Alcoholic psychosis is a mental disorder that occurs in patients on the background of alcohol consumption. Often, the first signs of deviation manifest themselves in the second stage of the disease and may change with the course of the disease. In this regard, the very phenomenon of alcoholic psychosis in psychiatry has several subspecies, which differ from each other in their manifestations. Let us consider in more detail what kind of pathology it is, find out what symptoms are observed in this case, and find out how the disease should be treated.
Reason for development
Alcoholic psychosis usually occurs as a result of prolonged use of appropriate drinks. The reason is also a metabolic failure. True, a long experience in alcoholism is not at all necessary for the development of psychosis. If you try to derive a general list of the causes of this disorder, then it will include the following factors:
- Prolonged usealcohol.
- The presence of a hereditary predisposition of the body.
- The social environment along with the living conditions of life.
Under the category of social environment one should understand not only the constant presence among drinking individuals, but also general mass tendencies. Due to the emergence of a fashion for the use of energy alcoholic drinks, a large number of people become susceptible to the disease of alcoholism. But it should be noted that the development of alcoholic psychosis due to inappropriate social environment is a less common case. Often the cause of disorders in the human psyche is a drunken form of alcoholism or the presence of a predisposition to it at the genetic level.
What are the symptoms of alcoholic psychosis?
It is rather difficult to give a single list of symptoms, since each of its subspecies has its own distinctive features. Depending on the stage, the following clinic of alcoholic psychosis is observed in the patient:
- The appearance of disturbances in the rhythm of sleep. This may be accompanied by persistent insomnia or interrupted and restless sleep.
- Development of depression.
- The appearance of emotional apathy.
- Seeing instability in mood. At the same time, anxiety, depression, aggression or irritability can be noticed in human behavior, which can change abruptly to another state for no reason.
- Appearance of hallucinations.
The manifestation of the last symptom is typical only forcertain types of alcoholic psychosis. In order to understand exactly which stage certain signs belong to, let's study them in more detail.
What kind of illness happens?
As mentioned above, this type of psychosis is a violation of the patient's behavior due to excessive alcohol consumption. True, depending on the alcoholic stage and the duration of the pathology, one of its subspecies is implied. The list of varieties includes delirium tremens, alcoholic hallucinosis, depression, epilepsy, paranoid and delusions of jealousy.
The symptoms of alcoholic psychosis are difficult to confuse.
Development of delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is popularly called any mental disorder as a result of alcoholism. In medicine, this type of psychosis is called delirium tremens.
Characterize it with a difficult to tolerate withdrawal syndrome against the background of attempts to abruptly stop drinking alcohol or a long abstinence of a person from contact with alcohol. This subspecies of psychosis manifests itself in a sleep disorder of the patient, and a person may also have an increase in general nervousness and irritability, which in combination will lead to the occurrence of visual hallucinations.
Appearance of alcoholic hallucinosis
This subspecies of alcoholic psychosis develops against the background of a severe withdrawal syndrome for a person, as well as as a result of a long-term binge drinking. The main feature that is characteristic of this type of disorder is the manifestation of auditory hallucinations in the patient, often combined with a special phenomenon - the delirium of a dangerouspersecution.
What other symptoms and course of alcoholic psychosis are there?
Development of alcoholic depression
As part of the course of a strong withdrawal syndrome, a person develops a condition that can be characterized as alcoholic depression. In this case, the patient will be in a depressed mood, and, in addition, he will be overcome by thoughts of self-destruction. Against this background, bouts of tears can also constantly occur. Often this condition is combined with a persecution mania or all sorts of conspiracies. Experts consider the development of alcoholic depression to be one of the most dangerous conditions, as it can even lead a person to suicide.
What can chronic alcoholic psychosis lead to?
Development of alcoholic epilepsy
At this stage, pathology manifests itself not only in the mood of the patient, but also in changes in the physical capabilities and functions of the body. Against the background of alcoholic epilepsy, the patient may be tormented by severe convulsive seizures. Such seizures are especially strong immediately after a sharp refusal to take alcoholic beverages before the onset of withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms and treatment of alcoholic psychosis are interrelated.
Quite often, epilepsy manifests itself as a deterioration in the general condition on the background of delirium tremens. There have also been cases in which, on the contrary, seizures occurred when the patient was in a state of extreme intoxication. First aid for the development of such seizures, as a rule, does notdiffers from the standard algorithm of actions and techniques for epilepsy.
Convulsions occur after the cessation of drinking, which negatively affects the possibility of treatment. But with a sufficient period of abstinence from alcohol, seizures can pass on their own without the return of another epilepsy.
Alcoholic paranoid
Psychic disorder, which is called alcoholic paranoid, develops in patients during the experience of a strong withdrawal syndrome, and also due to prolonged incessant drinking. With its onset, a person is overcome by a strong delirium, the essence of which, as a rule, is in the formation of an idea related to persecution or adultery. In such a situation, patients are able in every person who is nearby to consider their personal enemy, who encroaches on their property or honor.
