Delirium oneiroid syndrome is described as an intermediate stage in the development of intoxication, less often infectious or symptomatic psychosis.
Psychopathological changes are manifested in the form of hallucinatory delirium, confusion with the presence of illusory visions, motor anxiety in the presence of the patient's self-awareness.
What is the reason
As mentioned earlier, the disease occurs when one of the psychoses develops. The following causes of the disease are distinguished:
- long-term alcohol use (delirium alcoholic);
- drug use;
- mental disorder resulting from treatment for infectious diseases;
- endocrine diseases;
- constitutional asthenia;
- severe postpartum period.
In most cases, a sign of the upcoming delirious syndrome is somatogenic asthenia, in other words, increased fatigue.
Much less often, asthenic syndrome manifests itself weakly or may be absent altogether.
Wondering what delirium isfor the state, you need to know that all manifestations of the disease come gradually. Of these, there are three main stages.
First stage
Pathology manifests itself more often at night and is characterized by general excitability.
From the characteristic features you can notice the following:
- The speed of reactions, facial expressions and speech increases.
- Patients can talk all the time, inconsistency and incoherence of what was said can be traced in speech. For example, these can be stories about your past, recent events, about some fantastic images, a set of words or sentences that do not make any logical sense.
- Frequent jerky movements and disturbed sensations in various stages. It is expressed in fear of sharp sounds, bright lighting, excessive perception of taste and smell.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Changeable mood. It manifests itself in rapid swings from euphoria, incredible joy to anxiety, anxiety, depression and irritation.
- Physical manifestations occur in the form of severe headache and general weakness.
Disease development
In the second stage, all symptoms still have their effect. This stage is characterized by the gradual onset of hallucinatory visions.
Signs include the following:
- Illusions can be either single or multiple. They can appear in the form of pareidolia (when the usual household itemscan appear sinister, have claws, teeth, eyes, etc.).
- Periodic occurrence of derealization.
- After a person goes to bed, with their eyes closed, hypnagogic illusions can occur, which are many rapidly changing pictures. With this symptom, the patient receives a diagnosis of hypnagogic delirium.
- In both stages, sleep is characterized by its short duration and discontinuity. Often accompanied by nightmares and illusions.
- When you wake up, derealization is especially pronounced.
Next step
In the third stage, illusions continue to disturb the patient. The appearance of true hallucinations is characteristic. With a delirious syndrome, everything that surrounds can become a reason for visions or change under their influence.
By their nature, such hallucinations can be very diverse in number and mobility, they are colored, transparent, reduced and huge.
From frequently observed signs:
- A hallucination is added to everyday reality and taken for granted. Illusions that arise are spontaneous or are repeated under certain actions or circumstances.
- Due to the difference in delirium, they can be zootic (the patient sees animals) with alcohol or drug delirium.
- Diminished hallucinations occur with opiate intoxication.
- The patient is most often very interested in the illusion that appears before him. At this point, he expresses his emotions fromseen, can rejoice, be frightened, defend and so on.
- Audial, tactile, and olfactory hallucinations often occur, resulting in hallucinatory delusions.
- Speech may partially reflect what is happening in front of the patient, he may scream, say something or make any incoherent sounds.
- Memory gaps appear. Moments of exacerbation of the disease and illusions are remembered by the patient only in fragments.
Delirious syndrome is very variable in symptoms and is often limited to only three stages. Periodically, lucid intervals may appear (the time when the patient is fully aware of himself, the world around him and his illness).
Some patients only have stage 1 and 2 symptoms. In case of intoxication with substances such as antifreeze, atropine and tetraethyl lead, the third stage of delirium develops immediately.
What is delirium like
There are a great many types of delirious syndrome. However, it is worth dwelling on its frequently encountered forms.
Fleeting shape
It is also called acute delirium. Symptoms often correspond to the second stage. The duration of the syndrome takes an average of about 3-5 days.
Acute delirium occurs when severe drug poisoning or is a consequence of delirium alcoholic.
Alcohols are to blame for everything
Such a delirium occurs against the background of chronic alcoholism. Also, the reason may be the intake of low-quality alcohol liquids. alcoholdelirium is promoted by previous traumatic brain injuries, because in this case, brain intoxication occurs faster.
Symptoms of delirium include the following:
- gradual onset of delirium starts with 2-3 attacks per year;
- an attack lasts from 2 days to a week, less often it can be more;
- sleep disturbance and nightmares;
- in some patients, a couple of days after giving up alcohol, weakness, depressed mood, less often auditory illusions;
- there is an acute reaction to external stimuli (light, sound, etc.);
- as the syndrome develops, the patient often develops hypnagogic hallucinations, which subsequently cause derealization and depersonalization;
- with the duration of the course of the syndrome, true hallucinations appear, which occur regardless of the time of day and people around;
- lucid intervals occur intermittently, but the more delirium develops, the shorter they become over time.
Mussing delirium
Or, in other words, it is also called silent delirium. It can be seen by signs such as:
- slurred speech, soft mumbling;
- disturbed coordination, it is difficult for the patient to make any movements;
- more often with these weak movements, the patient tries to protect himself, as it were (the illusion of crawling spiders over the body, feeling himself for integrity, etc.);
- all this happens very sluggishly and, as a rule, the patient does not even move orbed.
Treatment
Delirious syndrome, like any other disease, should be treated as early as possible. At whatever stage the patient is, hospitalization, medication support and constant medical supervision are often required. This is necessary due to the fact that the patient can be dangerous both to others and capable of injuring himself.
Because the nature of the symptoms is changeable, the patient often experiences aggression. Staying at home is absolutely out of the question, as treatment requires special rooms with dimmed lights and fastening straps.
What are the consequences of delirium
The third stage of professional and exaggerating delirium, especially when amentia, stunning and constant hallucinations have developed, is the most difficult to treat. The complex symptoms described above exacerbate the already difficult stage of delirium.
Most likely, the patient will have to maintain their condition. The chances of a full recovery are slim. Other types of delirious syndrome, especially up to the second stage, although not easy, can be treated. Subsequently, patients return to full recovery and normal life. But all this - only if you follow the doctor's recommendations and conduct competent treatment of the delirium syndrome.
