in a person for a sufficiently long time, it is simply necessary to show it to a specialist!
Which doctor should you contact with a suspected mental disorder? You should start by visiting a psychotherapist. During a confidential conversation, this specialist will be able to make a diagnosis, and if necessary, he will refer you to a psychiatrist. There is no one size fits all formula for how to treat mental health problems in men. In each case, the supervising physician develops an individual treatment plan.
Many mental disorders can be treated with psychotherapeutic techniques and psychological exercises. In some cases, drug therapy is also prescribed. Most mental disorders can be completely cured. At the same time, it is important that the treatment is carried out under the supervision of a specialist and that it is started as early as possible.
This is a collective term denoting a group of pathological conditions that affect the nervous system and the entire complex of human behavioral reactions. Such disorders can develop as a result of disruptions in metabolic processes occurring in the brain. In a broad sense, this expression is usually understood as a state of the human psyche that differs from the generally accepted norm.
Mental disorders
An individual's resistance to mental disorders depends on the general development of his psyche and a set of specific physical characteristics.
Many of the mental disorders (especially in the early stages of development) can be invisible to the eyes of others, but, at the same time, significantly complicate the patient's life.
Causes of Mental Disorders
The factors provoking the onset of mental disorders are very diverse, but they can all be divided into two broad categories: exogenous (this includes external influences, for example, trauma, infectious diseases, intoxication) and endogenous (this group includes hereditary, genetic diseases, chromosomal mutations, mental development disorders).
The main causes of impaired mental functions:
Signs of a mental disorder
Such symptoms can cause a prolonged depressive state, interspersed with episodes of short-term outbursts of affect.
Classification of mental illness
According to the etiology (origin), all mental illnesses can be divided into two groups:
- Endogenous- the causes of the disease in these cases are internal factors; this includes genetic diseases, diseases with a hereditary predisposition.
- Exogenous- the causative factors of these diseases are poisons, alcohol, craniocerebral trauma, radiation, infections, stressful situations, psychological trauma. A variety of exogenous diseases are psychogenic diseases resulting from emotional stress, or may be associated with social or family problems.
The following types of mental disorders are distinguished:
Flow
Most often, mental illnesses arise and debut in childhood or adolescence. The main features of mental disorders in these cases:
Diagnostics
When diagnosing, it is imperative to examine the patient for the presence (absence) of somatic diseases. The presence of complaints characteristic of internal diseases in the absence of pathology on the part of internal organs will be one of the indirect signs of the presence of a mental illness.
A significant difficulty in treatment is the fact that a person suffering from a mental disorder is either not aware of it, or is inclined to deny his condition because of fear of treatment or because of stereotypes. Meanwhile, in the early stages of many psychiatric disorders, treatment can produce significant improvement and induce sustained, long-term remission.
It is desirable to carry out the therapy in conditions conducive to the psychological comfort of the patient.
- Psychotherapy has the goal of stopping or at least alleviating the patient's discomfort, felt by him in the form of unpleasant obsessive thoughts, fears, anxiety; bears help in getting rid of unpleasant character traits. Psychotherapy can be carried out both individually with the patient and in a group (with relatives, or with other patients who have similar problems).
- Somatic therapy, especially, pharmacotherapy is aimed at influencing the patient's well-being and behavioral characteristics, as well as eliminating the unpleasant symptoms that cause him anxiety. Somatic therapy is widely used today in psychiatry, although the pathogenesis of some types of disorders is still not fully understood.
Nowadays psychical deviations are found in hardly every second. The disease does not always have vivid clinical manifestations. However, some deviations cannot be neglected. The concept of a norm has a wide range, but inaction, with obvious signs of illness, only aggravates the situation.
Mental illnesses in adults, children: list and description
Sometimes various ailments have the same symptomatology, but in most cases, diseases can be divided and classified. Major mental illnesses - a list and description of abnormalities can attract the attention of loved ones, but only an experienced psychiatrist can establish a final diagnosis. He will also prescribe treatment based on symptoms, coupled with clinical studies. The sooner the patient seeks help, the greater the chances of successful treatment. You need to drop stereotypes, and not be afraid to face the truth. Now mental illness is not a sentence, and most of them are successfully treated if the patient turns to doctors for help in time. Most often, the patient himself is not aware of his condition, and this mission should be undertaken by his loved ones. The list and description of mental illness is provided for information only. Perhaps your knowledge will save the lives of those who are dear to you, or dispel your worries.
