The girl has an unstable psyche. Symptoms of mental illness: how to recognize the disease

Typical signs of a mental disorder are changes in behavior and disturbances in thinking that go beyond existing norms and traditions. Basically, these signs are associated with the complete or partial insanity of a person and make a person incapable of performing social functions.

Such disorders can occur in men and women at any age, regardless of nationality.

Pathogenesis of many mental disorders is not completely clear, but scientists have come to the conclusion that their formation is influenced by a combination of social, psychological and biological factors.

A person who experiences early symptoms of a disease is concerned about how to understand that you have a mental disorder? In this case, you should take a test that includes many points and get an opinion from a professional psychotherapist. Questions must be answered as honestly and openly as possible.

As the disease progresses, symptoms appear that are noticeable, if not to the patient himself, then to his loved ones. The main signs of a mental disorder are:

emotional symptoms();
physical symptoms(pain, insomnia);
behavioral symptoms (medication abuse, aggression);
perceptual symptoms (hallucinations);
cognitive symptoms (memory loss, inability to formulate thoughts).

If the first symptoms of the disease are persistent and interfere with exercise normal activities, then it is recommended to undergo diagnostics. There are borderline mental states of the individual, which are present in many mental and somatic diseases or ordinary fatigue.

Asthenia

Asthenic syndrome manifests itself nervous exhaustion, fatigue, low performance. The female psyche is more vulnerable and therefore such disorders are more typical for the weaker sex. They experience increased emotionality, tearfulness and mood lability.

The male psyche reacts to asthenic syndrome with outbursts of irritation and loss of self-control over trifles. With asthenia, severe headaches, lethargy and disturbances in night sleep are also possible.

Obsessions

This is a condition in which an adult persistently has various fears or doubts. He cannot get rid of these thoughts, despite recognizing the problem. A patient with mental pathology can spend hours checking and counting something, and if he is distracted at the time of the ritual, start counting again. This category also includes claustrophobia, agoraphobia, fear of heights and others.

Depression

This painful condition for any person is characterized by a persistent decrease in mood, depression, depression. The disease can be detected at an early stage, in which case the condition can be quickly normalized.

Severe cases of depression are often accompanied by suicidal thoughts and require hospital treatment.

The following are considered characteristic:

feelings of guilt, sinfulness;
feeling of hopelessness;
sleep disorders.

The condition may be accompanied by a disorder heart rate, excessive sweating, pressure surges, loss of appetite, weight loss, dyspeptic disorders. Mild forms of the disease respond well to treatment, but if severe depression occurs, the patient needs to see a doctor.

Mania

This neuropsychiatric disorder is characterized by sleep disturbances: usually adults with this disorder can sleep 4-6 hours and feel alert. In the initial stage (hypomania), a person notices an increase in vitality, increased performance, and creative enthusiasm. The patient sleeps little, but works a lot and is very optimistic.

If hypomania progresses and turns into mania, then these symptoms are accompanied by a change in personality and an inability to concentrate. Patients are fussy, talk a lot, while constantly changing their posture and gesticulating energetically.

Typical symptoms of mania in adults are increased appetite, increased libido, and challenging behavior. A good mood can suddenly give way to irritation. As a rule, with mania, sanity is lost, and patients do not understand that their condition is pathological.

Hallucinations

This is an acute mental disorder in which the patient touches, sees or hears things that do not really exist. Hallucinations may occur due to alcohol consumption or the progression of mental illness.

Hallucinations are:

auditory (voices);
tactile (itching, pain, burning);
visual (visions);
taste;
olfactory (smells), etc.

However, a situation is also possible when a sick person feels several of them at the same time. Imperative hallucinations are dangerous when “voices” in the patient’s head order him to perform certain actions (sometimes to kill himself or someone else). Such conditions are an indication for pharmacotherapy and constant monitoring.

Delusional disorders

These disorders are a sign of psychosis. Delusional beliefs do not correspond to reality, but it is not possible to convince the patient of this. Erroneous ideas are extremely important to the patient and affect all his actions.

Nonsense has varied content:

fear of persecution, damage, poisoning, material damage, etc.;
conviction of one's own greatness, divine origin, various kinds of invention;
ideas of self-blame and self-denial;
ideas of a love or erotic nature.

Often the appearance of delusional ideas is preceded by depersonalization and derealization.

Catatonic syndromes

These are conditions in which motor disorders come to the fore: complete or partial inhibition or, conversely, excitation. With catatonic stupor, the patient is completely immobilized, silent, and the muscles are toned. The patient freezes in an unusual, often awkward and uncomfortable position.

For catatonic excitement, repetition of any movements with exclamations is typical. Catatonic syndromes are observed both with darkened and clear consciousness. In the first case, this indicates a possible favorable outcome of the disease, and in the second, the severity of the patient’s condition.

Blackout

In an unconscious state, the perception of reality is distorted, interaction with society is disrupted.

There are several types of this condition. They are united by common symptoms:

Disorientation in space and time, depersonalization.
Detachment from the environment.
Loss of ability to logically comprehend a situation. Sometimes incoherent thoughts.
Memory loss.

