The concept of "mental and behavioral disorders" refers to a large number of different pathological conditions. The appearance, course and outcome of a particular disorder largely depends on the influence of internal and external factors. To understand the essence of the disease - a mental disorder, it is necessary to consider the main signs of pathologies. Further in the article, the most popular syndromes will be given, their clinical picture will be described, and a characteristic will be given.
General information
Psychiatry deals with the study of this category. Diagnosis is based on various factors. The study, as a rule, begins with the presentation of a general pathological condition. Then private psychiatry is explored. Diagnoses are made after a thorough examination of the patient, identifying the causes that provoked the condition. Based on these data, the necessary treatment method is selected.
Pathology groups
The importance of endogenous (internal) and exogenous (external) factors is also important. For certain violations, itdifferent. Based on this, in fact, the classification of mental disorders is carried out. Thus, two broad groups of pathologies are distinguished - endogenous and exogenous. The latter should include disorders provoked by psychogenic factors, exogenous-organic cerebral (vascular, traumatic, infectious) lesions, and somatic pathologies. Schizophrenia, mental retardation are endogenous mental disorders. The list of these pathologies can also be continued with affective states, senesopathies, hypochondria.
Division by etiology
This is another way of classifying. In accordance with it, organic and functional disorders are distinguished. In the first case, a pathological change in the brain structure is noted. The anatomical and physiological basis of functional diseases has not been established. Alzheimer's syndrome, pathologies associated with cerebral vascular disorders, TBI that occur during somatic conditions or as a result of intoxication (for example, delirium tremens) are organic mental disorders. The list of functional pathologies is made up of personality disorders, neurosis, mood changes. This group also includes senile psychosis, schizophrenia.
Division by clinical manifestations
Depending on the nature of a particular symptom of a mental disorder, it is assigned to one of the existing categories. In particular, neuroses are distinguished. Neurotic is a mental disorder that does not exclude sanity. They are closer to normal states and sensations. They are also referred to as borderline mental disorders. This means that their manifestations can be controlled without the use of radical methods. There is also a group of psychoses. These include pathologies accompanied by impaired thinking of a pronounced nature, delirium, a change in perception, a sharp lethargy or agitation, hallucinations, inappropriate behavior, and so on. In this case, the patient is not able to distinguish his experiences from reality. Next, consider some of the features of mental disorders of various types.
Asthenic syndrome
This is a fairly common condition. The main symptom of a mental disorder is increased fatigue. A person feels a decrease in efficiency, internal exhaustion. Individuals with mental disorders may behave differently. With asthenia, for example, they are characterized by impressionability, instability of mood, tearfulness, sentimentality. Such people are very easily touched, they can quickly lose their temper over a trifle. Asthenia itself can act as a symptom of a mental disorder, which, in turn, accompanies conditions after severe infectious lesions, operations, and so on.
Obsessions
These include such states in which, against the will, some fears, thoughts, doubts appear. People with mental disorders of this type accept all these manifestations as their own. Patients cannot get rid of them, despite a rather critical attitude towards them. Doubt is the most common symptom of this type of mental disorder. So, a person can check several times whether he turned off the light, whether he closed the door. At the same time, moving away from home, he again feels these doubts. As for obsessive fears - phobias, these are quite common fears of heights, open spaces or enclosed spaces. In some cases, in order to calm down a little, relieve internal tension and anxiety, people perform certain actions - "rituals". For example, a person who is afraid of all kinds of pollution may wash their hands several times or sit in the bathroom for hours. If something distracted him in the process, he will start the procedure again.
Affective States
They are quite common. Such conditions manifest themselves in a persistent change in mood, as a rule, its decrease - depression. Often, affective states are noted at the initial stages of mental illness. Their manifestations can be observed throughout the pathology. At the same time, they often become more complicated, accompanying acute mental disorders.
Depression
The main symptoms of this condition are a deterioration in mood, the appearance of a feeling of depression, melancholy, depression. In some cases, a person may physically feel chest pain or heaviness. This condition is extremely distressing. It is accompanied by a decrease in mental activity. A person in this state does not immediately answer questions, gives monosyllabic, short answers. He saysquiet and slow. Very often, people with depression note that it is somewhat difficult for them to understand the essence of the question, the text, they complain of memory impairment. They can hardly make decisions, they switch badly from one type of activity to another. People may experience lethargy, weakness, talk about fatigue. Their movements are stiff and slow. In addition to these symptoms, depression is accompanied by feelings of guilt, sinfulness, despair, hopelessness. This is often accompanied by suicide attempts. Some relief of well-being may come in the evening. As for sleep, in depression it is superficial, with early awakening, with disturbing dreams, intermittent. The state of depression may be accompanied by tachycardia, sweating, feeling cold, hot, constipation, weight loss.
Mania
Manic states are manifested by the acceleration of the pace of mental activity. A person has a huge number of thoughts, desires, various plans, ideas of increased self-esteem. In this condition, as in depression, sleep disturbances are noted. People with manic mental disorders sleep very little, however, a short period of time is enough for them to feel rested and alert. With a mild course of mania, a person feels a rise in creative power, an increase in intellectual productivity, an increase in tone and efficiency. He can sleep very little and work a lot. If the condition progresses, becomes more severe, then these symptoms are accompanied bypoor concentration, distractibility and, as a result, reduced productivity.