Agoraphobia with Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia, in one way or another, accounts for about 50% of all anxiety disorders. If initially the disorder meant only a fear of open space, now to this has been added a fear of fear. This is exactly how a panic attack catches up in an environment where there is a high probability of falling, getting lost, getting lost, etc., and fear will not cope with it. Agoraphobia expresses nonspecific symptoms, that is, increased heart rate, sweating can occur in other disorders. All symptoms of agoraphobia are exclusively subjective symptoms that the patient himself experiences.
Alcoholic dementia
Ethyl alcohol, with constant use, acts as a toxin that destroys the brain functions responsible for human behavior and emotions. Unfortunately, only alcoholic dementia can be traced, its symptoms can be identified, but treatment will not restore the lost brain functions. It is possible to slow down alcoholic dementia, but not completely heal the person. Symptoms of alcoholic dementia include slurred speech, memory loss, loss of sensitivity, and lack of logic.
Allotriophagy
Some are surprised when children or pregnant women combine incompatible foods, or, in general, eat something inedible. Most often, this is the lack of certain trace elements and vitamins in the body. This is not a disease, and is usually "treated" by taking a vitamin complex. With allotriophagy, people eat something that, in principle, is not edible: glass, dirt, hair, iron, and this is a mental disorder, the causes of which are not only a lack of vitamins. Most often this is a shock, plus vitamin deficiency, and, as a rule, treatment also needs to be approached in a comprehensive manner.
Anorexia
In our time of the glamor craze, the mortality rate from anorexia is 20%. The obsessive fear of getting fat makes you refuse to eat, up to complete exhaustion. If you recognize the first signs of anorexia, a difficult situation can be avoided and measures can be taken in time. The first symptoms of anorexia:
Table setting turns into a ritual, with calorie counting, slicing, and spreading / spreading food on a plate. All life and interests focus only on food, calories, and weighing five times a day.
Autism
What is autism and how treatable is it? Only half of the children diagnosed with autism have functional brain disorders. Children with autism think differently than normal children. They understand everything, but cannot express their emotions due to disruption of social interaction. Ordinary children grow up and copy the behavior of adults, their gestures, facial expressions, and so they learn to communicate, but with autism, non-verbal communication is impossible. Children with autism do not seek loneliness, they simply do not know how to make contact on their own. With due attention and special training, this can be somewhat corrected.
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens refers to psychosis, against the background of prolonged drinking. The symptoms of delirium tremens are represented by a very wide range of symptoms. Hallucinations - visual, tactile and auditory, delirium, rapid mood swings from blissful to aggressive. To date, the mechanism of brain damage is not fully understood, as there is no complete cure for this disorder.
Alzheimer's disease
Many types of mental disorders are incurable, and Alzheimer's is one of them. The first signs of Alzheimer's disease in men are nonspecific and not immediately obvious. After all, all men forget birthdays, important dates, and this does not surprise anyone. In Alzheimer's disease, short-term memory is the first to suffer, and a person literally forgets today. Aggression, irritability appears, and this is also attributed to a manifestation of character, thereby they miss the moment when it was possible to slow down the course of the disease and prevent too rapid dementia.
Pick's disease
Niemann Pick disease in children is exclusively hereditary, and is divided by severity into several categories, according to mutations in a particular pair of chromosomes. The classic category "A" is a sentence for a child, and the death occurs by the age of five. Symptoms of Niemann Pick disease appear in the first two weeks of a child's life. Lack of appetite, vomiting, corneal opacity and enlarged internal organs, due to which the belly of the child becomes disproportionately large. Damage to the central nervous system and metabolism leads to death. Categories "B", "C", and "D" are not so dangerous, since the central nervous system is not affected so rapidly, this process can be slowed down.
Bulimia
What is bulimia disease and should it be treated? In fact, bulimia is not just a mental disorder. A person does not control his hunger and eats literally everything. At the same time, the feeling of guilt forces the patient to take a lot of laxatives, emetics and miraculous means for losing weight. Weight obsession is just the tip of the iceberg. Bulimia occurs due to functional disorders of the central nervous system, with pituitary disorders, with brain tumors, the initial stage of diabetes, and bulimia is only a symptom of these diseases.
Hallucinosis
The causes of the hallucinosis syndrome occur against the background of encephalitis, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, hemorrhage or tumors. When fully conscious, the patient may experience visual hallucinations, auditory, tactile, or olfactory. Man can see the world in a somewhat distorted form, and the faces of the interlocutors can be presented in the form of cartoon characters, or in the form geometric shapes... The acute form of hallucinosis can last up to two weeks, but you should not relax if the hallucinations have passed. Without identifying the causes of hallucinations, and appropriate treatment, the disease may return.