Each of these signs sometimes occurs in an adult, but their combination may indicate confusion. They usually go away when clarity of consciousness is restored.

Dementia

With this disorder, the ability to learn and apply knowledge is reduced or lost, and adaptation to the outside world is disrupted. There are congenital (oligophrenia) and acquired forms of decreased intelligence, which occur in older people or patients with progressive forms of mental disorders.

Asthenia is a whole complex of disorders that characterize the initial stage of a mental disorder. The patient begins to quickly get tired and exhausted. Performance decreases. There is general lethargy, weakness, and mood becomes unstable. Frequent headaches, sleep disturbances and a constant feeling of fatigue require detailed consideration. It is worth noting that asthenia is not always the main sign of a mental disorder and rather refers to a nonspecific symptom, as it can also occur with somatic diseases.

Suicidal thoughts or actions are a reason for emergency hospitalization of the patient in a psychiatric clinic.

A state of obsession. The patient begins to have special thoughts that cannot be gotten rid of. Feelings of fear, depression, uncertainty and doubt increase. The state of obsession may be accompanied by certain rhythmic actions, movements and rituals. Some patients wash their hands thoroughly and for a long time, others repeatedly check whether the door is closed, the lights are turned off, the iron is turned off, etc.

Affective syndrome is the most common first sign of a mental disorder, which is accompanied by persistent changes in mood. Most often, the patient has a depressed mood with a depressive episode, much less often - mania, accompanied by an elevated mood. At effective treatment mental disorder depression or mania disappears last. On the background affective disorder there is a decrease. The patient has difficulty making decisions. In addition, depression is accompanied by a number of somatic symptoms: indigestion, feeling hot or cold, nausea, heartburn, belching.

If the affective syndrome is accompanied by mania, the patient has high mood. Pace mental activity speeds up many times over, leaving you with minimal time to sleep. Excess energy can be replaced by severe apathy and drowsiness.

Dementia is the last stage of a mental disorder, which is accompanied by a persistent decline in intellectual function and dementia.

Hypochondria, tactile and visual hallucinations, delusions, abuse psychoactive substances and – all this accompanies the mental. Close relatives of the patient do not always immediately understand

In the modern world, not all people manage to always remain calm and positive. We often do not pay attention to the bad mood of the people around us and even our closest relatives. And in vain! What signs can be seen in men? initial stages diseases?

Mental disorders - what are they?

Mental disorders are a variety of human mental states that do not correspond to the norm. Often, such diseases begin to be treated only in critical stages with clear manifestations of inappropriate behavior and thinking. In our country, many people still take mental illnesses lightly.

Many people prefer to attribute the manifestation of symptoms of mental illness to their opponent. At the same time, many signs of mental disorders in men can be noticed without being a specialist. Be more attentive to yourself and your loved ones. Don't be lazy and don't be afraid to ask for professional help if any suspicious symptoms are detected.

Main external signs

Popular proverbs urge not to judge others by their appearance. And this is not always the right decision. If a person suddenly stops taking care of himself, begins to neglect the rules of personal hygiene, and often looks untidy and sloppy - this is already a reason to think about his mental state. A neat and attractive appearance is one of the indicators of mental well-being and internal balance.

What is noteworthy is that the sick person himself can be aware of what is happening. To criticism regarding one's appearance he may answer something with the meaning that “appearance is not the main thing.” This portrayal of self-confidence coupled with indifference are also signs of mental disorders in men. As symptoms of such diseases, we can also mention personality degradation in general. During this process, a person loses interest in everything that happens to him and around him.

Behavioral symptoms

In everyday life, it is easiest to notice the main manifestations in the behavior of the sick person. The most striking symptom is a rapid change of mood. Sadness, joy, apathy, anger, anxiety and other emotions change, like in a kaleidoscope. At the same time, they are not connected with real events.

Quite often, people suffering from mental disorders are aggressive. Aggression can manifest itself in different ways, for one person it is only excessive rudeness in words, for another it is physical impact on surrounding objects, attempts to organize fights. Hypertrophied jealousy is also often observed in mental disorders. This is a common sign of mental illness among the stronger sex. If a man is constantly jealous of his woman without any real reason, this is a reason to seek professional psychological help.

Emotional manifestations

How does a person feel with mental illness? Do not forget that mental disorders can occur with a variety of symptoms. Some diseases are characterized by agitation of consciousness, while others are characterized by apathy. Almost every person with psychological problems comes to the conclusion that “no one understands him.” The sick person feels lonely and unwanted.

In some cases, a critical attitude towards others may be observed. At this symptom a person sincerely considers those around him to be responsible for all his problems. Despite the instability, most often people suffering from mental disorders experience something unpleasant. Most often these are emotions such as sadness, sadness, anxiety, fear.

A variety of phobias and psychological complexes can also develop against the background of more serious diseases. Interestingly, many patients note changes at the physiological level. Sleep disturbances, migraines, causeless pain, cramps - all this can be indirect manifestations of mental disorders. Sometimes there are problems with eating behavior. The sick person may begin to eat more than usual, or, on the contrary, refuse food.

