Symptoms and treatment of neurosis in adults. What is neurosis: symptoms and manifestations of pathological reactions

Neurosis is a set of psychogenic, functional reversible disorders that tend to have a long course. The clinical picture of neurosis is characterized by obsessive, asthenic or hysterical manifestations, as well as a temporary weakening of physical and mental performance. Also, neurosis is called psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder.

The cause of neurosis in adults in most cases are conflicts (internal or external), stress, the action of circumstances that cause psychological trauma, long-term overstrain of the emotional or intellectual spheres of the psyche.

IP Pavlov defined neurosis as a protracted, chronic disorder of higher nervous activity, provoked in the cerebral cortex by an overstrain of nervous processes and exposure to external stimuli inadequate in duration and strength. At the beginning of the 20th century, the use of the clinical term "neurosis" in relation not only to humans, but also to animals, led to many disputes among scientists. Basically, psychoanalytic theories present neurosis and its symptoms as a consequence of a psychological, latent conflict.

Causes of neurosis

The occurrence of this condition depends on many physical and psychological factors. Most often, specialists in clinical practice have to deal with such etiopathogenetic effects:

- prolonged emotional experiences or mental overload. For example, a high study load can lead to the development of neuroses in children, and in people of young and mature age, these factors are job loss, divorce, dissatisfaction with their lives;

- inability to solve personal problems. For example, the situation with overdue loans. Psychological long-term pressure from the bank may well lead to neurotic disorders;

- absent-mindedness, which led to a negative consequence. For example, a person left an electrical appliance on, and a fire broke out. In such cases, obsessive-compulsive disorder can develop, in which the person is constantly in doubt about the fact that he forgot to do something significant;

- intoxication and diseases leading to depletion of the body. For example, neuroses can arise as a result of infectious diseases that do not go away for a long time (flu, tuberculosis). Also, neuroses often develop in individuals who are dependent on the use of alcoholic beverages or tobacco;

- pathology of the development of the central nervous system, which is accompanied by an inability to long-term physical and mental work (congenital asthenia);

- disorders of a neurotic nature can develop for no apparent reason, acting as a consequence of the morbidity of the inner world and the patient's self-hypnosis. This form of the disease is often found in women with a hysteroid type of character.

Symptoms of neurosis

The clinical picture of neuroses is conditionally divided into two large groups: symptoms of a somatic and mental nature. Both those and others are found in all varieties of neuropathic disorders, but each type of neurosis has its own characteristics that allow for differential diagnosis.

Symptoms of a neurosis of a psychopathic nature include the following manifestations:

- self-doubt, chronic anxiety, indecision, fatigue. The patient, being in this state, does not set himself life goals, does not believe in himself, is sure of the lack of success. Often, patients develop inferiority complexes regarding the lack of ability to communicate and dissatisfaction with their own appearance;

- the patient, experiencing constant fatigue, does not want to do any active actions in his studies and to advance at work, his working capacity is significantly reduced, and frequent sleep disturbances (drowsiness or insomnia) are noted.

In addition to the above, the signs of neurosis include inadequate, which can be both overestimated and underestimated.

Symptoms of neurosis of a somatic nature include the following manifestations:

- episodic pain in the heart that occurs at rest or during exercise;

- signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia, sweating, tremor of the limbs, severe anxiety, which are accompanied by hypotonic syndrome.

At the moments of a critical decrease in blood pressure, the patient may lose consciousness, faint.

Signs of neurosis in adults can manifest themselves in the appearance of psychalgia, which is characterized by the expression of pain without organic pathology.

Pain in such cases act as a panic reaction of the psyche to the expectation of this by the patient. Often a person has such a situation when exactly what happens to him is what he subconsciously does not let go of his thoughts and what he is afraid of.

Signs of neurosis

The following signs may indicate the presence of this disorder in a person:

- emotional distress for no apparent reason;

- problems in communication;

- frequent experience of feeling, anxiety, anxious expectation of something;

- indecision;

- instability of mood, its sharp or frequent variability;

- inconsistency and uncertainty of the system of values, life preferences and desires, cynicism;

- inadequate self-esteem: overestimation or underestimation;

- tearfulness;

- high sensitivity to stress in the form of despair or;

- anxiety, vulnerability, resentment;

- fixation on a traumatic situation;

- attempts to work quickly end in fatigue, decreased attention and mental ability;

- a person is noted to have an increased sensitivity to temperature extremes, bright light, loud sounds;

- sleep disorders: sleep is disturbing, superficial, not bringing relief, drowsiness is noted in the morning;

- heart and headaches;

- increased fatigue, a feeling of fatigue, a general decrease in efficiency;

- darkening in the eyes from pressure drops, dizziness;

- pain in the abdomen;

- difficulty to keep balance, violations of the vestibular apparatus;

- violation of appetite (malnutrition, hunger, overeating, fast satiety when eating);

- sleep disturbances (insomnia), early awakening, poor falling asleep, lack of a full sense of rest after sleep, nocturnal awakenings, nightmares;

- psychological fear of physical pain, increased concern for one's health;

- autonomic disorders: increased sweating, palpitations, disruption of the stomach, jumps in blood pressure, increased urge to urinate, cough, loose stools;

- decreased potency and libido.

Forms of neurosis

Currently, the following forms of neurosis have become widespread:

The term "cognitive therapy" means the reproduction of a situation that caused anxiety and anxiety in a patient in a safe environment. This allows patients to reasonably assess what happened and draw the necessary conclusions. Cognitive therapy is often done during a hypnotic trance.
After the patient is taken out of the neurotic state, a conversation is carried out with him regarding the further way of life, the search for his place in the world around him and the normalization of well-being. The patient is advised to get distracted and find ways to relax from the surrounding reality, to find any passion or hobby.

