Neurosis: symptoms, stages and treatment
Neurosis is a disorder in the functioning of the nervous system. The disease is of psychogenic origin. Neurosis manifests itself in a variety of symptoms, including disorders in the somatic system, autonomic disruptions, obsessive phobias, dysthymia, obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Most often, people who work a lot, do not get enough sleep and are overworked suffer from neurosis. Emotional shock can provoke neurosis.
Content:
- What is neurosis?
- Causes of neurosis
- Types of neuroses
- Symptoms of neurosis in adults
- Symptoms of neurosis in women and men
- Stages of development of neurosis
- Diagnosis of neurosis
- Treatment of neurosis
- Prognosis for neurosis
- Prevention
What is neurosis?
Neurosis is a combination of psychogenic disorders that have a reversible course, but last long enough. Symptoms of an obsessive neurosis, can be manifested by tantrums, asthenic syndrome, decreased physical and mental performance. Psychoneurosis and neurotic disorder are all synonyms for neurosis.
In adult patients, neuroses most often have an uncomplicated course. After recovery, the psyche is fully restored. This is the main difference between neurosis and psychosis. Statistical analysis indicates that about 20% of the world's population suffers from neuroses of varying severity. Depending on the specific social group, the percentage of patients may differ.
The disorder is based on a disorder of the activity of the brain, which, under normal conditions, is the main adaptation mechanism of a person. As a result, the patient develops disorders in various areas: somatic and mental.
Neurosis, as a medical term, was introduced in 1776. It belongs to the Scottish physician William Cullen.
Causes of neurosis
A wide variety of causes can lead to neurosis. Neurosis is a consequence of certain factors or situations that have traumatized the human psyche.
If a neurosis develops due to the impact on the psyche of a traumatic factor, then such an influence is most often short-lived, but strong. An example of such a factor is the death of a loved one.
If we are talking about a traumatic situation, then the impact on the psyche is long-term, chronic. An example would be a conflict within a family. It is they who most often become the cause of the development of neuroses.
Experts identify such factors in the development of neurosis as:
- Psychological factors. In this case, it means the features and conditions of the development of the individual, the upbringing of a person, his relationship with society, the level of claims.
- Biological factors in the development of neurosis. We are talking about disorders in the neurophysiological field, as well as failures in the functioning of neurotransmitter systems. This leads to the fact that the patient's susceptibility to destructive psychogenic influences increases.
As practice shows, regardless of the environment and place of residence of patients with neuroses, all of them develop the disease with the same frequency as a result of the influence of the following events:
- Death or loss of a loved one.
- A serious illness, both of the person himself and his close relative.
- Divorce.
- Parting with a loved one.
- Dismissal from work.
- Loss of a large amount of money, bankruptcy, etc.
Heredity does not affect the development of neurosis. It is fair to point out that the disease manifesto is influenced by the environment in which a person was brought up. A child who grew up in a family with neurotic parents who were prone to tantrums will copy their behavior. He unconsciously, but independently in the future, will injure his psyche.
Out of 1000 men, neurosis develops in 5-80 people. Out of 1000 women, the disease develops in 4-160 people. Data provided by the American Psychiatric Association.
Types of neuroses
Neurosis is not a separate disease. This term includes several disorders at once that may arise as a result of the negative impact on a person of traumatic causes. At the same time, he suffers from a deterioration in well-being, he has mood swings, autonomic and somatic disorders appear.
Neurasthenia
Neurasthenia is the most common form of neurosis. It is also called fatigue syndrome or nervous weakness. Nervous overstrain or prolonged stress can provoke neurasthenia.
Symptoms of disruption of the mechanisms of nervous defense in the form of neurasthenia can be distinguished as follows:
- Excessive irritability.
- Excessive excitability.
- Fast fatiguability.
- Lack of ability to control their actions, low self-control.
- Excessive tearfulness and resentment.
- Deterioration in performance.
- Rapid fatigue, both mentally and physically.
- Absent-mindedness. Lack of ability to focus.
- Worsening sleep.
- Lack of appetite.
- Apathy.
- Lack of emotion in relation to everything that happens around.
Hysterical neurosis
This violation has negative manifestations on the part of the autonomic system. These include:
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Fainting conditions.
- Hand tremors, trembling limbs.
- Blepharospasm.