Dementia
Stuttering is a violation of the tempo-rhythmic organization of speech, expressed by spasms of the speech apparatus, as a rule, stuttering occurs in physically and psychologically weak people who are too dependent on someone else's opinion. The region of the brain responsible for speech is adjacent to the region responsible for emotions. Violations occurring in one area are inevitably reflected in another.
gambling addiction
This psychological disorder refers to a disorder of drives. The exact nature has not been studied, however, it has been noted that kleptomania is a concomitant disease in other psychopathic disorders. Sometimes kleptomania manifests itself as a result of pregnancy or in adolescents, with hormonal transformation of the body. Craving for theft in kleptomania has no purpose to get rich. The patient is looking only for the thrill of the very fact of committing an illegal act.
Cretinism
Types of cretinism are divided into endemic and sporadic. Typically, sporadic cretinism is caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones during embryonic development. Endemic cretinism is caused by a lack of iodine and selenium in the mother's diet during pregnancy. In the case of cretinism, early treatment is of paramount importance. If, with congenital cretinism, therapy is started at 2-4 weeks of a child's life, the degree of his development will not lag behind the level of his peers.
"Culture shock
Culture shock and its consequences are not taken seriously by many, however, the state of a person with culture shock should cause concern. Often times, people face culture shock when moving to another country. At first, a person is happy, he likes different food, different songs, but soon he is faced with the deepest differences in deeper layers. Everything that he used to consider normal and ordinary goes against his worldview in the new country. Depending on the characteristics of the person and the motives of the move, there are three ways to resolve the conflict:
1. Assimilation. Complete acceptance of a foreign culture and dissolution in it, sometimes in an exaggerated form. Their culture is belittled, criticized, and the new one is considered more developed and ideal.
2. Ghettoization. That is, creating your own world inside a foreign country. This is an isolated residence, and the limitation of external contacts with the local population.
3. Moderate assimilation. In this case, the individual will keep in his home everything that was accepted in his homeland, but at work and in society he tries to find a different culture and observes the customs generally accepted in this society.
Persecution mania
Persecution mania - in a word, you can describe a real disorder as spy mania or stalking. Persecution mania can develop against a background of schizophrenia, and manifests itself in excessive suspicion. The patient is convinced that he is the object of surveillance by the special services, and suspects everyone, even his relatives, of espionage. This schizophrenic disorder is difficult to treat, since the patient cannot be convinced that the doctor is not an intelligence officer, and the pill is a medicine.
Misanthropy
A form of personality disorder characterized by hostility towards people, up to and including hatred. , and how to recognize a misanthrope? The misanthrope opposes himself to society, its weaknesses and imperfections. To justify his hatred, a man-hater often elevates his philosophy into a kind of cult. A stereotype has been created that the misanthrope is an absolutely closed hermit, but this is not always the case. The misanthrope carefully selects whom to let into his personal space and who, perhaps, is his equal. In a severe form, the misanthrope hates all of humanity as a whole and can call for massacres and wars.
Monomania
Monomania is psychosis, expressed in concentration on one thought, with complete preservation of reason. In modern psychiatry, the term "monomania" is considered outdated and too general. Currently, there are "pyromania", "kleptomania" and so on. Each of these psychoses has its own roots, and treatment is prescribed based on the severity of the disorder.
Obsessive states
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is characterized by the inability to get rid of annoying thoughts or actions. As a rule, OCD affects individuals with a high level of intelligence, with a high level of social responsibility. Obsessive-compulsive disorder manifests itself in endless thinking about unnecessary things. How many cells are on a fellow traveler's jacket, how old is the tree, why does the bus have round headlights, etc.
The second variant of frustration is compulsive actions or double-checking of actions. The most common impact is related to cleanliness and order. The patient washes everything endlessly, folds and washes again, to the point of exhaustion. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is difficult to treat, even with complex therapy.
Narcissistic personality disorder
The signs of Narcissistic Personality Disorder are not difficult to recognize. are prone to high self-esteem, are confident in their own ideality and perceive any criticism as envy. It is a behavioral personality disorder and is not as harmless as it might seem. Narcissistic individuals are confident in their own permissiveness and are entitled to something more than everyone else. They shamelessly can destroy other people's dreams and plans, because for them it does not matter.
Neurosis
Is obsessive-compulsive disorder a mental illness or not, and how difficult is it to diagnose the disorder? Most often, the disease is diagnosed on the basis of patient complaints, and psychological testing, MRI and CT of the brain. Often, neuroses are a symptom of a brain tumor, aneurysm, or previous infections.