Cognitive symptoms of psychological disorders

Any mental disorder occurs with a noticeable deterioration mental abilities. Memory impairment is especially noticeable. The sick person may forget some facts and events. The ability to operate with existing knowledge decreases, logical thinking is impaired. In some cases, there may be a slowdown in the reaction, and in others, on the contrary, an acceleration of thought processes. Obvious signs of mental disorders in men: inability to adequately assess what is happening, worsening adherence to principles.

Many diseases occur with the formation of obsessions, criticism of which is met with a strong negative reaction. Often a person in such a state feels literally like an “unrecognized genius.” Based on this, a clear passion for philosophy is possible. Moreover, it can be expressed in the study of the works of recognized sages or the creation of one’s own “teaching”. Most mental illnesses occur with a distorted perception of reality and oneself. People suffering from them are immersed in the world of their own, often not entirely adequate, fantasies and cease to be aware of the boundaries and importance of reality.

Perceptual manifestations of mental illness

Serious mental illness occur with a whole bunch of vivid symptoms. The most popular among them is hallucinations. The sick person may see or hear something that does not exist in reality. Hallucinations come in a variety of forms. Sometimes it is a disembodied voice that sounds “in your head” or in a dark room. Some patients see very real objects, animals or even familiar people. Others talk about observing irrational pictures, unreal beings.

In 70% of cases, hallucinations are frightening and disturbing. At the same time, the sick person fully believes in their reality. Most people who experience this symptom are happy to talk about their visions and experienced emotions. Some patients try to find a rational explanation for their visions. This applies primarily auditory hallucinations when the patient hears strange sounds and cannot accurately determine their source.

The most common mental disorders in the modern world

When studying the main signs of a mental disorder, you probably remembered at least one friend who has some of the listed symptoms. And this is not surprising, the life of a modern person is filled with worries and stress. With constant rush and an abundance of worries, it is difficult to always remain positive and maintain peace of mind. It sounds scary, but today depression is considered common occurrence. But this mental disorder, despite its outward harmlessness, can cause death.

It is a well-known fact: women are more emotional than men. Perhaps it is precisely because of their openness and desire to share the emotions they experience that representatives of the fair sex are less likely to suffer from serious mental illnesses than their husbands. If you believe the statistics of mental disorders, among men - 60% encounter this problem for the first time in at a young age. The remaining 40% are representatives of the stronger sex who became ill in adulthood.

The most common mental disorders in men, these are: neuroses, syndromes, phobias, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Put accurate diagnosis Only a specialist can. But if you suspect that someone close to you is suffering from a mental disorder, it is in your power to record the most striking symptoms and convince the sick person to seek professional help.

Schizophrenia: symptoms and signs in men, features of the disease

Name of this disease Each of us has heard it at least once. This is a fairly serious mental disorder that can be successfully corrected if therapy is started in the early stages. The pathology is characterized by loss of interest in life. How does schizophrenia manifest? Symptoms and signs are similar in men of all ages. A responsible person gradually stops thinking about work or study, and gradually loses interest in his family. The schizophrenic also abandons all personal interests and hobbies.

Many patients develop symptoms of autism. This is, first of all, isolation, reluctance to contact other people. A sick person seems to be trying to isolate himself from the world with an invisible wall, to remain alone with his own thoughts, experiences and problems. Signs anxiety disorders in men it is easy to confuse it with schizophrenia. This diagnosis occurs with deterioration of mental abilities, impaired concentration and attention. As the disease progresses, the person begins to think illogically and his speech may become incoherent.

They don’t like to leave the house; anxious thoughts haunt them. The mood of a man with this diagnosis is often depressed and apathetic; sometimes loved ones may notice causeless fear. In particular cases, schizophrenia occurs with disturbances motor functions, neuroses and hallucinations. This pathology is characterized by seasonal exacerbations. Painful symptoms in schizophrenics they become more pronounced in spring and autumn.

Causes of mental illness

Today, official medicine is not always able to establish the root causes of diagnosed mental illnesses. And yet there are a number of provoking factors. These are: stress, increased mental and emotional stress, a tense environment at work or at home, serious shocks. We should also not forget about genetic predisposition, brain diseases and other medical factors.

The first signs of a mental disorder in men may appear against the background of systematic use of alcohol and drugs. More often, drug addiction and alcoholism provoke the development of psychosis, delirium tremens, delusions of jealousy and other specific disorders. Very often, the cause of mental illness can be traumatic brain injury. Mental disorders are observed against the background of epilepsy and somatic disorders. With these pathologies, the psycho-emotional state of a person is extremely unstable.

There is a high percentage of people suffering from mental disorders among patients with malignant tumors and cerebrovascular diseases. In these cases, mental problems arise against the background of physiological disorders, the most common of which is increased blood pressure. Separate group diseases - age-related mental disorders. Symptoms in men of diseases in this category are diagnosed in the older age group. We are talking about diseases such as paranoia, Alzheimer's disease, marasmus, dementia, Pick's disease and some others.

Treatment of mental disorders

The majority of our compatriots still do not perceive mental disorders as serious illnesses. And this is an unforgivable mistake. We make an appointment with a doctor with bronchitis or heart pain, because we are afraid of serious complications, even death. And at the same time, we completely ignore bad mood and anxiety, attributing these symptoms to natural reactions of consciousness or banal laziness. But mental disorders can be much more dangerous than a runny nose or high temperature.