In cases where the methods of psychotherapy in the treatment of neuroses do not bring the expected result, it becomes necessary to carry out drug therapy.

For this, several groups of drugs are used:

- tranquilizers;

- neuroleptics;

- antidepressants;

- Nootropic drugs and psychostimulants.

Tranquilizers in their pharmacological effect are similar to antipsychotics, but they have a different mechanism of action, stimulating the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid. They have a pronounced sedative and relaxing effect. They are prescribed in short courses for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Tranquilizers reduce feelings of fear, anxiety, emotional tension. This makes the patient more accessible to psychotherapy.
Tranquilizers in large doses at first can cause a feeling of lethargy, drowsiness, mild nausea, weakness. In the future, these phenomena pass, and these drugs do not violate the ability to work. In view of the fact that tranquilizers slow down reaction time and reduce the activity of attention, it is necessary to prescribe them to transport drivers with great care.
In medical practice, tranquilizers are often prescribed - benzodiazepine derivatives - chlordiazepoxide (Librium, Elenium), Diazepam (Valium, Seduxen), Tazepam (Oxazepam), Eunoctin (Nitrazepam, Radedorm). They have anti-convulsant, anti-anxiety, vegeto-normalizing and mild hypnotic effects.

Tranquilizers such as Andaksin (Meprotan, Meprobamate), and Trioxazin are also widely used. Each of the drugs has its own psychopharmacological characteristics.

When choosing tranquilizers, the psychotherapist takes into account not only the symptoms of the disorder, but also the patient's individual reaction to it. So, for example, some patients tolerate Trioxazin well and Seduxen (Diazepam) poorly, while others do the opposite.
Doses of the drug are selected individually, starting with one tablet of Seduxen (5 mg) or Librium (10 mg). Every day, the dose of the drug is increased by 1-2 tablets and an average of 10-30 mg of Seduxen or 20-60 mg of Librium is given.

Antipsychotics (Aminazin, etc.) have an antipsychotic effect, have a hypnotic and sedative effect, eliminate hallucinations, but with prolonged therapy they can cause depression. They are prescribed for the hysteroid form of neurosis.

Antidepressants (Amitriptyline, etc.) have a pronounced sedative effect. They are used for neurosis, accompanied by fear and anxiety. Can be used parenterally or in tablet form.

Nootropic drugs (Nootropil, etc.) and psychostimulants have an exciting effect, improve the emotional state, increase mental performance, reduce the feeling of fatigue, cause a feeling of a surge of strength and vigor, temporarily, prevent the onset of sleep. They are prescribed for depressive forms of neurosis.

These drugs should be prescribed with caution, as they include the "reserve" capabilities of the body, without eliminating the need for normal sleep and rest. In unstable psychopathic personalities, addiction can occur.

The physiological action of psychostimulants is in many respects somewhat similar to the action of adrenaline and caffeine, which also have stimulating properties.

Of the stimulants, Benzedrine (Phenamine, Amphetamine) is used more often than others, 5-10 mg 1-2 r. per day, Sidnokarb 5-10 mg 1-2 p. in the first half of the day.

In addition to general strengthening agents, in asthenic conditions, experts prescribe the following tonic drugs:

- ginseng root, 0.15 g, 1 t. 3 r. Per day or 25 drops 3 r. per day 1 hour before meals;

- tincture of lemongrass 20 drops 2 r. in a day;

- Eleutherococcus extract, half a teaspoonful 3 r. a day half an hour before meals;

- Leuzea extract 20 drops 2 r. a day before meals;

- tincture of sterculia 20 drops 2-3 r. in a day;

- tincture of lure 30 drops 2-3 r. in a day;

- tincture of Aralia 30 drops 2-3 r. in a day;

- Saparal 0.05 g, 1 t. 3 r. a day after meals;

- Pantocrine 30 drops 2-3 r. a day before meals.

To improve the quality of sleep and reduce effective tension, patients with neurosis are prescribed small doses of sleeping pills.

How to treat neurosis

With neuroses, calming music is very effective in treatment, which affects the psycho-emotional state. Scientists have already proven that properly selected music can influence the most important physiological reactions: heart rate, gas exchange processes, blood pressure, depth of breathing, and activity of the nervous system.
From the point of view, music can change the energy inside the body of an individual, achieving harmony at all levels - emotional, physical, spiritual.

Musical works can oppositely change the mood of a person. In this regard, all musical compositions are divided into activating and soothing. Psychotherapists use music as a method to promote the production of endorphins and allow the patient to experience the most desirable emotions for him, helping to overcome depressive states.
Music therapy was officially recognized in Europe in the 19th century. Currently, music is used for stuttering, as well as mental, neurotic, psychosomatic diseases. Musical rhythms and sounds selectively affect a person. Classical etudes can relieve anxiety and tension, even out breathing, and relax muscles.

Internal conflicts and stresses make people find peace by turning to specialists, mastering effective relaxation methods to restore the nervous system. Such techniques are accompanied by special melodies that serve as a background for them and have a relaxing effect.

A new direction "meditative music" appeared in music, including ethno-chants and folk music. The construction of such a melody takes place on repetitive elements, a combination of viscous enveloping rhythms and ethnic patterns.

Prevention of neuroses

As a rule, the prognosis for neuroses is favorable, but in order to cure them completely, a lot of effort, time, and sometimes financial costs are needed. Therefore, the prevention of neurosis is of great importance.