Oligophrenia
Negative twin delusional syndrome is also called Capgras syndrome. In psychiatry, they did not decide whether to consider this an independent disease or symptom. A patient with negative twin syndrome is sure that someone from his loved ones, or himself, has been replaced. All negative actions (crashed a car, stole a bar in a supermarket), all this is attributed to a double. Of possible reasons This syndrome is called the destruction of the connection between visual perception and emotional, due to defects in the fusiform gyrus.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation results in bloating, flatulence, and defecation problems. The most common cause of IBS is stress. Approximately 2/3 of all those suffering from TFR are women, and more than half of them suffer from mental disorders. Treatment for TFR is systemic and includes medication to relieve constipation, flatulence, or diarrhea, as well as antidepressants to relieve anxiety or depression.
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Taphophilia manifests itself in the attraction to the cemetery and funeral rituals. The reasons for taphophilia mainly lie in the cultural and aesthetic interest in monuments, ceremonies and rituals. Some of the old necropolises are more like museums, and the atmosphere of the cemetery is soothing and reconciling with life. Tafophiles are not interested in dead bodies, or thoughts about death, and show only cultural and historical interest. Typically, taphophilia does not require treatment unless visiting graveyards develops into an obsessive behavior with OCD.
Anxiety
Anxiety in psychology is unmotivated fear or fear for minor reasons. There is “useful anxiety” in human life, which is a defense mechanism. Anxiety is the result of analyzing the situation, and predicting the consequences, how real the danger is. In the case of neurotic anxiety, the person cannot explain the reasons for their fear.
Trichotillomania
What is trichotillomania and is it a mental disorder? Of course, trichotillomania belongs to the OCD group and is aimed at pulling out one's own hair. Sometimes the hair is pulled out unconsciously, and the patient can eat personal hair, which leads to gastrointestinal problems. Typically, trichotillomania is a response to stress. The patient feels a burning sensation in the hair follicle on the head, face, body and after pulling out, the patient feels calm. Sometimes patients with trichotillomania become reclusive, as they are ashamed of their appearance, and they are ashamed of their behavior. Recent studies have revealed that patients with trichotillomania have damage in a particular gene. If these studies are confirmed, the treatment for trichotillomania will be more successful.
Hikikomori
It is quite difficult to fully study such a phenomenon as hikikomori. In general, hikikomori deliberately isolate themselves from outside world, and even from your family members. They do not work, and do not leave the confines of their room, except in urgent need. They maintain contact with the world via the Internet, and can even work remotely, but exclude communication and meetings in real life. It is not uncommon for hikikomori to suffer from autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorder. In countries with undeveloped economies, hikikomori is practically not found.
Phobia
Phobia in psychiatry is fear, or excessive anxiety. As a rule, phobias are classified as mental disorders that do not require clinical research, and psychocorrection will cope better. The exception is already rooted phobias, which are out of control of a person, disrupting his normal life.
Schizoid personality disorder
The diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder is based on the characteristics of the disorder. In schizoid personality disorder, the individual is characterized by emotional coldness, indifference, reluctance to socialize, and a tendency toward solitude.
Such people prefer to contemplate their inner world and does not share experiences with loved ones, and are also indifferent to their appearance and how society reacts to it.
Schizophrenia
Sometimes parents ask the question: "Encopresis - what is it, and is it a mental disorder?" With encopresis, the child cannot control his stool. He can "go big" in his pants, and not even understand what is the matter. If such a phenomenon occurs more than once a month, and lasts at least six months, the child needs a comprehensive examination, including by a psychiatrist. During potty training, parents expect that the child will get used to it the first time, and scold the baby when he forgets about it. Then the child develops a fear of both the potty and before defecation, which can be expressed in mental encopresis, and a mass of gastrointestinal diseases.
Enuresis
As a rule, it goes away by the age of five, and special treatment is not required here. You just need to follow the daily regimen, do not drink a lot of fluids at night, and be sure to empty your bladder before bedtime. Enuresis can also be caused by neurosis against the background of stressful situations, and traumatic factors for the child should be excluded.
Bedwetting in adolescents and adults is of great concern. Sometimes in such cases, there is a developmental anomaly Bladder, and alas, there is no cure for this other than using a bedwetting alarm.
Often, mental disorders are perceived as a person's character and blame him for what, in fact, he is innocent. The inability to live in society, the inability to adapt to everyone is condemned, and the person, it turns out, is alone with his misfortune. The list of the most common ailments does not even cover one-hundredth of mental disorders, and in each case, the symptoms and behavior may differ. If you are worried about the condition loved one, do not let the situation go by itself. If a problem interferes with life, then it must be solved together with a specialist.