If you are careful enough, it is not difficult to spot signs of mental illness in men. The test can be done at home. If at least 2-3 symptoms are observed in a person for quite a long time, it is simply necessary to show him to a specialist!

Which doctor should I contact if I suspect a mental disorder? You should start by visiting a psychotherapist. During a confidential conversation, this specialist will be able to make a diagnosis, and if necessary, refer you to a psychiatrist. Does not exist universal formula how to treat mental disorders in men. In each case, the supervising doctor develops an individual treatment plan.

Many mental disorders can be cured with the help of psychotherapeutic techniques and psychological exercises. In some cases, drug therapy is also prescribed. Most mental disorders are completely treatable. It is important that treatment is carried out under the supervision of a specialist and started as early as possible.

The term "mental disorder" refers to a huge number of different illness conditions. To learn how to navigate them, to understand their essence, we will use the experience of presenting the doctrine of these disorders, that is, psychiatry, in textbooks intended for specialists.

The study of psychiatry (Greek psyche - soul, iateria - treatment) traditionally begins with the presentation of general psychopathology and only then moves on to specific psychiatry. General psychopathology includes the study of symptoms and syndromes (signs) of mental illness, since any disease, including mental illness, is, first of all, a set of its specific manifestations. Private psychiatry provides a description of specific mental illnesses - the causes of their occurrence, mechanisms of development, clinical manifestations, treatment, and preventive measures.

Let's consider the main symptoms and syndromes of mental disorders in order of their severity - from mild to more profound.

Asthenic syndrome.

Asthenic syndrome (asthenia) is a widespread condition that manifests itself increased fatigue, exhaustion, decreased performance. People with asthenic disorders experience weakness, mood instability, and are characterized by impressionability, sentimentality, and tearfulness; They are easily moved, they are easily irritated, they lose their composure over any little thing. Asthenic conditions are also characterized by frequent headaches and sleep disturbances (it becomes superficial, does not bring rest, and increased sleepiness is noted during the day).

Asthenia is a nonspecific disorder, i.e. can be observed in almost any mental illness, as well as in somatic diseases, in particular after operations, severe infectious diseases, or overwork.

Obsessiveness.

Obsessions are experiences in which a person, against his will, has any special thoughts, fears, doubts. At the same time, a person recognizes them as his own, they visit him again and again, it is impossible to get rid of them, despite a critical attitude towards them. Obsessive disorders can manifest themselves in the emergence of painful doubts, completely unjustified, and sometimes simply ridiculous thoughts, in an irresistible desire to count everything. A person with such disorders may check several times whether the light in the apartment has been turned off, whether front door, and as soon as he moves away from the house, doubts take possession of him again.

This same group of disorders includes obsessive fears - fear of heights, enclosed spaces, open spaces, traveling in public transport and many others. Sometimes, in order to relieve anxiety, internal tension, and calm down a little, people experiencing obsessive fears and doubts do certain obsessive actions, or movements (rituals). For example, a person with obsessive fear contaminated person can spend hours in the bathroom, wash his hands repeatedly with soap, and if he is distracted by something, start the whole procedure again and again.

Affective syndromes.

These mental disorders are the most common. Affective syndromes are manifested by persistent changes in mood, more often by a decrease in mood - depression, or an increase in mood - mania. Affective syndromes often occur at the very beginning of mental illness. They may remain predominant throughout, but may become more complex and coexist for a long time with other, more severe mental disorders. As the disease progresses, depression and mania are often the last to disappear.

When we talk about depression, we primarily mean its following manifestations.

Decreased mood, feelings of depression, depression, melancholy, severe cases physically felt as heaviness or pain in the chest. This is an extremely painful condition for a person.
Decreased mental activity (thoughts become poorer, shorter, more vague). A person in this state does not answer questions immediately - after a pause, gives short, monosyllabic answers, speaks slowly, in a quiet voice. Quite often, patients with depression note that they find it difficult to understand the meaning of the question asked of them, the essence of what they read, and complain of memory loss. Such patients have difficulty making decisions and cannot switch to new activities.
Motor inhibition - patients experience weakness, lethargy, muscle relaxation, talk about fatigue, their movements are slow and constrained.

In addition to the above, characteristic manifestations of depression are:

feelings of guilt, ideas of self-blame, sinfulness;
a feeling of despair, hopelessness, impasse, which is very often accompanied by thoughts of death and suicide attempts;
daily fluctuations in condition, often with some relief of well-being in the evening;
sleep disorders; shallow, intermittent night sleep, with early awakenings, disturbing dreams, sleep does not bring rest).

Depression may also be accompanied by sweating, tachycardia, fluctuations blood pressure, sensations of heat, cold, chilliness, loss of appetite, weight loss, constipation (sometimes from the side digestive system Symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, belching occur).
Depression is characterized by a high risk of suicide!

Read the text below carefully - this will help you to notice in time the appearance of suicidal thoughts and intentions in a person with depression.