It is very important in preventing states of neurosis to normalize the regime of work and rest, to have any hobby available, and to take regular walks in the fresh air. To relieve mental stress, you need to find a suitable opportunity, which can be a diary. It is required to accurately monitor the personal state of a person, and if the first symptoms of psychological overload occur, you should contact a specialized specialist.

If the state of neurosis was caused by seasonal depression, then light therapy or walks on sunny days are used to prevent and treat it.

Primary prevention of neurosis includes:

- prevention of psychotraumatic situations at home and at work;

Secondary prevention of the state of neurosis includes:

- prevention of relapses;

- changing the attitude of patients through conversations to traumatic situations (treatment by persuasion), suggestion and; when they are detected, timely treatment;

- Helping to increase the brightness in the room;

- diet therapy (balanced diet, refusal of alcoholic beverages and coffee);

- vitamin therapy, sufficient sleep;

- adequate and timely treatment of other diseases: cardiovascular, endocrine, cerebral atherosclerosis, iron and vitamin B12 deficiency anemia;

- exclusion of substance abuse, alcoholism.

Have a nice day. I ask you to explain to me that I am not going crazy and that there is no schizophrenia in me. After the death of my grandmother on the third day in the evening, I stood in front of the mirror and marveled at the new one, but I wondered that I didn’t change anything in me, but to me it appeared like this, I found that day, standing in front of the mirror, asking myself who I was. strong because of the funeral. Lіg sleep vrantsі prokinuvshis alya in me began to zamorochennya in my head. I went to the line to school there, almost having spent my debt (before that I had buried three grandmothers and spent my debt at the funeral), I was brought to the likarni by a vice. The next day, everything happened again and so it went on for two weeks, and then there was added confusion in my head, stronger constant vomiting, I feel like I’m dying, or I’m going crazy with a stronger heartbeat and a lump in my throat. The doctor made a diagnosis of astheno-neurotic syndrome. After 3 weeks of jubilation, adding a new symptom to come in the evening, I start crying for nothing. They corrected me at the psychiatric clinic until I was diagnosed with neurosis, and they diagnosed F 48.0 and F 50.0-? . After lying there for two weeks, they wrote me down but my head was not getting better. I can see that I’m in the fog and I can see that I’m not alone like it was so full and lost, I marvel at the computer screen, I close my eyes tightly. I have a strong fear of going crazy, otherwise there would be no schizophrenia. Help be-weasel

Hello Vova. It will be superfluous to worry and go in cycles in new diagnoses in your case. You have reactive neurasthenia (F48.0) resulting from exposure to psychotraumatic factors. You need to slowly get out of your state, think about the good, avoid stressful situations, unrest, since the course of neurasthenia can be delayed due to the addition of other neurotic symptoms (separate obsessive doubts, fears, etc.).
- - Vladimir, everything will depend on your speedy desire to recover. A psychologist does not deal with treatment, only a psychotherapist will help you get out of this state. Adaptol will help ease anxiety, anxiety, fear, internal emotional stress. The drug does not reduce mental and motor activity, so it can be used during the working day.
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Hello. I am writing here in the hope of finding help with my condition. Recently, one fine day, my head began to hurt, I took trite Citramon, Fanigan. Then she began to disturb in the area of \u200b\u200bthe heart, tobish in the left side of the chest. I started taking Valilol and Corvalol. Noticed that I take these prepatrap very often. I turned to a surgeon I knew, he examined me and decided that my pain was not related to the heart, and sent me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist did an ECG, said that there was no pathology in the heart. Next, the surgeon gave me a back massage and said that maybe there is a pinch in the region of the left shoulder blade and made me a blockade. It all started after the blockade, or rather my condition. I started feeling dizzy when walking, lack of coordination. Inside the body, everything is tense, hand tremor, chills. In the evenings, as the sun sets, there is a fever on the face, while there is no temperature, the face under the eyes becomes red. Anxious state. It seems to me that I am sick with something indistinguishable. I did an MRI of the brain, the result is normal, there are no pathologies. Sluggish state. Being outside is more annoying. Irritability to everything, impatience in everything. I myself am essentially suspicious. But this condition and lack of coordination ruined my usual life. I did the tests, the result is normal. I constantly think about my condition, I can not get distracted. My brain only thinks about my condition. Sudden movements and sounds annoy me so much that I twitch from it. Libido is broken, there is no interest in intimacy at all.
Please tell me what's wrong with me? Thank you very much in advance for your attention.

Hello! My name is Anastasia! 24 years old, two kids! From childhood, she was distinguished by high suspiciousness and empathy, after giving birth, panic attacks began! I learned to fight and perceive them normally, thanks to books and videos!
But anxiety and neurosis remained, and for nothing, for someone to get sick all the time, I get out of the rut, everything ceases to please, complete pessimism! ((((
I visited a psychotherapist, prescribed gidozepam and Simon, there were terrible side effects after which I simply stopped taking it! Please help, in which direction to work, and how exactly?

Hello Anastasia. In any case, medical preparations are necessary (others should be selected) in order to maintain a normal psycho-emotional state. We recommend that you additionally get advice and undergo an examination by an endocrinologist, perhaps hormonal failure is the cause of anxiety.

