Oligophrenia, which is also called mental retardation, is a pathology caused by a mental defect. The disease contributes to dementia, which is the result of changes in the cerebral nature.
Prevalence of pathology
How many people on our planet suffer from mental retardation? It is rather difficult to answer this question. The fact is that to determine the pathology, there are many methods for diagnosing "oligophrenia", which have significant differences between them. According to the most approximate data, the prevalence of the disease is in the range from 0.7% to 3%. Moreover, in most cases, males suffer from it. There are one and a half times less women compared to them.
During certain age periods, the diagnosis of oligophrenia reaches its peak. This applies to 6-7, as well as to 18-19 years of a person's life. The periods listed are the age when schooling begins, and army service is also approaching. The most severe forms of oligophrenia are diagnosed in the first years of life. But the pathology of a mild degreea little later. This is explained by the complexity of assessing intellectual abilities, as well as mental underdevelopment in early childhood.
Causes of pathology
Oligophrenia is a syndrome, the formation of which can be influenced by a large number of different factors. Among them:
- Negative effects on the human body that occur during childbirth, as well as in the age period up to 3 years. These are fetal hypoxia or asphyxia during childbirth, early childhood infections, traumatic brain injuries, etc.
- Intrauterine harmful factors. Among them are viral infections (herpes, rubella), hormonal disorders, as well as microbial infections (syphilis and toxoplasmosis).
- Chromosomal and genetic pathologies. These include Down's disease, various types of enzyme disorders and microcephaly.
Sometimes the classification of oligophrenia is based on the above causal factors. In this case, there are three forms of mental retardation. Among them are genetic, prenatal and perinatal.
Besides this, medicine knows that mental retardation is accompanied by diseases of a certain type. This list includes:
- Hydrocephalus. This ailment is caused by excessive accumulation of liquor, which takes place in the ventricles of the brain. A similar phenomenon occurs in connection with the excess production of this substance or the difficulty of its outflow.
- Microcephaly. This pathology is caused by the smaller size of the skull and brain.
- Phenylketonuria. The disease occurs due to metabolic disordersphenylalanine. As a result, a significant amount of toxic substances are formed - the decay products of this amino acid.
- Toxoplasmosis. The cause of this disease is a parasitic infection of the body. Maternal infection can penetrate the fetus and cause various malformations, including in the brain.
- Down's disease. This pathology occurs due to the formation of an extra chromosome in the body. A person with such a disease is detected by his appearance. He may have physical and mental retardation, as well as heart defects.
Diagnosis of pathology
Today, medicine has learned to recognize some ailments that can lead to mental retardation. For example, Down syndrome is diagnosed in the early stages of fetal development.
The next stage of pathology detection takes place immediately after the baby is born. A similar diagnosis is made in screening blood tests for hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria - diseases that lead to mental retardation.
Sometimes symptoms of mental retardation are noticed in a supposedly he althy baby. For an accurate diagnosis in this case, extensive studies are carried out. They consist in clarifying the patient's life history and family history. After that, the doctor examines the patient to identify neurological and mental disorders in him, as well as to determine the severity of the pathology. Further will not do without appointmentcytological, immunological and biochemical studies. They will reveal the presence of ailments of internal organs, dysfunctions of the enzyme system and the presence of congenital infections.
Degrees of oligophrenia
The most effective diagnostic method for detecting mental retardation is the IQ. Based on the result obtained, the following stages of oligophrenia are distinguished: debility, imbecility, and idiocy. However, today such a classification is rarely used by physicians for ethical reasons. Doctors prefer to indicate the stage of oligophrenia in neutral terms. Pathology in this case is also classified based on the obtained IQ. With this division of oligophrenia, the three stages have the following degrees:
- light – 50-70 points;
- moderate - 35-50 points;
- heavy - less than 20 points.
As you can see, the higher the IQ, the less pronounced is the pathology stage. However, the traditional division of pathology allows us to give a clearer picture of the disease. In this case, how is oligophrenia broken down into stages? Three stages are distributed as follows: debility corresponds to the mildest and at the same time the most common form of the disease, imbecile - medium, and idiocy - deep. Let's take a closer look at them.
Debility
Illness at this stage is the easiest and most common variant of a person's mental disability. Moreover, debility, in turn, is also grouped according to somesigns. According to the dominant manifestations, it can be dysphoric, asthenic, sthenic and atonic. Also, oligophrenia in the stage of debility can have different degrees - mild, moderate and severe.
Characteristics of patients in the stage of debility
People suffering from a mild degree of mental retardation are able to remember any information. However, they do it very slowly, and then they quickly forget everything. In addition, such patients are not able to generalize and master abstract concepts.
The debility stage is characterized by a concrete descriptive type of thinking. Such people can only talk about what they saw. At the same time, no generalizations and conclusions will be made.
Symptoms of oligophrenia in the stage of debility are a violation of the understanding of the logical connections between phenomena and events, lack of imagination. Such people are almost the most honest in the world. However, this is not at all due to their high moral principles.