If you have depression, the possibility of a suicide attempt is indicated by:

statements of a sick person about his uselessness, guilt, sin;
a feeling of hopelessness, meaninglessness of life, reluctance to make plans for the future;
sudden calm after a long period of anxiety and melancholy;
accumulation of medications;
a sudden desire to meet old friends, ask forgiveness from loved ones, put your affairs in order, make a will.

The appearance of suicidal thoughts and intentions is an indication to immediately consult a doctor and decide on hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital!

Manias (manic states) are characterized by the following symptoms.

Increased mood (fun, carefree, rosy, unshakable optimism).
Acceleration of the pace of mental activity (the appearance of many thoughts, various plans and desires, ideas of overestimation of one’s own personality).
Motor excitement (excessive liveliness, mobility, talkativeness, feeling of excess energy, desire for activity).

Manic states, like depression, are characterized by sleep disturbances: usually people with these disorders sleep little, but a short sleep is enough for them to feel alert and rested. With a mild version of the manic state (so-called hypomania), a person experiences an increase in creative powers, an increase in intellectual productivity, vitality, and performance. He can work a lot and sleep little. He perceives all events with optimism.

If hypomia turns into mania, that is, the condition becomes more severe, the listed manifestations are accompanied by increased distractibility, extreme instability of attention and, as a result, loss of productivity. Often people in a state of mania look lightweight, braggarts, their speech is replete with jokes, witticisms, quotes, their facial expressions are animated, their faces are flushed. When talking, they often change their position, cannot sit still, and actively gesticulate.

Characteristic symptoms of mania are increased appetite and increased sexuality. The behavior of patients can be unrestrained, they can establish multiple sexual relationships, and commit thoughtless and sometimes ridiculous actions. A cheerful and joyful mood can be replaced by irritability and anger. As a rule, with mania, the understanding of the painfulness of one’s condition is lost.

Senestopathies.

Senestopathies (Latin sensus - feeling, sensation, pathos - illness, suffering) are symptoms of mental disorders, manifested by a wide variety of unusual sensations in the body in the form of tingling, burning, twisting, tightening, transfusion, etc., not associated with any disease internal organ. Senestopathies are always unique, unlike anything else. The vague nature of these disorders causes serious difficulties when trying to characterize them. To describe such sensations, patients sometimes use their own definitions (“rustling under the ribs,” “squelching in the spleen,” “it seems like the head is coming off”). Senestopathies are often accompanied by thoughts about the presence of some somatic illness, and then we are talking about hypochondriacal syndrome.

Hypochondriacal syndrome.

This syndrome is characterized by persistent preoccupation own health, persistent thoughts about having a serious, progressive and possibly incurable somatic disease. People with this disorder have persistent complaints somatic nature, often interpreting normal or ordinary sensations as manifestations of illness. Despite the negative results of the examinations and the dissuading specialists, they regularly visit different doctors, insisting on additional serious examinations and repeated consultations. Hypochondriacal disorders often develop against the background of depression.

Illusions.

When illusions arise, real-life objects are perceived by a person in a changed - erroneous form. Illusory perception can also occur against the background of complete mental health, when it is a manifestation of one of the laws of physics: if, for example, you look at an object under water, it will seem much larger than in reality.

Illusions can also appear under the influence strong feeling- anxiety, fear. So, at night in the forest, trees can be perceived as some kind of monster. At pathological conditions real images and objects can be perceived in a bizarre and fantastic form: the wallpaper pattern is a “tangle of worms”, the shadow from a floor lamp is “the head of a terrible lizard”, the pattern on the carpet is “a beautiful unprecedented landscape”.

Hallucinations.

This is the name for disorders in which a person with a disturbed psyche sees, hears, feels something that does not exist in reality.

Hallucinations are divided into auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, hallucinations general feeling(visceral, muscular). However, their combination is also possible (for example, a sick person can see a group of strangers, hear them talking).

Auditory hallucinations manifest themselves in the patient’s pathological perception of certain words, speeches, conversations (verbal hallucinations), as well as individual sounds or noises. Verbal hallucinations can be very different in content - from so-called calls, when a sick person hears a voice calling him by name or surname, to entire phrases and conversations involving one or more voices. Patients call verbal hallucinations “voices.”

Sometimes the “voices” are of an imperative nature - these are the so-called imperative hallucinations, when a person hears an order to remain silent, to hit, to kill someone, or to harm himself. Such conditions are very dangerous both for the patients themselves and for those around them, and therefore are an indication for serious drug treatment, as well as special monitoring and care.

Visual hallucinations can be elementary (in the form of sparks, smoke) or objective. Sometimes the patient sees entire scenes (battlefield, hell). Olfactory hallucinations most often represent an imaginary sensation unpleasant odors(rotting, decay, poisons, some kind of food), less often unfamiliar or pleasant.

Tactile hallucinations occur mainly in later life, with patients experiencing burning, itching, stinging, pain, other sensations, and touching the body. The text below lists the signs by which one can determine or at least suspect the presence of auditory and visual hallucinatory disorders in a sick person.

Signs of auditory and visual hallucinations.

conversations with oneself that resemble a conversation (for example, emotional answers to some questions);
unexpected laughter for no reason;
anxious and preoccupied look;
difficulty concentrating on a topic of conversation or a specific task;
a person listens to something or sees something that you cannot see.