Hello! I am 38, husband, two children, everything in life is good. Against the background of normal life, in March there was an attack (sympatho-adrenal crisis), since then it has begun ... The attacks themselves were 3 times, in principle, I learned to fight them (either Corvalol, or 1/4 Phenazepam - the doctor prescribed). But the condition that lasts for weeks is absolutely unsettling, it interferes with living and enjoying life, because you don’t know when it will cover: unpleasant sensations in the stomach, as if very frightened, the heart is pounding, the pressure rises a little. She became nervous, the state of a “taut string.” I drink anaprilin, but the symptoms do not go away. The spine was treated, the osteopath and the chiropractor corrected everything. The heart is healthy, the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and hormones are normal ... I visited a neurologist, a cardiologist and a psychoendocrinologist. Pand thinks I'm genetically deficient in neurotransmitters. She suggested taking antidepressants. But I have a great mood without exacerbations, a surge of strength, and summer is now - the sun, walks, long daylight hours. Just depression would have nothing to come from, my only experience is just this incomprehensible state without reasons!
A lot of money has already been spent, but there is no result. Doctors do not see any special problems, but how can I live?? Does it look like a neurosis (I am very emotional, like my mother, but I did not suffer from depression, I will quickly flare up, cry and everything is ok)? It is possible that this deferred stress manifested itself in this way (the youngest had 5-month colic, it was very difficult emotionally for several hours to carry a baby screaming until he was blue in the face; nighttime waking up, nerves all the time “in good shape”)? To whom should I go to a specialist? Hypnosis will help (but I don't have a psychotrauma that causes PA)?
In general, help me get back to normal life! I'm tired…

If a doctor prescribes antidepressants, then this is not just. They treat not only depression but also panic attacks that you have. I'm surprised the doctor didn't tell you this. And if you have panic attacks, you should not quit antidepressants until you drink the time prescribed by the doctor, otherwise panic attacks may return. effect must be fixed. If the drug is not "Valdoxan", before you stop drinking, you need to gradually reduce the dosage to avoid withdrawal syndrome.

Hello. Girl, 25 years old. I had prolonged stress, after which, when falling asleep, tremors in my chest began, as if throwing me out of sleep. After a few such shocks, sleep came and everything was fine, it didn’t bother me much. But then there was a strong nervous breakdown, and I didn’t sleep at all at night (I was lying, thoughts swarmed in my head like hallucinations, a terrible state, but I couldn’t fall asleep). After that, I started having trouble sleeping. For the first few days, the feeling was such that I couldn’t sleep at all, I was ready to throw myself out the window, from horror. Then my mother convinced me for a long time, saying that it’s okay, everything will pass. And my friends said the same. Week later. I sleep, I didn’t use sleeping pills and I’m not going to, I drink a sedative collection No. 2, motherwort, magnerot and valoserdin before bedtime. Previously, I spent the whole working day only thinking about my problem, it seemed to me that I would never get out of this and would not be able to sleep normally (I am a terrible hypochondriac, I am afraid of illnesses in general). I tried to turn to a neuropathologist, but he said that he would prescribe blood pressure for me and that's all .... but damn, the problem here is something else, in the head, in anxiety, and I understand that. As a result, I go to bed at 21.30, I sleep in earplugs and a bandage, only under a cartoon, lately this has only made it worse, it wakes me up. Every morning I analyze my sleep and try to understand how to improve it, and make this terrible state go away once and for all. You see, I'm not afraid that I won't fall asleep at all. I lie and wait, well, when already, when the pancake. Did different techniques, contrast showers, etc. Previously, before all this, she lay down and simply fell asleep, at least at three in the morning, at least at one. And today I woke up at one in the morning (I also wake up all the time), and went on to fall asleep and again these stupid hallucinations-thoughts from which only drowsiness. I'm already lying, specifically concentrating on breathing, just to knock them out of my head. This has been going on for almost two weeks. My life seemed to be divided into before and after. I eliminated all external conflicts, I try to react to everything calmly. I rarely think about my sleep problem. But it is extremely difficult for me to fall asleep, the comparison comes as if it is necessary to seep through a concrete wall. Now I have a vacation soon and I will go to my parents. Tell me will it pass? Are these difficulties with falling asleep? And how to make your brain understand that it’s not scary to sleep and stop getting so excited? I beg you, help me!

Hello Anna. Considering that you have a vacation soon, you should use it correctly: stay in the fresh air as much as possible, take sunbaths, swim in ponds. Active rest normalizes sleep.
- Hello again. Me again, Anna. In general, for 2 months I did not feel much better. At first I woke up every 1.5 hours, then it went away. Now I just wake up at night or in the morning at 4-5 o'clock and can't go back to sleep. Sometimes, out of desperation, she began to drink donormil and melaxen. I'm really tired of it, it feels like it will never end. And she drank motherwort, and valerian, and glycine and magnesium and vitamins B - nothing helped. I became calmer, acute stress has passed, now it’s just some kind of despair. I'm afraid to get depressed. Because of this fucking dream, nothing pleases. Help me, or is it just to see a psychotherapist before it's too late?

The meditations of V. Sinelnikov helped me. Can't remember the name, it's on youtube. I listened and fell asleep with headphones on. I woke up at night every 2 hours. I listened for a long time.

In fact, antidepressants treat the head and treat not only depression, but also the nerves that cause sleep problems. A doctor wouldn't just prescribe them. Most likely, the doctor wanted to prescribe antidepressants with a hypnotic effect.

