Have you ever caught yourself on the fact that, for example, in the morning some line from a song “attached” to you, and you constantly sing it mentally? Or, for some reason, do you feel an extreme need to remember the name of a film actor who flashed on the screen? And did you suffer during the whole working day from experiences: “Horror! Looks like the water in the bathroom is on!”?
These are the same or similar thoughts that literally take some people prisoner, giving them a lot of trouble. In medicine, this condition has its own name - obsessive-cumulative disorder, or neurosis.
We will talk about what a neurosis is and how to deal with it later in the article.
Causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder
The researchers associate the appearance of this disease with a genetic predisposition. Explaining this by the fact that, perhaps, compulsive behavior gave some advantages to our distant ancestors. For example,caution, cleanliness and constant readiness to meet the enemy allowed people to survive, leaving in the genes a tendency to this particular psyche.
Scientists have shown that in people with the above diagnosis, when collecting an anamnesis, as a rule, relatives who have similar conditions are found. This applies primarily to those patients whose neurosis appeared in childhood. Nevertheless, in modern world medicine there is no unequivocal answer to the question of why some people develop the named neurosis.
What can cause such a condition? We will talk about this a little later, but for now we will name who is at risk.
Who most often develops neurosis
Psychiatrists believe that the named ailment most often develops in individuals of a certain psycho-emotional warehouse. As a rule, these are shy and indecisive people, only in their fantasies they are able to perform any significant actions.
The obsessive-compulsive disorder, the causes of which we are considering, develops against the background of the fact that they diligently avoid the realities of life that require a volitional decision or serious action, since such a thing is simply beyond their power. As a result, people with this type of character gradually "withdraw into themselves", obsessing over their own experiences and feelings, which over time crowd out all other interests and turn into painful obsessive thoughts.
Neurosis: what are obsessions
Obsessive thoughts or ideas areotherwise, obsessions. They, as mentioned above, manifest themselves against the will of the patient and do not give in to his attempts to get rid of the constant feeling of anxiety or absurd, but indestructible thoughts. These can be, for example, reflections on why the noticed bird is gray, or where exactly the oncoming passer-by was going.
The patient, as a rule, is aware of their uselessness and meaninglessness, but can not help himself. Such thoughts do not leave him even for a minute - in fact, this is the expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Symptoms, treatment of this disease have long been the subject of study by specialists in the field of medicine. Later we will discuss what the doctors came up with.
Degrees of manifestation of obsessions
In medicine, it is customary to distinguish the degree of obsession by brightness and clarity. That is, a person with relatively vague obsessive thoughts may constantly feel unreasonable tension, anxiety or confusion, which gives rise to a general belief that there is nothing good in life.
And brighter obsessions lead to the fact that obsessive-compulsive disorder (what it is, we hope it became clearer to you) develops, for example, into the belief that higher powers are set to harm not only the bearer of these thoughts, but also his loved ones.
Some patients may even experience sexual obsession, imagining sexual relations or only caresses with strangers, and sometimes close people (relatives), children or even animals. This can cause the patient to fear and doubt his own "normality", sexual orientation,self-criticism and even self-hatred.
Signs of a neurosis
So, we have almost figured out what a neurosis is. Both its symptoms and methods of therapy, of course, are of interest to modern people, which, however, is not surprising, because the current rhythm of life provokes the appearance of many, including neurological ailments and pathologies. Who knows, maybe some manifestations of the disease are already taking place, and they need to be de alt with. And is there a way to avoid this condition? First, one should pay attention to the fact that such patients are always well aware of the far-fetchedness and unreality of their ideas, but at the same time they experience an urgent need to act in this way and not otherwise.
The clinical picture of the disease, as a rule, is limited to the presence of obsessive symptoms, while the volume of consciousness and the degree of critical attitude of the patient remain normal. These signs of neurosis are usually accompanied by inability to concentrate, fatigue, increased irritability and sleep disturbances.
The listed symptoms manifest themselves with different intensity, but in the mood of the patient, however, there is a clear shade of hopelessness and an acute sense of inferiority.
Specialists consider 3 types of the course of the disease:
- A single attack that can last from a week to several years.
- Relapses, including periods of complete absence of symptoms of the disease.
- The continuous course of the disease,accompanied by an increase in her symptoms.
Neurosis: what are compulsions
Obsessive thoughts, doubts and memories are, by the way, quite rare symptoms, as well as obsessive movements or actions.
The most common type of such actions are rituals called compulsions. It is with their help that the patient tries to alleviate his condition and avoid that frightening event, the thought of which causes endless experiences.