Delusional disorders.

According to experts, such disorders are among the main signs of psychosis. Defining what delirium is is not an easy task. With these disorders, even psychiatrists often disagree in their assessment of the patient’s condition.

The following signs of delirium are distinguished:

It is based on incorrect conclusions, erroneous judgments, and false beliefs.
Delirium always occurs on a painful basis - it is always a symptom of a disease.
Delusion cannot be corrected or dissuaded from the outside, despite the obvious contradiction with reality, a person with delusional disorder is completely convinced of the reliability of his erroneous ideas.
Delusional beliefs are of extreme significance for the patient; one way or another, they determine his actions and behavior.

Delusional ideas are extremely diverse in their content. These ideas could be:

persecution, poisoning, influence, material damage, witchcraft, damage, accusations, jealousy;
self-deprecation, self-blame, hypochondriacal, denial;
inventions, high birth, wealth, greatness;
love, erotic delirium.

Delusional disorders are also ambiguous in their form. There is a so-called interpretive delusion, in which the evidence of the main delusional idea is one-sided interpretation of everyday events and facts. This is a fairly persistent disorder when a sick person is disrupted in reflecting cause-and-effect relationships between phenomena. Such nonsense is always logically justified in its own way. A person suffering from this form of delusion can endlessly prove that he is right, give a lot of arguments, and debate. The content of interpretive delusion can reflect all human feelings and experiences.

Another form of delirium is sensory or figurative delirium, which occurs against a background of anxiety, fear, confusion, severe mood disorders, hallucinations, and disturbances of consciousness. Such delirium is observed in acutely developed painful conditions. In this case, during the formation of delusions, there is no evidence or logical premises, and everything around is perceived in a special “delusional” way.

Often the development of acute sensory delirium syndrome is preceded by such phenomena as derealization and depersonalization. Derealization is a feeling of change in the surrounding world, when everything around is perceived as “unreal”, “rigged”, “artificial”; depersonalization is a feeling of change in one’s own personality. Patients with depersonalization characterize themselves as having “lost their own face,” “becoming stupid,” and “losing the fullness of their feelings.”

Catatonic syndromes.

This is how conditions are defined in which disturbances in the motor sphere predominate: retardation, stupor (Latin stupor - numbness, immobility) or, on the contrary, excitement. With catatonic stupor, muscle tone is often increased. This condition is characterized by complete immobility, as well as complete silence and refusal to speak. A person can freeze in the most unusual, uncomfortable position - with his arm extended, one leg raised, with his head raised above the pillow.

The state of catatonic excitation is characterized by chaoticity, lack of purpose, and repetition of individual movements, which can be accompanied by either complete silence or shouting of individual phrases or words. Catatonic syndromes can be observed even with clear consciousness, which indicates a great severity of disorders, and be accompanied by confusion. In the latter case, we are talking about a more favorable course of the disease.

Syndromes of confusion.

These conditions occur not only in mental disorders, but also in severe somatic patients. When consciousness is clouded, perception of the environment becomes difficult, contact with the outside world is disrupted.

There are several syndromes of stupefaction. They are characterized by a number of common features.

Detachment from the outside world. Patients are unable to comprehend what is happening, as a result of which their contact with others is disrupted.
Disorientation in time, place, situation and in one’s own personality.
Thinking disorder is the loss of the ability to think correctly and logically. Sometimes there is incoherent thinking.
Memory impairment. During the period of clouding of consciousness, the assimilation of new information and reproduction of the existing one. After emerging from the state of impaired consciousness, the patient may experience partial or complete amnesia (forgetting) of the transferred state.

Each of the listed symptoms can occur in different mental disorders, and only their combination allows us to talk about clouding of consciousness. These symptoms are reversible. When consciousness is restored, they disappear.

Dementia (dementia).

Dementia is a deep impoverishment of a person’s entire mental activity, a persistent decline in all intellectual functions. With dementia, the ability to acquire new knowledge and their practical use deteriorates (and sometimes is completely lost), and adaptability to the outside world is impaired.

Experts distinguish between acquired pathology of intelligence (dementia, or dementia), which develops as a result of the progression of certain mental illnesses, and congenital pathology (oligophrenia, or dementia).

To summarize the above, we note that this lecture provides information about the most common symptoms and syndromes of mental disorders. It will help the reader better understand what specific mental illnesses are, such as schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, and neuroses.

E.G. Rytik, E.S. Akimkina
"Main symptoms and syndromes of mental disorders."

Mental disorders are a condition characterized by mental and behavioral changes in a destructive direction.

The term has several interpretations, both in the field of jurisprudence and in psychiatry or psychology, which introduces ambiguity into its meaning.

ICD ( international classification diseases) does not distinguish this disorder as a mental or mental illness.

The term is rather overall assessment various disorders of the human psyche.

Psychiatry notes that it is not always possible to identify biological, social or medical signs mental disorders. Few mental problems arise from a physical disorder in the body.