Synestopathies
These states are characterized by very different and unusual sensations in the body. In particular, it can be burning, tingling, tightening, twisting, and so on. All these manifestations are in no way connected with the pathologies of the internal organs. When describing such sensations, patients often use their own definitions: "rustling under the ribs", "it seemed that the head was coming off" and so on.
Hypochondriacal syndrome
He is characterized by persistent concern for his own he alth. A person is haunted by thoughts of having a very serious, progressive, and probably incurable disease. At the same time, patients present somatic complaints, presenting ordinary or normal sensations as manifestations of pathology. Despite the dissuasion of doctors, negative test results, people regularly visit specialists, insist on additional, deeper studies. Often, hypochondriacal states appear against the background of depression.
Illusions
When they appear, a person begins to perceive objects in an erroneous - altered form. Illusions can accompany a person with a normal mental state. For example, a change in an object can be observed if it is lowered into water. As for the pathological condition, illusions can appear under the influence of fear or anxiety. For example, in a forest at night, a person may perceive trees asmonsters.
Hallucinations
They act as a persistent symptom of many mental disorders. Hallucinations can be auditory, tactile, gustatory, olfactory, visual, muscular, and so on. Often there is a combination of them. For example, a person can not only see strangers in the room, but also hear their conversation. The verbal hallucinations are called "voices" by patients. They may have different content. For example, it can be just a call of a person by name or whole sentences, dialogues or monologues. In some cases, "voices" are imperative. They are called "imperative hallucinations". A person can hear orders to kill, be silent, injure himself. Such conditions are dangerous not only directly for the patient, but also for those around him. Visual hallucinations can be objective or elementary (in the form of sparks, for example). In some cases, the patient can see entire scenes. Olfactory hallucinations are a sensation of an unpleasant smell (rotting, some food, smoldering), less often pleasant or unfamiliar.
Delirium
Such a disorder, according to many experts, refers to the main signs of psychosis. It's hard enough to define what bullshit is. The conclusions of doctors in assessing the patient's condition are quite contradictory. There are a number of signs of a delusional state. First of all, it always appears on a painful basis. Delusions cannot be dissuaded or corrected from the outside, despite a fairly clear contradiction with reality. Manabsolutely convinced of the veracity of his thoughts. Delusions are based on erroneous judgments, incorrect conclusions, false convictions. These thoughts are of great importance for the patient, and therefore, to one degree or another, determine his behavior and actions. Crazy ideas can be associated with:
- exposure, poisoning, persecution, jealousy, witchcraft, property damage;
- denial, hypochondria, self-accusation, self-abasement;
- erotic and so on.
Delusional disorders come in a variety of forms. So, interpretive nonsense stands out. The person in this case uses one-sided interpretations of daily facts and events as evidence. This disorder is considered quite persistent. In this case, the patient's reflection of the causal relationship between events and phenomena is disturbed. This form of delusion always has a rationale. The patient can endlessly prove something, discuss, argue. The content of interpretive delusions can reflect all the experiences and feelings of a person. Another form of this disorder can be a figurative or sensual conviction. Such nonsense appears on the basis of anxiety or fear, impaired consciousness, hallucinations. In this case, there are no logical premises, evidence; in a "delusional" way a person perceives everything around.
Derealization and depersonalization
These phenomena often precede the development of sensory delusions. Derealization is a feeling of change in the world. Everything that is around a person is perceived by him as "unreal", "rigged", "artificial". Depersonalization is manifested in the feeling of change in one's personality. Patients describe themselves as "losing face", "losing the fullness of sensations", "stupid".
Catatonic syndromes
These conditions are characteristic of disorders of the motor sphere: stupor, lethargy or, conversely, agitation. In the latter case, repetition, lack of purposefulness, and randomness of some movements are noted. At the same time, they may be accompanied by the shouting of individual words or remarks, or by silence. The patient may freeze in an uncomfortable, unusual position, such as lifting a leg, extending an arm, or raising their head above a pillow. Catatonic syndromes are also observed against the background of clear consciousness. This indicates a greater severity of disorders. If they are accompanied by stupefaction, then we can talk about a favorable outcome of the pathology.
Dementia
I also call it dementia. Dementia manifests itself in a deep impoverishment of all mental activity, a persistent decrease in intellectual functions. Against the background of dementia, the ability to acquire new knowledge worsens, and in many cases, the ability to acquire new knowledge is completely lost. At the same time, a person's adaptability to life is disturbed.
Consciousness
Such violations can occur not only in mental disorders, butand in patients with severe somatic pathologies. Stupefaction is characterized by difficulty in perceiving the environment, breaking ties with the outside world. Patients are detached, unable to realize what is happening. As a result, their contact with other people is disrupted. In addition, patients are poorly oriented in time, in their own personality, in a particular situation. People are not able to think logically, correctly. In some cases, there is incoherence of thinking.