- Decreased sensitivity in various parts of the body.
- Loss of sight and hearing, which develop only in the acute phase of hysteria.
- Pain in various parts of the body.
People with hysterical neurosis try with all their might to attract the attention of relatives and doctors. Their psyche is extremely unstable, characterized by a quick change of mood. In a few minutes, a person goes from strong laughter to sobs.
People who are more prone to hysterical neurosis:
- Self-perceived and easily suggested people.
- Impressionable and overly sensitive people.
- People with an unstable psyche.
- People who seek to attract the attention of others.
Hysterical neurosis has a similar clinical picture with some other diseases. Therefore, it is important to differentiate it from schizophrenia, tumors of the central nervous system, encephalopathy, which develops after injuries.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
With this type of neurosis, a person has obsessive thoughts and ideas. He is haunted by phobias that he is unable to cope with. Therefore, such a neurosis is called phobic.
The main symptom of the disorder is fear, which arises from repetitive unpleasant situations.
An example of obsessive-compulsive disorder is the following situation: a person loses consciousness on the street, which leads to the formation of a fear of subsequent recurrence of fainting. In the future, the patient develops a fear of death, serious illness, etc.
Depressive neurosis
Depressive neurosis is a consequence of prolonged depression. A person suffers from insomnia, ceases to enjoy life, is always in a bad mood.
Other symptoms of a disorder include:
- Faults in the work of the heart.
- Dizziness.
- Tearfulness.
- Hypersensitivity.
- Digestive disorders.
- Deterioration of sexual function.
Symptoms of neurosis in adults
People with neurosis suffer from frequent mood swings, they are prone to impulsive actions that are difficult to control. This affects the quality of a person's life, affecting all of his spheres: interpersonal relations, professional activity, self-esteem, etc.
People have memory loss, concentration of attention suffers, he gets tired quickly. Moreover, fatigue is observed not only during mental or physical work, but also when engaging in your favorite activities. Absent-mindedness contributes to the emergence of many problem situations.
The main symptoms of the disease:
- Constant nervous tension.
- Feeling tired.
- Sleepiness during the day, sleeplessness at night.
- Closure.
- Lack of desire to communicate with other people.
- Decrease in appetite, or its increase, which leads to overeating.
- Deterioration of cognitive processes.
- Headaches that develop suddenly and persist over time.
- Fainting.
- Sudden darkening of the eyes.
- Disorientation in space.
- Pain in the heart, muscles, joints, abdomen.
- Limb tremor.
- Frequent urination.
- Increased sweating, which happens against a background of increased nervousness.
- Deterioration of sexual function.
- Problems with self-perception. A person may have high or low self-esteem.
- Violation of priorities.
- Contradictory views.
The main characteristics of patients with neuroses:
- Mood swings.
- Lack of confidence in their own actions and in themselves.
- Violent emotional reaction to stress.
- Touchiness and vulnerability.
- Increased irritability.
- Tearfulness.
- Increased self-criticism.
- Suspiciousness.
- Anxiety.
- The presence of unmotivated fears.
- Distortion of the value system.
- Obsession with the problem.
- Increased mental fatigue.
- Absent-mindedness, memory loss.
- Increased susceptibility to loud sounds, bright light and other irritants.
- Sleep problems.
Symptoms of neurosis in women and men
In women, neurosis has certain characteristics. Most often, in representatives of the weak half of humanity, the disease develops according to the asthenic type. A woman becomes irritable, her mental and physical performance deteriorates, problems appear in the genital area.
Men are diagnosed with such types of neuroses as:
- Depressive neurosis. It is this type of disorder that occurs in men more often than others. Various external problems can provoke the disease, for example, the inability to realize oneself in the professional sphere, the inability to adapt to changes in life.
- Male neurasthenia. The disease manifests itself due to emotional overstrain, or against the background of physical overwork. Mostly workaholics suffer from male neurasthenia.
In women and men, climacteric neurosis can develop, which starts in the age period from 45 to 55 years. Its symptoms: increased irritability, lack of emotional stability, poor sleep, disruption in the work of internal organs, lack of endurance.