Risk factors

Each mental disorder of an individual can arise both due to a change in structure and due to a violation normal functioning brain

The reasons influencing this are divided into the following groups:

Exogenous. This category usually includes any external factor that affects a person: be it various industrial toxins, drugs, microorganisms or brain injuries, which could also be caused by a disease.
Endogenous. This category includes immanent factors that include chromosome disorders, gene diseases, and hereditary diseases.

There are still many mental disorders that cannot be explained scientifically. Every 4th person has a tendency to mental disorders and behavioral variability.

The main factors provoking the pathologies under consideration are usually considered to be biological and psychological impact environment.

The disorder can be genetically transmitted regardless of gender. Psychological factors combined heredity, as well as the influence of the environment, which can lead to personality disorders.

Raising children with false ideas about family values increases the chances of developing mental disorders.

Mental pathologies most often manifest themselves among patients with diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases brain, infectious diseases and those who have experienced a stroke.

Alcohol addiction can deprive a person of his sanity, disrupting mental and physical functions body.

Symptoms of the disease may also appear if regular use psychoactive drugs that affect the nervous system.

Autumn exacerbations or personal troubles can lead anyone to mild depression. It is for this reason that it is recommended to take vitamins in the fall.

Classification

To make it easier to make a diagnosis, the World Health Organization has classified mental pathologies, which are usually grouped as follows:

A condition caused by various types of organic damage to the brain. This category includes disorders caused by brain injuries, strokes, or systemic diseases. Cognitive functions are impaired, and symptoms such as hallucinations, emotional variability, and delusions occur.
Persistent mental change caused by excessive consumption alcohol or drugs. This group includes pathologies that were caused by the influence of psychoactive drugs, as well as sedatives, hypnotics, and hallucinogenic substances.
Schizophrenia and schizotypal disorders. Symptoms manifest themselves in the form of a sharp change in character, the commission of illogical and ridiculous actions, changes in interests and the emergence of uncharacteristic hobbies, and a decline in performance. An individual may completely lose the state of sanity and perception of the events surrounding him. If the symptoms are mild or borderline, then the patient is diagnosed with schizotypal disorder.
Affective disorders are a group of disorders characterized by mood swings. The brightest representative of the category is considered bipolar disorder. This group also includes manias with a variety of psychotic disorders and Persistent forms of these disorders are considered to be
Phobias and neuroses. This group usually includes various neurotic disorders, including panic attack, paranoid state, neurosis, chronic stress state, various phobias and somatized deviations. The classification includes specific and situational types of phobias.
Behavioral syndromes that include physiological problems. This group includes various types of disorders associated with nutrition, sleep and sexual dysfunctions..
Personality and behavior disorders. This group included many conditions, including problems of gender identification, sexual preferences, habits and attractions.
Specific personality disorders include persistent changes in behavior as a reaction to a social or personal situation. Such conditions include paranoid, schizoid, and dissocial personality disorder symptoms.
Mental retardation. This category includes congenital conditions characterized by delay in mental development. These manifestations reduce intellectual functions, such as speech, thinking, attention, memory and social adaptation functions.
The disorder may be mild, moderate, moderate or severe, which is characterized by obvious clinical manifestations. The status data is based on possible injuries fetus during childbirth, developmental delays inside the womb, genetic predispositions, as well as attention deficit at an early age.
Mental development disorders. This category included speech pathologies, delays in acquiring skills, training, motor functions and problems psychological development. The condition begins in childhood and is often caused by brain damage. It proceeds evenly, without deterioration or remission.
Disorders that involve activity and attention. This group also includes hyperkinetic pathologies. Symptoms appear in adolescents or children as problems with attention. Children show hyperactivity, disobedience, and sometimes aggression.

Symptoms

Mental pathologies have the following symptoms, divided into groups of characteristics.

Group 1 - hallucinations
Hallucinations include imaginary perceptions that are not caused by an external object. Such perceptions may be verbal, visual, tactile, gustatory and olfactory.
- Verbal (auditory) hallucinations manifest themselves in individual words, songs, music, phrases that the patient hears. Often words can be in the nature of a threat or an order that is difficult to resist.
- Visual can manifest itself in the appearance of silhouettes, objects, pictures and full-fledged films.
- Tactile hallucination is perceived as the sensation of foreign beings or objects on the body, as well as their movement along the body and limbs.
- Taste hallucination characterized by a feeling of taste as if the patient had bitten something.
- Olfactory hallucination manifested by a sense of aromas that usually cause disgust.

They can manifest themselves in a wide variety of cases and are a symptom of psychosis. They can occur both in schizophrenia and in case of poisoning with alcohol or other toxic substances. It may also occur in cases of brain damage or senile psychosis.