Good evening. At the end of 2017, I got sick. In January 2018, for the first time, I was struck by PA, tachycardia. Then I completely collapsed with a state of "as if I'm dying." I didn't understand what was happening. I was constantly crying, twisting thoughts in my head that something was wrong with my brain. And then a nightmare began, through which I somehow began to go through: doctors, tests, ultrasound, endless conversations that something was wrong, I could not correctly and clearly explain what was happening to me. The doctors didn't understand either. I was constantly shaking, I was losing weight, my hair began to fall out, my heart was constantly beating wildly, even at rest; I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. I stopped perceiving and feeling the world correctly. It seemed to me that I had lost the feelings that I had before. Everything around was not the same ... It was my brain that began to perceive everything incorrectly. This state is still. I'm afraid of him, because I invent some kind of illness for myself in the brain. I'm scared. Really scary. I went through agoraphobia without leaving home for almost 3 months. Then I forced myself to go to my parents, I thought it would be easier, but no. Even more covered me. At the moment, nothing has changed, some of my fears, such as agoraphobia, I overcame, but everything else is still beyond my control. Sometimes I am afraid that something is really wrong with me and I am seriously ill, although the test results are good. I'm tired of being in a state of alienation. Tell me, is it a neurosis or something else? Thanks for the answer.

Hello. My name is Katerina. I am 23. I work with children at school. For 7 years I have been trying to get used to the idea that I will never have a chance to work in my profession (Main). Disease of the musculoskeletal system (knees, and then the back). At the age of 16, doctors stated that I shouldn’t be an artist-dancer, but it’s also not desirable to be a choreographer. She left the profession (she studied at that moment at the choreographic school), completely changed her activities. For a year I lay at home in the dark with breaks for unloved studies. Then I realized that this is no longer possible. Looking for hobbies, hobbies. But the choreography haunted me. They were invited to work. Worked. At least a few hours a week in this area. She cried and again agreed to take groups. I decided to change everything, went to another city. Changed profession. 2 educational institutions for a red diploma. It didn't get any easier. I was invited to a dance project, a teacher in a summer camp. I put the numbers, and in the evening, with tears and a cigarette, I try to get together and live another day. During the whole time I tried to close these doors for myself forever. But no way. There is less and less meaning in this existence. Operated the knee. 2 times. Doctors do not console, "If you want to walk at 40, quit." The spine is crumbling. Trying to live with physical pain. It turns out. Almost got used to it. There is no goal. Why I wake up in the morning - I don’t know either. Nightmares. The state that I didn’t sleep and it would be better not to go to bed, because I wake up all in a tear and sometimes from my own cry. Closed from everyone, pretending that everything is fine. A year ago, it got to the point that 3 lay and could not get up. I didn't have the strength to go to the restroom. Slowly she forced herself to move on. I don't talk about it with my friends. Do not understand. Closed. I pretend everything is fine. Any situation is uncomfortable - there are tears in the eyes. Annoyance for everything. And one question, is it always going to be like this? No strength. I go to work and I understand that all this is pointless. This mortgage, work, vacation. And then the children, the family. And all this is for nothing. Joy is long gone. 3 years ago. Didn't ask for help. I don't know to whom. Tell me please. Someone is ashamed to talk about it. I'm young, what problems can I have. (So they once said.) Then the thought arose that maybe I invented everything for myself? Or is it really a problem and already the beginning of some kind of illness?
Thank you.

Karina, don't give up! You are young, you have to live on, I'm not a doctor, my joints also hurt, I drink various supplements, sometimes they exasperate the pain, but I don't give up. Good luck, health, strength, patience.

So this is ... You have a direct road to a psychotherapist, I myself walk around once a year, being a cheerful, kind, smart young man, we communicate 4 hours an hour a week and everything falls into place. Therefore, advice to you is only to a psychologist or psychotherapist, after 2 months you will not recognize yourself. I noticed a lot of people “chasing” either not handsome or sick, or they come up with something else for themselves. but it's in the "sick" head .. Good luck to you

Karina I went through all this. You need a qualified doctor to fix your back and knees. These are all problems for 99% of the back. I had panic attacks all the time. I hid in a corner and waited for my end to come. I can be said to have been put on my feet by a neuropathologist .. who had deep knowledge in the field of acupuncture and manual therapy. Good luck to you.

Hello. 3 weeks ago, I miraculously saved my two-year-old daughter, she almost drowned in a cesspool with her husband's parents. Now it seems to me that this is a dream, I’m afraid to wake up, and it turns out that I didn’t save her. A constant feeling of anxiety and fear. I'm going crazy?

Good afternoon, my name is Alina, I suffer from a heart disease, or rather, a year ago, an artificial heart pacemaker was installed. According to the doctors, everything is fine with me, my heart began to work as it should, and after the operation, constant feelings of anxiety began. Sometimes a straight wave passes, trembling in the hands begins, the heart beats furiously, cold sweat passes and states as if now I will faint or die. At the time of such attacks, she was checked by doctors, they said that everything was in order with her heart and recommended that she consult a neurologist. After consulting a neurologist, they put a pinched cervical region, underwent a course of massage and various therapies, including medicinal ones, for some time it got better, but the attacks began to recur, there are still very often panic attacks in public transport and all the time it’s like the head is in some kind of intoxication, slight intoxication, I do not drink alcohol. The feeling of joy is also very rare. A husband, a child, I want to enjoy life, and sometimes melancholy devours because of such a state and a constant feeling of fatigue, a mad desire to go into a deep sleep. So I began to think, maybe it’s all the same, the state of neurosis overtakes me

Alina, good afternoon. You wrote everything like mine, word for word. I've been struggling with this for 4 years now and nothing happens. I really don't know what to do anymore. These fears .. and no desire to live.