Stages of development of neurosis
If the neurosis is treated, then all the changes that it causes can be eliminated. The disease leads to organic damage to the brain. Often neuroses have a long course. This largely depends on the individual characteristics of a person, as well as on how developed his adaptive mechanisms are, which allow him to adapt to psycho-traumatic situations. Of no small importance is the character of a person, the degree of formation of psychological defense.
The neurosis has three stages. Each of them differs in a set of symptoms:
- First stage. The disease is just beginning to develop. A person has increased irritability and excessive excitability.
- Hypersthenic or intermediate stage. In humans, the excitability of the peripheral nervous system increases.
- Hyposthenic or final stage. The patient has a depressed mood all the time, drowsiness increases, he is apathetic, does not show interest in life. This is due to the strong inhibition of the processes of the nervous system.
If neurosis is not treated, then the disease will necessarily affect human behavior. The patient begins to understand that not everything is all right with him. Neurotic personality development occurs after 6 months - 2 years from the first symptoms of the disease (if it is not treated).
Diagnosis of neurosis
You can cope with neurosis if you turn to a specialist. Psychologists and psychotherapists are involved in identifying and treating the disease. It is quite logical that the main method of treatment is psychotherapy.
A person will need to reconsider their views on life. He needs to understand that in some moments he behaves or behaved inappropriately.
Diagnosing neurosis is a difficult task that confronts the doctor. The symptoms of the disorder are manifold, and this applies to both men and women. The behavioral characteristics of people, a variety of characters, complicate the diagnosis. It is important to distinguish neurosis from other disorders of the psychological sphere. It is difficult to figure out this issue independently, the patient needs the help of a doctor.
Color technique that allows you to identify neurosis:
- The entire color spectrum is used for the study. If a person suffers from neurosis, then he opts for purple, gray, black and brown. Moreover, this choice is repeated all the time.
- Hysterical neurosis can be suspected in the case when the patient chooses 2 colors - purple and red. This clearly indicates that the patient's self-esteem is extremely low.
Positive test results indicate a psychopathic personality. It allows you to identify chronic fatigue, anxiety, lack of self-confidence. People suffering from neuroses do not set goals that are designed for the distant future, they are not aimed at their successful achievement. Another sign of neurosis is dissatisfaction with one's own appearance, the presence of serious complexes. It is difficult for patients to establish contacts with other people.
Treatment of neurosis
There are many approaches and methods of treating neuroses. However, they all boil down to 2 areas: taking medications and psychotherapeutic effects. Medicines are prescribed only if the disease is severe. In other situations, it will be possible to cope with the disease using psychotherapy methods.
If the neurosis did not provoke the development of somatic disorders, then doctors will recommend a person to a cardinal change in lifestyle. It is important to stabilize the regime of work and rest. Sleep should be given at least 8 hours. You need to correctly compose your menu, completely eliminate bad habits, and be on the street more often. Stress and other situations that lead to nervous overstrain should be minimized.
Medication correction
People with neuroses often refuse to work on themselves. They do not seek to change their lives, so drug correction has become a part of the traditional treatment of neuroses. However, you need to understand that taking medications will not eliminate the cause of the violation. They only make it possible to drown out the main manifestations of neurosis. This is especially true in the acute period of experiencing a traumatic situation.
Psychotropic drugs allow you to cope with insomnia, eliminate limb tremors. However, they cannot be taken for long.
Medicines that can be prescribed to patients with neurosis:
- Tranquilizers such as Alprazolam or Phenozepam.
- Antidepressants - Sertraline and Fluoxetine.
- Sleeping pills - Zolpidem, Zopiclone.
The effect of tranquilizers is similar to the effect that neuroleptics have. At the same time, tranquilizers work a little differently. They promote the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which increases the person's susceptibility to treatment.
In the early stages of therapy, taking high doses of tranquilizers can cause a number of side effects. They boil down to nausea, increased drowsiness, a feeling of fatigue. Then these manifestations decrease and completely disappear, they do not affect the patient's ability to work. However, prescribing tranquilizers to people whose activities are associated with high concentration of attention must be very careful.
The most commonly prescribed drugs are benzodiazepine derivatives, these are:
- Chlordiazepoxide - Elenium and Librium.
- Diazepam (Valium, Seduxen).
- Eunoktin ((Nitrazepam, Radedorm).
- Tazepam (Oxazepam).
