There are a huge number of different diseases in the world. However, today mental illnesses, various mental disorders and deviations are still very poorly understood. In this article, I want to talk about exactly what megalomania is.
Illness or…?
Trying to define the concept, you can face many problems. After all, a modern person uses this phrase - "megalomania" - in everyday life uses quite often. It can be applied to bosses, people in show business and other personalities whose behavior causes resentment among others. But in addition to its ordinary use, such a phrase also exists in medicine. And it has a very clear designation.
About the concept
So, at first, it is worth understanding the concept itself. What is megalomania? If we consider the etymology of the word, then in translation from Greek it is "too big", "exaggerated". Only after that you can draw certain conclusions for yourself.
If you strictly followmedical dictionary, it says that megalomania is a kind of behavior, a person’s consciousness, when he exaggerates his importance, mental abilities, talents, importance and power too much. As for science, this disorder is de alt with by a section of mental pathology, which most often defines this condition as a component of paranoia or a symptom of a manic syndrome.
Where disease comes from
We should also consider the reasons. When can megalomania occur? It runs the risk of manifesting itself if a person has progressive paralysis (or Bayle's disease), as well as syphilis of the brain. These diseases have several stages: from the onset to the development of the disease (from general weakness of the body to complete madness or even insanity).
Megalomania is a symptom that can both manifest itself and go unnoticed. This is especially true for syphilis. Here, this disorder manifests itself if the disease does not make itself felt for several years due to the fact that it proceeds in a special, milder form (however, this happens in only 5% of patients). An interesting fact is that this state of the brain can also occur in affective psychosis, when new ideas begin to appear abruptly in a person, an extremely painful reaction to various external stimuli is found, and excessive eloquence may occur.
A few words about schizophrenia
Quite often, this disorder is a symptom of a disease such as paranoidschizophrenia. Megalomania in such a situation is a kind of obsession. Excessive selfishness and ex altation of one's own "I" acts as a litmus test in this situation. Most often, a person is haunted by this mental disorder precisely at the moments of hallucinations or a delusional state. It is then that the sick person feels like an extremely important person.
Most frequent cases
However, more often than usual, in addition to the above options, such a mental disorder can occur as a result of a person's strong dissatisfaction with his own person. An irritant can be appearance, lack of education or an unsatisfactory place of work, as well as many other things. In such a situation, a person tries to correct the situation himself using the methods available to him: go to school, change jobs and improve his appearance. However, all this will already be accompanied by a certain overestimation of its own importance and too sharp ex altation of what was a shortcoming until recently.
In this case, it is worth noting that megalomania is difficult to distinguish, it is almost impossible to identify it unless you seek medical help (which happens extremely rarely). But even after the definition, this disorder (if we talk only about its presence) is not considered to be some special one that deserves a lot of attention in the section of mental abnormalities.
Clinical picture
When considering this mental disorder, it is also important to know what are thesigns of megalomania. As already mentioned, this state of mind is difficult to discern. However, the following symptoms can become beacons for its definition: a bad mood, witticisms that the patient throws at others.
It takes quite a lot of time to determine this disorder at the beginning of its occurrence. This will require several tests, as well as observation by a specialist, who will draw the necessary conclusions after a certain time. Most often, this deviation manifests itself with a sharp change in mood, and also if a person is almost always in an anxious state.
Patients may also experience the following symptoms: talkativeness, increased activity, and even sexual anxiety. At the same time, such people have a pronounced concentration on their ideas and positive aspects. They completely reject and are not even interested in other people's opinions on their own account. It is also worth noting that with such a mental disorder, a person may experience aggression. It is directed mainly to close people. The patient becomes a tyrant at home, not embarrassed by assault and other manifestations of his "importance".
Treatment
What kind of treatment can a person with megalomania receive? To get rid of this mental disorder on your own will not work, for this you will need the help of a specialist. To do this, a person must seek help from a psychologist, who in some cases can redirect for treatment to another doctor - a psychiatrist.
It is worth notingthat it is possible to cope with this disorder if you carefully follow all the recommendations of the attending physician and go through all the sessions on time. In such a situation, drug treatment is simply not required, and it will also not be necessary to refer the patient to a hospital. However, if megalomania is part of a more complex disorder, antipsychotics or lithium may be prescribed. Also, the patient is likely to be placed in a hospital, where he will receive complex treatment not only for megalomania, but also for the disease that led to the appearance of this disorder.
