If you have panic attacks, if you do not understand what is causing them, you should seriously think about your he alth right now.
Feelings
Irritability, constant feeling of tiredness, abrupt reactions to simple events, frequent headache, feeling as if something is squeezing the head, as if wearing a helmet or a hoop, rapid heartbeat, sweating, appetite disturbances, sleep disturbances, problems with stool, short temper, constant feeling of anger or, conversely, lethargy, constantly bad mood, tightness of the muscles of the neck, shoulders, back, inability to fully breathe (take a deep breath and exhale) and, finally, a constant feeling of fear, anxiety, unreasonable anxiety - all these are signs of a disease known to psychologists and psychiatrists as anxiety neurosis.
Terminology
Throughout the 20th century, such concepts as neurosis, anxiety disorder were used by doctors in case of any state of obsessive anxiety and depression and were differentiated from "psychosis". These two types of mental illness were distinguished only by the fact that in the first casepatients remain in touch with reality and rarely exhibit antisocial behavior.
Impairments caused by a disease such as psychosis are much more serious. Here there is the impossibility of a correct perception of the real world, gross violations of social behavior and the inability to control one's mental reactions. Symptoms of anxiety neurosis are increased general anxiety, which manifests itself in various physiological symptoms associated with the activity of the autonomic (regulating the work of internal organs, blood vessels, glands) nervous system.
Differences between neurosis and psychosis
The symptoms of the disease vary quite a lot.
| Neurosis | Psychosis |
| chronic fatigue syndrome | hallucinations |
| irritability | nonsense |
| bright, baseless reaction to stress |
changes in human appearance |
| headache, tightness | indifference |
| sleep disorders (difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking up) | reaction inhibition |
| hysteria | violations in facial expressions |
| convulsive seizures | impaired perception and sensations |
| fear (out of control, sudden) | emotional instability |
| compulsions | disorganized behavior |
At the end of the twentieth century, after the conference to revise the International Classification of Diseases in Geneva, such an independent disease as anxiety neurosis ceased to exist separately and was included in the definition of anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder). Now such a definition as neurotic disorders summarizes the various categories of disorders:
- Depressive disorders.
- Phobic disorders.
- Psychasthenia, obsessive-compulsive disorders.
- Hypochondriacal disorders.
- Neurasthenia.
- Hysteria.
All of them are considered reversible and are characterized by a protracted course. And the clinic is characterized by significantly reduced physical and mental activity, as well as obsessive-compulsive disorders, hysteria and a state of chronic fatigue.
However, many doctors continue to single out this mental illness as a separate one, because this term is more understandable and does not scare patients as much. Explaining how to treat anxiety is much easier than delving into complex psychiatric terminology.
What causes anxiety neurosis
There are no clear reasons for the appearance of this disease, but there are several plausible theories:
- There is a predisposition to having an anxiety state, a neurosis. In this case, the disease can occur at the slightest stress or from an incorrectly chosen behavior model.
- Irregularities in the body's hormonal system (excessive release of the hormone adrenaline) can cause frequent panic attacks, which can later lead to mental illness.
- Uneven distribution of the hormone serotonin in the brain can cause symptoms and subsequently neurosis.
- Sigmund Freud also wrote that if "someone suddenly became irritable and sullen, and also prone to anxiety attacks, one should first of all ask about his sex life." Indeed, the symptomatology of the state of a person who has not reached discharge (orgasm) after being aroused during sexual intercourse is very similar to that described in neuroses.
Most likely, anxiety neurosis is caused not by one factor, but by a number of psychological problems, biological "mistakes" and social factors that affect its development.
It is worth noting that relatives and friends may not notice anything unusual in the behavior of a person suffering from a phobic neurosis. After all, there will be nothing surprising in the fact that the pulse rises if a person enters for whom there are feelings (positive or brightly negative), that a person sweats if it is hot outside or indoors. Also, many symptoms can be hidden behind signs of diseases that a person already suffers from. After all, it is unlikely that the patient will only write in the cardone diagnosis - anxiety neurosis.
Treatment at home will definitely not help here. In the case of a prolonged course of the disease without medical assistance, pathological conditions may occur, such as a panic attack, the desire for complete isolation (the desire to protect oneself from the outside world, fear of going out). Various phobias may appear: fear of public transport, open spaces (agaraphobia), riding in an elevator and other forms of claustrophobia. Such people often consciously avoid the places where the panic attacks occurred, limiting the circle more and more.
Anxiety neurosis. Simple shape
A simple form of fear neurosis differs in that it comes on suddenly, after a trauma (an accident, the loss of a loved one, a disappointing medical diagnosis, etc.). A person with a simple form of the disease does not eat well, falls asleep hard and wakes up often, his hands and knees tremble, he feels low blood pressure, he often goes to the toilet, his breathing is incomplete, dry mucous membranes are noted, he cannot collect his thoughts when talking and gets confused in answers. In this case, anxiety neurosis treatment involves only symptomatic. Over time, all functions will recover themselves. To speed up the process, you can use herbal medicine, physiotherapy exercises, massage, sessions with a psychotherapist.
Chronic form of anxiety neurosis
Chronic anxiety neurosis in a complex and neglected form is characterized by more pronounced main and additional symptoms, such as unconscious conversation, mumbling,loss of space, numbness, numbness
Anxiety neurosis: symptoms and treatment in children
In young children, neurosis can cause anything. If a child is just beginning to learn about the world, if he is naturally closed and irritable, if there are any congenital or acquired (for example, birth trauma) diseases, then such a baby can easily develop a fright neurosis. A sharp, unusual sound (especially in those moments when the child is sleeping or in a calm state), a bright light, a strange face that appeared unexpectedly, a new pet - everything can cause a strong fright. Older children will definitely remember a scene of a fight, an aggressive person or an accident.
In seconds of fright, the child is likely to freeze and become numb or begin to tremble. If the fear remains in the memory, then the child may temporarily stop talking, “forget” that he can walk, eat with a spoon, wipe his nose, and much more. Often children begin to stutter, bite their nails, urinate in bed. This is how anxiety neurosis manifests itself in children. The symptoms and treatment of this disease are well known to any child psychologist. In most clinical cases, the prognosis of therapy is favorable. All functions that were disturbed are gradually restored, and the child forgets about fear.
In no case should you intimidate children with scary tales, films or characters. If a child over five years old is frightened, then it is worth watching him more carefully. There is a high probability thatAnxiety neurosis can develop various phobias (obsessive states).
Treatment
If, after several visits to a doctor, psychiatrist or psychotherapist, an anxiety neurosis is diagnosed, the treatment that the doctor will prescribe will most likely be medication. On your own at home, with herbs, compresses, hot baths, or with the help of healers who remove damage, such a disease cannot be cured. If the problem brought the patient to the doctor, then it is time to entrust the treatment and diagnosis to specialists. Taking pharmacological drugs prescribed by the attending physician and psychotherapy sessions in a few months can make life wonderful. Resolving your internal conflicts, changing your attitude towards the world around you and yourself, searching for internal problems and ways to solve them in your mind, along with the help of antidepressants, will help prevent possible complications and find harmony.
Maintenance care
After the treatment, anxiolytics are usually prescribed. They contribute to the consolidation of the results of therapy. Also, as a further prevention of neurotic conditions, the doctor will recommend decoctions of herbs (chamomile, peppermint, oregano, linden, valerian root, motherwort, and others). Light sleeping pills and sedatives may also be used.