These drugs help to stop seizures, relieve anxiety, and normalize the autonomic nervous system. They also have a mild hypnotic effect, Other commonly prescribed tranquilizers include Trioxazine and Andaxin (Meprobamate, Meprotan). The choice of a drug should be made only by a doctor, since each of them has certain properties, indications and contraindications. It is important to take into account not only the characteristics of the course of the disease, but the individual characteristics of a particular person. So, some patients tolerate Trioxazine well, but Seduxen is hardly perceived.
The starting dosage of Seduxen should not exceed 5 mg, and Librium - 10 mg. Every day it is increased by 1 or 2 tablets. The dose of Seduxen is adjusted to 10-30 mg per day, and Librium - up to 20-60 mg.
Antipsychotic drugs have antipsychotic, hypnotic and sedative effects. With their help, you can get rid of hallucinations. However, the main side effect of taking antipsychotics is depression. Therefore, they are prescribed only for hysterical neurosis.
Antidepressants have a pronounced sedative effect. They are prescribed for neurosis, which is accompanied by phobias and increased anxiety. They are injected or taken orally.
In addition, with neuroses, nootropic drugs (Nootropil) and psychostimulants can be used. They contribute to the normalization of the patient's emotional background, increase efficiency, eliminate the feeling of fatigue, and give a feeling of cheerfulness. For a while, such drugs eliminate drowsiness. Their reception is indicated for patients with depressive neurosis. These drugs are prescribed with caution, as they use the reserve capacity of the body. If a person has a tendency to psychopathy, then he may develop addiction.
Adrenaline and caffeine have some effect similar to stimulants in terms of their influence on the physiological capabilities of a person. Therefore, they need to be taken only in the morning. These can be drugs such as: Benzedrine (Phenamine, Amphetamine), Sydnocarb. Their single dose is 5-10 mg. The drugs are taken 1 or 2 times a day.
In addition to funds aimed at general strengthening of the body, patients with neurosis can be prescribed drugs such as:
- Pantokrin. The drug is taken before meals, 30 drops 3 times a day.
- Tincture of aralia or zamanihi. Take them 30 drops 3 times a day.
- Sterculia tincture or leuzea extract. The drug is prescribed 20 drops 3 times a day.
- Saparal 0.05 g. The drug is prescribed 1 tablet 3 times a day.
- Eleutherococcus extract by? h. l. 3 times a day. The drug is taken before meals, half an hour before it starts.
- Lemongrass in tincture. Assign 20 drops 2 times a day.
- Ginseng root 0.15 g (1 tablet 3 times a day), or 25 drops 3 times a day. The drug is taken one hour before meals.
If the patient has trouble sleeping, then they are prescribed sleeping pills in small quantities, which help relieve tension.
Psychotherapy in the treatment of neurosis
The basis of the treatment of neurosis is psychotherapy and the effect of hypnosis. These techniques allow the patient to create a correct picture of the world, teach him to evaluate himself as a person, and make it possible to establish the cause-and-effect relationships of certain events.
Color therapy is another direction in the treatment of neuroses. Scientists believe that well-chosen colors have the same effect on the brain as vitamins have on the human body as a whole.
Recommendations:
- To reduce aggression and irritability, you need to be away from red.
- It is advisable to exclude black and dark blue colors in clothes. It is better if the person is surrounded by light and warm colors.
- In order to reduce psycho-emotional stress, you need to look at shades of green and blue. It is these colors that should be preferred when choosing wallpaper.
Prognosis for neurosis
The prognosis largely depends on how long the patient has a neurosis. The sooner treatment is started, the better. As a rule, a competent organization of medical care allows you to completely cope with the violation.
If the nerve lasts for several years, then this leads to irreversible personality changes and increases the likelihood of suicide.
Prevention
The neurosis lends itself well to correction, but the disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, you need to follow medical recommendations for its prevention, such as:
- You need to direct efforts to normalize your emotional background.
- You should eliminate from your life those factors that annoy a person, or reconsider your attitude towards them.
- It is important to take sufficient time to rest. Do not overexert yourself.
- You should eat right, sleep at least 8 hours a day, often be outdoors, and play sports.
Author of the article: Sokov Andrey Vladimirovich | Neurologist
Education: In 2005 completed an internship at the IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and received a diploma in Neurology. In 2009, completed postgraduate studies in the specialty "Nervous diseases".