Hello. The familiar family is dysfunctional: severe poverty, frequent internal conflicts, in which children are actively drawn. The eldest boy, 12 years old, systematically rudely quarrels with his mother, at the time of quarrels with her he often falls into a protracted tantrum, alternately sobbing, then aggressively insulting his mother, almost spreading his arms. At the same time, he may not be embarrassed by the presence of strangers. The mother herself complains that in special cases, the son breaks things or grabs sharp objects, threatens to cut everyone. Just the other day, for the sixth time, he was taken by ambulance to a psychoneurological dispensary, and on the day of hospitalization, on the contrary, at first he was unusually calm, in another argument he even yielded to his mother, and then suddenly, according to his mother, he himself began to ask to call an ambulance ', saying that he needed the pills they treated him with. Otherwise, he said, he would start “smashing everything” and beating up the family. Currently, he is back in the dispensary for treatment. The mother says that upon leaving the dispensary, she always behaves calmly at first, becomes affectionate and affectionate towards her, and then again her behavior becomes worse until the next hospitalization.
But the most important thing is that with other people, outside the family, he behaves absolutely adequately, there are no special oddities in his behavior. With the exception of occasional slight, although long lasting - until he gets really tired, excitement, but even at this moment the behavior does not go beyond the usual mischief, retains complete clarity of judgment and perception. It calms down if you just hug and hold tightly for a couple of minutes. It is also noticeable that when there is a conversation on topics that concern him, his shoulders begin to twitch, but he still behaves in the same balanced way, trying not to show that he is excited or upset. More than once we walked with this boy in nature: he also behaves absolutely normally, obeys, is careful where necessary, only on the way back he begins to delay the return in every possible way under various pretexts. In general, fits of hysterics and aggression happen only at home (sometimes at school) and are directed mainly at the mother. When we talked about this, he claims that his mother is exaggerating, and in general, he says that he holds a grudge against her. However, it is not just that he is systematically placed in a psycho-neurological dispensary. On the day of the last hospitalization, he came to my work, he was calm; I seemed to be somewhat depressed, and I also noticed that he was especially reluctant to go home that day. But he still left when the time came, without much protest.
The mother says that she herself does not know what diagnosis he is given in the dispensary. Either they refer to medical secrecy, or something else. But what secret can be for the legal representative of the child? Due to the fact that he had already been admitted to a psycho-neurological dispensary several times, his mother tries to apply for disability for him, but she is refused, saying that there are no grounds.
Please tell me what kind of neuropsychiatric disorder he may have? There is such a situation in the family that it is not surprising that the child is hysterical and scandalous, but is it because of this that they are placed in a psycho-neurological hospital? In other places, he behaves quite normally. He is registered with the Inspectorate for Juvenile Affairs, but has not been seen in any violations for a long time, except for a late return home. Sorry for the verbosity.

Hello Zakir. Children aged 4-14 admitted to a psychiatric hospital are admitted to children's departments. If there is no adolescent department or ward in the hospital, adolescents are admitted to the adult department.
The room is made only by a psychiatrist. If a person subject to hospitalization has not reached the age of sixteen or is not capable of free will due to his mental state, consent to hospitalization must be obtained from his relatives. Patients who, due to their mental state, pose an immediate danger to themselves or others and who need mandatory treatment, may be hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital without their consent and without prior notification and consent of their relatives. If the applicant has no indications for hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital, the doctor on duty refuses admission.
Patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the order of emergency hospitalization are subject within 48 hours from the moment of admission, excluding general weekends and holidays, to an examination by a commission of psychiatrists, which considers the question of the reasonableness of hospitalization and the need for compulsory treatment.
It is impossible to answer your question about the diagnosis. A clinical diagnosis in the medical history is made by the attending physician when conducting all the necessary studies and obtaining objective medical history data. The formulation of the diagnosis is given in accordance with the current statistical classification of the disease. Without the consent of a citizen, information cannot be transferred to anyone (except in cases specifically established by law). To provide information (including relatives, written permission is required). An exception is only for actually dying patients, and then if the patient has not forbidden it.

Hello. Girl, 17 years old. Frequent mood swings, it happens that I cry several times a day. I've been in this state for about a year. I have very low self-esteem, but at the same time very high. I have neither mental nor physical strength to do something, I get tired very quickly. I have a bad sleep, I can hardly fall asleep, and in the morning it’s as if I didn’t sleep. I don’t feel safe, it happens that for a long time I can’t decide on some kind of action. You can’t get out of this state on your own, all the energy is spent on motivation. Often sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat. The stomach and intestines react especially strongly to all this, + problems with the thyroid gland (GOI). I so assume, what is it can be a neurosis. Please answer and help with advice: how best to proceed and which specialist to contact.

Hello. I'm 28 years old. I occasionally get depressed, but not often. A year ago, gradually, for no apparent reason, I became “sad”. I live alone. There are no friends. Only work colleagues. I don't drink, I don't smoke. Lost interest in work and exercise. He did everything by force. Frequent headaches, aching pain in the region of the heart (he checked the heart - everything is fine). I didn't sleep well, I woke up very early. Guilt, then self-hatred, thoughts of suicide, heated to a red state with a knife, burned his hand. This has happened before, but not for so long. It is very embarrassing to talk about this with someone (they will then know that I am a freak). Now almost normal. How can I help myself the next time it hits me again? Who to contact?

IM 42 years old. Recently, I have had poor sleep, during the day I have a feeling of anxiety and concern for my physical health. At the slightest indisposition, I fear for my life and fear death. On top of that, I read all sorts of articles on the Internet about cancer and this aggravated the situation. I often weigh myself to make sure I'm not losing weight (losing weight is often a sign of cancer). Weight is normal, there is appetite, working capacity too, but there is a feeling as if the head was transplanted from someone else's shoulder, there are headaches, feelings of compression of the head, at times involuntary muscle movements in different parts of the body, loud sounds and bright daylight irritate. It's hard to focus your eyes. Plus, the libido has dropped noticeably, although there is a loving wife. Please tell me what is the problem and how to overcome it. Thank you!