Group 2 - symptoms of thinking disorder
This group of symptoms includes pathologies of thought processes, it includes: obsessive, delusional and overvalued ideas.
- Obsessions include conditions that occur against the patient's will. The patient evaluates the standing critically and tries to cope with it. Intrusive thoughts characterized by inconsistency with the patient’s worldview. An obsession occurs in cases of neurosis or schizophrenia.
  - obsessive doubt is manifested by regular uncertainty in actions and actions, and exists contrary to reasonable logic;
  - the patient can repeatedly check whether electrical appliances are turned on and whether the doors are locked;
  - obsessive memory is manifested by regular reminders to oneself about an unpleasant fact or event;
  - an obsessive abstract idea is manifested by scrolling through thoughts of incoherent concepts, numbers and operations with them.
- Super valuable ideas. They manifest themselves as logically supported beliefs based on realistic situations that are related to personal characteristics and emotionally charged. Such ideas push the patient to narrowly focused actions, which often contributes to his maladjustment. At the same time, critical thinking is maintained, so ideas can be adjusted.
- Crazy ideas. They mean a false idea that arises against the background of mental disorders and does not correspond to reality. Such judgments are not subject to criticism; therefore, they are fully immersed in the patient’s consciousness, changing activity and reducing social adaptation sick.
Group 3 - signs of emotional disturbance

Grouped here different kinds emotional disorders, reflecting the human attitude towards reality and oneself personally.

The human body has close connection With external environment, which leads to constant exposure to external irritants.
Such an impact can be either emotionally positive or negative or cause uncertainty. Emotions can be newly emerged (hypothymic, hyperthymic and parathymic) or lost.
1. Hypotymia manifested by a decrease in mood in the form of anxiety, fears, feelings of melancholy or confusion.
  - Yearning is a condition that depresses any mental processes person. The entire environment is painted in dark tones.
    Activity decreases, there is a strong expression of doom. There is a feeling that life is meaningless.
    There is a high risk of suicide. Melancholy manifests itself in cases of neurosis and manic-depressive psychosis.
  - Anxiety- internal anxiety, tightness and excessive tension in the chest. Usually accompanied by a feeling of impending disaster.
  - Fear is a condition that causes fear for one’s own life and well-being. The patient may, at the same time, not realize what he is really afraid of and be in a state of expectation that something bad will happen to him.
    Some will strive to escape, others will become depressed, freezing in place. Fear can have certainty. In this case, the person realizes the cause of fear (cars, animals, other people).
  - Confusion. IN this state there is variability in the emotional background along with the manifestation of bewilderment.
2. Hypothymic states are not specific and can occur in various conditions.
3. Hyperthymia - excessive good mood . Such conditions manifest themselves euphoria, complacency, ecstasy, anger.
  - - causeless joy, happiness. In this state, there is often a desire to do something. Manifests itself when using alcohol or drugs, as well as in manic-depressive psychosis.
  - Ecstasy is characterized highest degree mood booster. Occurs in patients with schizophrenia or epilepsy.
  - Complacency is a state of carelessness with a lack of desire for action. Most often occurs with senile dementia or atrophic processes in the brain.
  - Anger. The condition is irritability of the highest level, anger with the manifestation of aggressive, destructive activity. When combined with sadness it is called dysphoria. The condition is typical for patients with epilepsy.
All types described above emotional states can occur in a completely healthy person in Everyday life: the main factor here is the number of manifestations, intensity and impact on further activities.
Group 4 - symptoms of memory impairment

The fourth group contains symptoms of memory problems. These include a decrease in memory function or their complete loss, the inability to remember, retain and reproduce individual events or information.

They are divided into paramnesia (memory deception) and amnesia (memory loss)

Group 5 - signs of impaired volitional activity
TO volitional disorders include such types of violations as hypobulia (expressed as a weakening of volitional activity), (lack of activity), and parabulia (perversion of volitional acts).
1. Hypobulia is characterized by a decrease in the intensity and number of activities that encourage activity. It can manifest itself as suppression of individual instincts, for example, food, sexual or defensive, which leads to anorexia, decreased libido and lack of protective actions against a threat, respectively. Usually observed in neuroses, depressive states. More persistent conditions occur in some cases of brain damage, as well as schizophrenia and dementia.
2. The opposite symptom is hyperbulia, which is expressed by a painful increase in volitional activity. A similar unhealthy desire for activity occurs in the case of manic-depressive psychosis, dementia and some types of psychopathy.
Group 6 - signs of attention disorder

The sixth group of symptoms includes signs of absent-mindedness, distractibility, exhaustion and stiffness.

Absent-mindedness. In this state, a person is unable to concentrate on one type of activity.
Exhaustibility. Such a violation of attention leads to a weakening of concentration on a specific process. As a result, it becomes impossible to do work productively.
Distractibility. Such a manifestation leads to frequent and unreasonable changes in activity, and as a result, to a loss of productivity.
Stiffness. It becomes difficult for a person to switch attention from one object to another.

The pathologies described almost always occur in cases of mental illness.

Public reaction

Most people tend to avoid contact with people suffering from mental disorders, most often the reason for this is stereotypes.

At the same time, there are many variants of deviations that create problems for the patient, but not for the people around him. Only some pathologies lead to antisocial behavior and violation of laws. In this case, the person is declared insane and sent to compulsory therapy.

Old stereotypes cultivate complexes in people that do not allow them to visit psychotherapists, as is common in Western culture. No one can be immune from mental disorders, so you should not ignore specialists who can help overcome a psychological problem.

With timely provision of proper medical care, the severe and sometimes irreversible impact of mental illness on a person can be avoided.

Documentary film on the topic: “Psyche and mental disorders. Genius or disease."