Causes, types of phases and treatment of affective psychosis
Affective psychosis is a mental illness of an endogenous manifestation. The disease characterizes the spontaneity and frequency of the onset of affective phases, demonstrating a state of mania, depression, or a mixed form. The phases are characterized by complete reversibility, regeneration of mental functions, and intermission. Phases can occur at different depth levels and have different time intervals (from one day to several years). One phase and the period of intermission after it is recorded as a cycle of psychosis of the affective type.
Content:
- Causes of affective psychosis
- Manifestation of the depressive phase
- Manic phase manifestation
- Treatment of psychosis
Causes of affective psychosis
The reasons influencing the onset of affective psychosis have not been fully identified to date. New data in this area can be attributed to hereditary factors influencing the onset of the disease. Affective pathology is also affected by neurochemistry, the use of antidepressants and other medications that affect the receptors of nerve-type cells. Researchers rely on data from clinical genetics, which confirm a significant contribution of hereditary pathologies to the development of psychosis.
Special methods of studying psychosis have proved that genetic factors influencing the onset of the disease account for 70%, and environmental factors - 30%. The disease is observed twice as often in women than in men. Moreover, female affective psychosis develops in the postpartum period, during menstruation, premenopause. These facts are evidence of the influence of hormonal imbalance as a cause of the disease.
Manifestation of the depressive phase
In depressive states, hysterical, anxiety-phobic, senesto-hypochondriacal disorders or the classic of the genre - melancholy depression, may prevail. The structure of reactive depression is caused by a situation that traumatizes the psyche. The affect of despondency begins to prevail in behavior. Indifference, depression and despair completely take over the thoughts of the patient. Focusing on the circumstances surrounding the trauma comes. The behavior is expressed by passivity. The conversation is filled with self-accusation or blaming others.
In these states, vegetative disorders are noted (rapid heartbeat, surges in blood pressure, sweating). The patient may complain of poor sleep and nightmares. The duration of this state reaches three months.
Depression of a manifest nature, like reactive, develops against the background of harmful external influences, which are based on psycho-traumatic situations. In this case, the state of concern for personal health comes to the fore in the patient. He complains about the circumstances, fate, unnecessarily dramatizes everything.
This depression is expressed by a slower pace of speech and thinking, which is also combined with their poverty and monotony. Motor retardation is observed. There are complaints of "mental pain" at the level of physical sensations. Ideas of self-accusation or sinfulness prevail in the conversation, the mood rises in the evening hours. There may be a deterioration in appetite. The duration of such a depression is up to 6 months. In affective psychosis, depressive phases in their various manifestations make up 80% of all phases.
Manic phase manifestation
Most of the manic states in psychosis of the affective type are atypical. The main symptom is represented by motor excitement, which is not accompanied by high-speed ideatorial reactions. The patient retains the ability to concentrate attention, but the productivity of the thought process decreases. This mania is characterized by mobility, talkativeness, multiple gestures, ease of contact.
The increased activity of the patient is replete with monotony and low productivity, but at the same time the person experiences a particularly valuable attitude to his actions. Atypicality in this manic affect consists in its fading. The inherent feeling of complete physical well-being and comfort in this state is not complemented by joy and fun, but is accompanied by the presence of irritability and anger. There is a violation of appetite, as well as sleep. The duration of the condition reaches 1 year.
These psychoses are characterized by psychopathic manias that develop in 5 days and last 5 months. The state of mania, passing according to the classical type (mania of fun), is observed in 20% of patients. Their development occurs in 7 days and lasts up to 4 months. In some cases, delirium may appear at the peak of passion. Bipolar affective psychosis has mixed states in its development, in which the symptoms of depression are replaced by symptoms of mania and vice versa.
Treatment of psychosis
Treatment of affective psychosis is carried out mainly with drug therapy, which affects the depressive and manic phases of the disease. In a depressed state, the appointment of antidepressants of different groups is shown, both classic tricyclic drugs (anafranil, amitriptyline and others), and four-cyclic drugs (lerivola, ludiomil). Depending on the type of psychosis, atypical antidepressants may be prescribed. Electroconvulsive therapy is used when medical treatment of depression is not possible.
Manic conditions are treated with antipsychotics (azaleptin, tisercin, clopixol). Sodium salts are added to the treatment if the psychosis takes a monopolar variant. This drug acts prophylactically, preventing the occurrence of the following phases.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