- Depressive neurosis is 99% suitable for me. PA is only one of the heads of this "hydra" and it is precisely what should be treated, and I'm afraid psychoanalysis is not enough, and afabazole only relieves seizures, but does not heal, the disease does not go to a milder level. Alcohol used to help me, but now the reaction of the body is reversed, I drank a glass - I had an attack, right away, as soon as the alcohol began to enter the bloodstream. Breathing exercises easily relieve attacks, but again they do not cure. I would like to have a more radical effect on the disease!
  - Ivan, subject to correct treatment, depressive neurosis passes quite quickly and without a trace. The vast majority of patients with panic attacks show signs of depression.
    Psychoanalytic theory interprets the occurrence of a panic attack as a “crushed” internal conflict, which finds a way out in bodily manifestations. Panic attacks can be a manifestation of some kind of disease or the result of a wrong lifestyle. Therefore, in your case, it is necessary to find the cause, and only after the exclusion of all possible somatic pathology, a cure is possible.
    To cope with an attack on your own, you are doing the right thing when you are engaged in breathing regulation, you can also be distracted and take a sedative.
    Effective treatment of depressive neurosis is possible only with an integrated approach using medicines, psychological assistance, physiotherapy exercises and physiotherapy.
    Persuasion treatment is widespread, which consists in the logical study of a traumatic situation in order to change a person's attitude towards it. Psychologists often use the process of self-hypnosis - the patient speaking certain phrases, forming a new look at a particular situation, which changes the mood at the subconscious level. Antidepressants are the mainstay of medical treatment. Physiotherapeutic methods include: electrosleep, general massage, massage of the cervical-collar zone, water procedures, darsonvalization, reflexology. Well reduce the symptoms of neurosis playing sports or just regular exercise.

The concept of "neurosis" appeared in medicine in the seventies of the eighteenth century, uniting under itself a whole set of neuropsychiatric disorders. The prevalence of neurotic processes in the modern world is steadily growing due to the ever-accelerating rhythm of life, high mental and physical stress on the average citizen, the need to work hard for adults, and intensively learn from children.

While working on his physiological doctrine, I.P. Pavlov called neurosis the result of an overstrain of the centers of higher nervous activity, arising from prolonged exposure to stimuli that were inadequate in strength. At the moment, the opinion of the scientific world regarding the underlying causes of the development of the disease has not undergone fundamental changes.

Neurotic disorders are manifested not only in the form of psychomotor reactions and deterioration of the psychological state of the patient. There are frequent cases of functional disorders of the internal organs of a neurotic nature against their background. Thus, one of the most common somatic pathologies of a psychogenic nature is gastric neurosis, which is clinically manifested in the form of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

It should be noted that mental and somatic disorders of a neurotic nature are functional, and with proper treatment they are completely reversible. However, in many cases, patients prefer to avoid visiting a specialist. This happens due to the negative stereotypes that have developed in society regarding a person who visits a psychiatrist or neurologist.

Etiological factors of neurosis

Depending on the form of the disease, the causes of neurosis may lie in a variety of psychological and physical factors. Specialists in clinical practice most often have to deal with the following etiopathogenetic effects:

Mental overload or prolonged emotional experiences. So, due to the high study load, neuroses develop in children, and due to divorce, loss of work, dissatisfaction with their lives - in people of young and mature age.
The inability to solve your problems. This impact is a variation of the first item on the list. An example is the situation with people who have arrears on loans. Prolonged psychological pressure from the bank is quite capable of provoking neurotic disorders.
Forgetfulness, which once led or miraculously did not lead to negative consequences - for example, if a person forgot to turn off the iron and a fire broke out. In such cases, an obsessive-compulsive disorder develops, in which the patient constantly doubts whether he has forgotten to do something important.
Pathology of the development of the central nervous system, accompanied by an inability to long-term mental and physical labor (congenital asthenia).
Intoxication and diseases accompanied by general depletion of the body. Thus, neuroses often develop as a result of infectious diseases that do not go away for a long time (tuberculosis, in milder cases, influenza). In addition, neuroses often develop in people who are addicted to tobacco or alcohol, which in most cases is complex.

In addition to all of the above, neurotic disorders can occur for no apparent reason, being a consequence of the pain of the patient's own inner world and his self-hypnosis. This form of the disease is most common in women with a hysteroid type of character.

Neurosis: symptoms and signs

The existing clinical picture of neurosis can be divided into two large groups: symptoms of a mental and somatic nature. Both of them can occur in almost all types of neuropathic disorders, however, each type of neurosis has its own signs that allow for differential diagnosis.

General symptoms of neuroses of a psychopathic nature

Psychological tests conducted among patients with neurosis reveal such signs of the disease as indecision, self-doubt, chronic anxiety and fatigue. At the same time, the patient, as a rule, does not set himself further life goals, he is not aimed at success, does not believe in it. Inferiority complexes also often arise, relating mainly to their own appearance and ability to communicate.

Subjectively, the patient feels a significant decrease in efficiency, constant fatigue, unwillingness to perform any active actions to advance in work or study. There are frequent sleep disturbances, drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia.

In addition to all of the above, inadequate self-esteem can be attributed to the symptoms of neurosis. Paradoxically, it can be both underestimated and overestimated. In the latter case, the patient considers himself much better, smarter, more capable than the people around him. The reason for the experiences in this case is their imaginary inability to understand and evaluate the patient "according to merit."

General symptoms of neuroses of a somatic nature

The symptom complex of functional disorders of a somatic nature that occurs in patients with neurosis is very wide and can affect the work of almost all body systems. So, the result of mental disorders is often episodic pain in the heart, which is reminiscent of unstable angina, and occurs both during physical exertion and at rest. Such cases are designated by such a concept as cardiac neurosis.