So, a person, in order to free himself from the constant fear of contracting an infection, comes up with a ritual in the form of washing his hands with a certain amount of lathering. At the same time, he counts loudly, and having lost his way, starts all over again. Or, to get rid of the obsessive thought of an unlocked front door, before leaving the house, a set number of times pulls the door handle.
By the way, often such rituals are completely absurd, manifesting themselves in the form of hair pulling, nail biting, laying out objects in a strict order, etc.
Why rituals become a trap for a neurotic patient
Obsessive actions are designed to instill confidence in the patient suffering from exhausting doubts, although they usually do not cope with this task. After all, if you remember what a neurosis and its symptoms are, it becomes clear that compulsions, giving a false sense of control over what is happening, cannot get rid of obsessions (obsessive thoughts).
Instead, they take the patient into a kind oftrap. Trying to get relief, a person complicates the ritual, and since doubts remain, he adds more and more details to it, gradually turning both his life and the life of those around him into a kind of theater of the absurd.
How neurosis manifests itself in children
Almost a third of patients claim that the pathology we are considering appeared in them at an early age.
By the way, obsessive-compulsive disorder in children is reversible. It does not distort the perception of the world, and parents often do not pay attention to these deviations, believing that everything will pass by itself with age.
As a rule, in young patients, the disease manifests itself in the form of obsessive movements. This may be a wrinkling of the forehead, tic, twitching of the shoulders, grunting, sniffing, coughing, etc. The listed symptoms are often accompanied by a feeling of fear, for example, in front of a closed or empty room. Children are afraid of getting dirty, pricked, hit, etc.
How children develop obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents can be provoked by the peculiarities of upbringing in the family. If, for example, a child can be both punished and rewarded for the same actions (it all depends on the mood of the parents), then he is simply not able to develop a certain stereotype of behavior. And unpredictability often becomes an incentive for a constant feeling of anxiety and uncertainty about the correctness of their actions, demandingexit.
Trying to anticipate a parent's reaction often leads a child to come up with rituals and find their own way of protection.
The same problem can also occur in families where parents are divorced or someone is seriously ill. This often leads to the fact that an oppressive atmosphere reigns in the house. The child, as a rule, is not told about what is happening, but he feels something is wrong, and this worries him, frightens him, and eventually forces him to seek salvation in compulsions.
Features of the treatment of neurosis in children and adolescents
There are certain difficulties in the treatment of children diagnosed with neurosis. That such a condition requires almost the same treatment for both children and adults is understandable, but the age of the child often creates additional problems.
Toddlers are mostly unable to identify and articulate their fears. They cannot explain what makes them perform certain rituals. In many cases, they refuse to admit that their fears are too exaggerated and irrational. Moreover, they believe that all their disturbing thoughts will come true if they are told to someone.
And teenagers are completely ashamed of even the idea of sharing their experiences with a psychotherapist, and all because of the fear of admitting that they are inferior and being the object of ridicule of their peers. Therefore, competence and ability to work with children are the main criteria when choosing an attending physician.
Getting rid of neurosis with exposure therapy
The first question thatoccurs in patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder: how to get rid of it? Reviews of relatives, and the patients themselves, tell about different ways to deal with this disease. Quite often, people praise the method of exposure therapy.
It implies the possibility of reducing the patient's fears in the case of frequent and (note!) Correct immersion in a painful situation. For example, if a patient is tormented by fear of infection, he is offered to hold on to the handrails of a common staircase, and then do not wash his hands. And to get rid of anxious doubts about whether the door is locked, leave the house without checking it.
It is very difficult for a patient to commit such acts. But they allow patients to understand and make sure that the terrible consequences that they anxiously expect do not come: a fatal disease from microbes does not immediately fall off their feet, and the door remains locked even without repeated checks. Anxiety, which at first grows somewhat, eventually turns out to be overcome and passes, but this method requires the mandatory supervision of a specialist, as well as the classical treatment of neurosis.
Therapy Methods
The described neuroses are diseases that for the most part require complex treatment.
To effectively get rid of the disease, experts most often use a combination of medications with cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. This allows, by reducing anxiety with the help of drugs, to maximize the impact of psychotherapy. Especially thisconcerns patients in whom the use of the exposure method causes too much anxiety.
By the way, it should be remembered that there are no specific drugs for obsessive-compulsive disorder. And the use of sedatives alone can lead to side effects and the return of anxiety immediately after stopping such treatment.
In complex therapy, specialists prefer tranquilizers that have a strong overall effect: Napoton, Elenium, Relanium, Seduxen or Siabazon, etc. Since neurosis, unlike neurasthenia, involves taking high doses of drugs, they are preferred to be administered intravenously.
But tablets ("Frontin", "Alprazolam", "Zoldak", "Neurol", etc.) have proven to be quite effective.