Patients in a state of alcoholic paranoia are confused and even somewhat frightened most of the time. But such a mood can abruptly change into aggression or animal fear, which may be accompanied by flight, attacks on people or requests for all kinds of help addressed to law enforcement agencies.
Appearance of alcoholic delirium of jealousy
Staying in the alcoholic delirium of jealousy in most situations is typical only for male patients. With women, such a violation of the psyche occurs quite rarely. In addition, it was noted that this subspecies of psychosis has its own age group. It predominantly occurs in men who are forty years of age or older.
This violation manifests itself in the form of dissatisfaction with the attitude of the second half. In particular, the spouse can be accused of coldness and inattention. Against this background, the patient begins to invent that the spouse is actively communicating with a person of the opposite sex. In such a state, suspicions of infidelity arise extremely quickly, and any men who are next to a woman can be considered as candidates for lovers. At the same time, the patient perceives relatives as accomplices, covering up his wife's infidelity.
As soon as the alcoholic delusion of jealousy arises, a person becomes suspicious and overly aggressive. This can be especially true for his wife. The patient will be annoyed by the behavior, and, in addition, the appearance of the second half, he will begin to control her movement along with the social circle. The patient's mood can change dramatically to aggressive behavior, up to cases of assault.
The varieties of psychosis described above form the basis of, but do not provide an exhaustive list of all types of the disorder presented. Also, each of the above conditions has two forms of flow: acute and chronic. Chronic alcoholic type of psychosis often occurs with a constant drunken nature of the disease. The acute form is characteristic of a state of abrupt cessation of alcohol intake and the development of an abstinence syndrome.
Alcoholic psychosis treatment
Symptoms, and in addition, the treatment of any mental disorder, including alcohol,are closely related. Depending on the stage of development of the disease, the scheme for withdrawing the patient from binge along with the intensity of the course will change. What needs to be done first? See below.
The best treatment for alcoholic psychosis is a combination of infusion therapy with psychotropic drugs along with nootropic drugs and a course of vitamins. In order to avoid any complications, treatment should be carried out in a hospital setting, where each medicine will be strictly dosed by trained and qualified personnel.
The consequences of prolonged development of alcoholic psychosis can be different. Depending on the type of this or that disorder, the patient can be dangerous for himself, and in addition, for the people around him. There are frequent situations when, in a state of alcoholic psychosis, others received serious injuries, which subsequently led to death.
In this regard, the manifestation of any change in the behavior of the patient should be taken carefully and with responsibility. The sooner treatment is started, the sooner it will be possible to eliminate the disorder. Of course, getting rid of the disease will not play any role if the abuse of harmful drinks is not stopped.
What to do with acute alcoholic psychosis?
What measures are taken in the treatment?
To develop the necessary treatment tactics, first, specialists need to correctly diagnose the patient's condition. For these purposes, asas a rule, to begin with, they invite a narcologist to the house. Further therapy occurs according to the following scheme:
- At the initial stage, the patient receives drugs that help get rid of toxins. Medical devices make it possible to remove the products of ethanol metabolism with minimal loss to the body.
- Next, the restoration of water and electrolyte balance is carried out along with the correction of metabolic disorders.
- In parallel, if the patient's condition allows, he is treated for concomitant somatic pathologies, and, in addition, measures are being developed related to the prevention of complications.
- Rehabilitation of the patient requires not only a pharmacological type of support, but also psychological assistance.
Drugs for the treatment of disease
The following groups of pharmacological agents are used in the treatment of alcoholic psychosis:
- For detoxification, electrolyte solutions are administered along with glucose and magnesium sulfate.
- Diuretics.
- Among enterosorbents, Rekitsen-RD and Enterosgel are used.
- It is advisable to use sedatives, and in more severe cases, antidepressants are used in the form of Afobazole and Cipralex.
- Antioxidants in the treatment are "Glycine" with "Limonar" and "Yantavit".
- Hepatoprotectors are: "Hepatofalk" along with "Silibinin" and "Gepabene".
- Of the tranquilizers, Bromazepam is used with Diazepam.
- Alsoneuroleptics such as Clozapine are used along with Droperidol and Methophenazine.
- Nootropics are also used, such as Piracetam with Gutamin and Euclidan.
- Equally important is the use of vitamin complexes of groups B, C, K and PP.
What is the prognosis for alcoholic psychosis?
Consequences of this pathology
Alcohol-addicted people do not always manage to recover from a psychosis. The most common consequences that develop even against the background of refusal to drink alcohol are the following negative signs:
- Noticeable mental decline.
- Difficulty remembering new information and, as a result, memory problems.
- In patients, simple and primitive mental activity is observed.
- Total or partial disability.
- Pronounced degradation of personality.
- Psychosis becomes chronic.
- Develops alcoholic epilepsy.
Thus, the disease is an extremely serious disorder of mental activity, which requires not only timely treatment, but also a guaranteed refusal of alcoholic beverages.
We reviewed the symptoms, course and prognosis of alcoholic psychosis.