Signs of oligophrenia in the stage of debility are also various speech disorders. The patient is distinguished by the monotony of his story, his unemotionality, primitive construction of sentences and poor vocabulary.
Sometimes, against the general background of pathology, a person's talent in some areas can take place. Such people are sometimes able to mechanically memorize huge texts, have absolute pitch, are brilliant in mathematics, or have an artistic gift.
Also, patients are sensitive to changes in environment. The thing isthat they feel secure and confident only in their familiar environment. Such oligophrenics are gullible and highly suggestible. That is why it is easy to convince them of something by imposing a certain point of view, which they will then perceive as their own. It is from among these patients that unreasoning and uncontrollable fanatics sometimes emerge, never changing their beliefs. Because of their suggestibility, such people can become both completely normal members of society, and cruel, vindictive, vicious and completely asocial.
Oligophrenia in the stage of debility is sometimes expressed in excessive excitability. And sometimes such a person differs from the rest in his obvious inhibition.
Young people who are diagnosed as debility are not being drafted into the army, are not given the right to drive a car, and are not allowed to acquire and keep weapons. Such patients will not be accepted for work in municipal and state institutions. The patient needs to be systematically observed by a psychiatrist, which will give him a chance to adapt in society.
Features of childish debilizm
It is quite difficult to recognize mild mental retardation in a child, because there are no obvious signs of the disease on his face. Light stages of oligophrenia in children are diagnosed when they enter school. This period is the first peak in the detection of pathology. Prior to this, the signs of oligophrenia are almost invisible, since children can have developmental features, their own type of temperament and personality. Even if the child is an obvious silent person or, on the contrary,"tornado", then at an early age it does not mean anything. And only with admission to the first class, the signs of oligophrenia (debility) become obvious. After all, these children are not able to master the school curriculum. They cannot concentrate and fix their attention on a certain subject.
Children suffering from oligophrenia (debility) have two poles of emotionality. On the one hand, they can be affectionate, kind and friendly, and on the other - aggressive, angry and gloomy. In addition, they have two poles of activity. So, there are overly active children, and extremely inhibited. But both of them are dominated by primitive instincts. And their sexual disinhibition is condemned by society. Even teenagers are not able to hide it. Patients with a mild degree of mental retardation often stick to girls and can masturbate in public. It is especially scary if such teenagers are under the influence of criminals, because they will not consider the instructions given to them and calculate the consequences of what they have done.
Imbecile
This degree of mental underdevelopment is average. She occupies an intermediate position, being between debility and idiocy. Patients with oligophrenia in the stage of imbecility are often called "eternal children." These people have the highest functions of the brain, which form the uniqueness of the human personality, are at the lowest level. The mental development of patients suffering from imbecility can be compared with the age of a preschooler.
Imbecile symptoms
Such patients are easy to recognize even by externalsigns. And this is in contrast to patients who are diagnosed with oligophrenia in the stage of debility. Photos of people with imbecility are a vivid confirmation of this. Depending on the severity of hydro- and microcephaly, the patient is distinguished by a disproportionate size of the skull. His head may be either too small or too large. In addition, such patients have malocclusion, deformed facial bones, and a fixed, unblinking gaze. And their ears are distinguished by lobes attached to the head. According to the external signs described above, it is quite possible to identify the average degree of oligophrenia - imbecility.
People with this pathology are clumsy when walking. They are not able to coordinate their movements normally, often stoop and hunch over. They are not subject to fine motor skills, the development of which is impossible due to focal neurological symptoms. A great achievement for persons suffering from an average degree of oligophrenia - imbecility, is the independent tying of shoelaces, as well as threading a needle. Such people cannot leave their parental home throughout their lives, being in it in the status of approximately seven-year-old children. Mother and father for such patients are the object of inexhaustible love. They almost never have families of their own. The social circle of imbeciles is also very scarce. It is limited to family and rehab groups.
Imbeciles are also distinguished by their speech. In people with an average degree of oligophrenia, it is a set consisting of two hundred of the simplest words. But they are alsoused only when absolutely necessary. Imbeciles are tongue-tied. Their speech consists of short phrases, and they still cannot form sentences correctly.
The mentality of patients is also at the most primitive level. In addition, such people lack a volitional factor, and emotions do not go beyond the usual manifestation of joy or anger. When their usual circumstances change, they become confused and afraid.
Imbeciles are passive and passive. Because of their easy suggestibility, they often fall under bad influence. That is why, throughout their lives, such people should be under constant supervision and control.
The outlook of the imbecile is also rather narrow. It is within the bounds of satisfying the simplest instincts and natural needs. That is why patients constantly feel hungry.
At this stage, oligophrenia requires constant monitoring of the family, psychiatrists and teachers over the patient. Otherwise, the patient may be dangerous to others. This is expressed both in the sexual disinhibition of patients, and in their inability to suppress their sexual desires. This often results in such asocial phenomena as masturbation, molestation of women and even the commission of sexual crimes.
Degrees of imbecility
Oligophrenia, which has a moderate form of severity, includes two varieties. It can be moderate and pronounced. These are two degrees of imbecility, each of which is characterized by its own form of mental retardation.
Moderate patientspathologies have an intelligence quotient ranging from 34 to 48 points. Their ability to think is severely limited. It is specific and directly related to the current situation. Such patients are unable to analyze, are tongue-tied, incorrectly build sentences and use only a minimal vocabulary in communication. Their emotionality is practically at zero. Fine motor skills are also poorly developed.
For patients with moderate severity of imbecility, a pronounced neurology is characteristic. It manifests itself in the form of paresis and sensitivity disorders. In connection with the presence of lesions of the nerves of the cranial zone, epilepsy often occurs. Sometimes these patients show signs of autism.
With a pronounced degree of oligophrenia in the stage of imbecility, the lower limit of the IQ is at the level of 20 points, and the upper reaches only 34 points. Such patients are characterized by the presence of very colorful neurological symptoms. So, paresis complements paralysis, and motor skills are in their infancy. The personal qualities and intellectual abilities of such a person are extremely weakly expressed. His vocabulary is at the level of a six-year-old child. Such patients need constant monitoring throughout their lives, as well as assistance with basic self-care.
Children's Imbecility
At this stage, mental retardation, unlike debility, can be suspected at a very early age. Imbecile children in all respects stronglyare late. By the year of their life, they cannot distinguish their parents from other people, do not respond to speech addressed to them, they are not interested in toys. Such children begin to sit and stand late, do not take toys that adults give them, and also do not grab at the threat of falling for the nearest support. Children with oligophrenia at the stage of imbecilism begin to walk only at the age of two. But even at this age, they cannot understand what they want from them, and are more guided by the intonation of the speaker than by the meaning of the appeal directed to them. Such babies are not characterized by curiosity, and they do not show any interest in the world around them. When playing, they adhere to some kind of single standard and ridiculous stereotypes. With great difficulty, such children master speech, but at the same time it remains tongue-tied and is characterized by incorrect construction of sentences.
After reaching school age, imbeciles attend remedial classes. Here they can learn to count to 10, retell short texts and read by syllables. These children have practically no emotions, there is a total indifference to the world around them. Due to the lack of response to the appeal, they are often mistaken for deaf people.
Idiot
This form of oligophrenia has its external manifestations at a very early age. Patients with idiocy, as a rule, do not live long. Most of them do not cross the 20-year threshold due to extremely low viability.
For oligophrenia in the stage of idiocy, a systemic underdevelopment of the human personality is characteristic. A patient with this form of the disease remains a 2-3-year-old child all his life. Such people are almost completely helpless. They require constant supervision and care. In most cases, it is also impossible for them to learn any self-service skills. Only approaching the age of 13-14, sick adolescents begin to wash their faces, go to the toilet (but even then under mandatory constant supervision) and perform other actions to meet the minimum needs.
Idiocy is a developmental defect of a global nature. With this degree of oligophrenia, a violation occurs in the physical development of a person. He is significantly behind in height and weight. In addition, the patient often suffers from somatic diseases, in particular from heart defects, hearing and vision disorders. And because of the dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system, people diagnosed with "idiocy" cannot move independently. Very often it becomes impossible for them to walk upright. It is also difficult for them to stand, sit and crawl on their own. Patients often experience malfunctions in the circulatory system and gastrointestinal tract, skull deformities, underdevelopment of various internal organs, etc. In addition to motor underdevelopment, erratic motor activity or monotonous movements (rocking) often occur. And because of the weakened immune system, these people are often affected by infectious diseases.
Significant negative changes affect the deep degree of oligophrenia and higher mental functions. For example, the perception of the patient is limited only by involuntary manifestations of sensations on the existing externalstimulus. Such people react only to what is related to natural needs - to heat and cold, pain and hunger, etc. They can pay attention to any subject for no more than one minute. Also, these patients have extremely difficult orientation. They do not have the opportunity to adapt to the world around them without organizing, guiding and accompanying help.
Besides this, patients with a deep degree of mental retardation are not able to understand the person who addresses them. However, they can be taught the simplest actions that can only be mastered as a result of repeated requests. The behavioral reaction of patients is manifested only with changes in intonation, but such people do not have their own speech. Only inarticulate and meaningless sounds can be heard from them.
Absent in patients and memory. After all, it is also one of the components of mental activity. As a rule, such people do not remember images, faces and symbols in the form of letters and numbers. Only occasionally does it happen that patients recognize the people closest to them and at the same time show elementary emotions (smile and walk). But this is not about idiocy of the deepest degree.
Thinking is also absent in these patients as the highest cognitive function. Even the simplest operations are impossible for them. Nor do they have self-awareness.
Extremely simplified is the emotional sphere in such patients. They are unable to adequately respond to surrounding events. The emotions of these peopleassociated with external stimuli. They don't laugh or cry. They do not know the feeling of compassion, hatred, love and pity.
Often, patients can observe unconscious reactions in the form of aggression directed at themselves. In addition, for no apparent reason, they can throw any object at others, push or hit a nearby person. They have no reaction to any censure.