In addition to coronary manifestations, mental disorders often manifest themselves in the form of limb tremors, sweating, and marked anxiety. Patients have signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia, accompanied by hypotonic syndrome. During periods of critical decrease in blood pressure, the patient may lose consciousness and faint.

Signs of neurosis may also include the appearance of so-called psychalgia - pronounced pain in the absence of organic pathology. Pain in such cases is a mental reaction to the patient's panic expectation of this. A situation arises when exactly what happens to a person is what he is afraid of and subconsciously does not let go of his thoughts.

Special forms of neuroses and their clinical signs

There are several varieties of the disease that have their own characteristic psychiatric symptoms. At the same time, the clinical picture in its classical full form is extremely rare. As a rule, in each individual case, a well-defined clinical sign prevails.

Hysterical neurosis. People suffering from this form of the disease, even in a calm environment, show nervousness and irritability. Their behavior is often inadequate, and reactions are unpredictable. Somatically, hysteria manifests itself in motor and autonomic disorders, hypotension, obsessive movements occur.
Hysteria usually manifests itself in the form of a psychic affective fit, during which the patient may roll on the floor, scream, try to physically affect others, or attempt to commit suicide. However, such behavior in some cases is not true hysteria, but a hidden symptom of the next form of the disease.

Hypochondriacal neurosis. It is a consequence of a painful fear of getting sick with some serious illness or getting into a situation that seems hopeless to the patient. This form of the disease often manifests itself in the form of hysteria, or in the form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this case, as a rule, the patient has many mental symptoms from the above list. A person can regularly undergo medical examinations, read medical literature, but at the same time continue to suspect an incurable condition. Similar phenomena are sometimes noted among medical students or people working in the field of lethal diseases (hospices).

depressive neurosis. It can be the result of both psychogenic and neurotic depression. In the latter case, the symptoms of the disease manifest themselves weakly, in an incomplete form. Often the patient has only a slight decrease in performance. In the presence of a psychogenic depressive state, the patient feels abandoned, unnecessary, complains of sadness and despondency, he develops inferiority complexes. Somatically, sexual dysfunction, hypotension, and lethargy may be noted.

Neurasthenia. There are three stages of this type of neurosis. The first stage of the development of the disease is characterized by severe irritability without somatic signs. Mental and physical performance is usually preserved. At the second stage, the patient feels some decrease in working capacity, which becomes another factor aggravating his condition. The final stage of the disease is characterized by severe weakness, lethargy, apathy. Asthenic syndrome develops.

Neurosis: treatment and therapy

Due to the fact that neuroses in general are psychosomatic conditions, their treatment takes place in two main areas - psychotherapeutic and pharmacological. However, the use of pharmacological therapy for the condition is carried out only in the case of extremely severe forms of the disease. In most cases, well-conducted psychotherapy is sufficient.

The task of psychotherapy in neurotic disorders is to normalize the patient's views on the world around him, to identify the causes that caused the disease, and to expand the range of the patient's interests.

As a rule, recovery occurs if the patient, with the help of a psychotherapist, manages to realize the cause of his fears and anxiety. After that, everything that previously did not allow a normal life no longer seems so important and significant to the patient.

Modern psychologists and psychiatrists in the treatment of neurotic conditions use three main methods of influence: conversation, cognitive psychotherapy and hypnosis. The term "cognitive therapy" refers to the reproduction of the situation that caused the patient's anxiety, in a safe environment for him. This allows you to reasonably assess what is happening and draw the necessary conclusions. Cognitive therapy is sometimes done during a hypnotic trance.
After removing the patient from a neurotic state, a conversation is held with him regarding the further way of life, the normalization of well-being, the search for his place in the world around him. A person is recommended to find his own "corner of freedom", which can be any hobby and passion, as well as find ways to relax and distract from the surrounding reality.

Pharmacological methods of treatment of neuroses

In cases where the methods of psychotherapy do not bring the expected effect, it becomes necessary to treat neurosis with the help of pharmacological correction of the state of the psyche. For this, several groups of drugs are used:

neuroleptics;
tranquilizers;
antidepressants;
psychostimulants.

Antipsychotics (chlorpromazine) belong to the group of drugs with antipsychotic action. They have an excellent sedative and hypnotic effect, effectively eliminate hallucinations, but with prolonged use they can cause depression. They are used in the hysteroid form of neurosis.

Tranquilizers (diazepam) are similar in their pharmacological effect to antipsychotics, but they have a different mechanism of action, stimulating the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid. They have a pronounced sedative and relaxing effect. They are prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder in short courses.

Antidepressants (amitriptyline) have a pronounced sedative effect. They are prescribed for neurosis, accompanied by anxiety and fear. Can be used in tablet form or parenterally.

Psychostimulants and nootropic drugs (nootropil) have an exciting effect, increase mental performance and improve the emotional state. Used in depressive forms of neurosis.

Despite the fact that the prognosis for neurotic conditions is usually favorable, in order to cure them completely, a lot of time, effort, and sometimes financial costs are required. Therefore, the prevention of the disease in question is of considerable importance.

Measures to prevent neurosis include the normalization of the regime of work and rest, the presence of any hobby, regular walking in the fresh air. In addition, you should find a suitable opportunity to relieve mental stress, which can be a diary.

It is also important to clearly monitor your own condition, and at the first symptoms of psychological overload, contact a specialized specialist.

Pathology is characterized by a long course, requires differential diagnosis with other similar diseases. Treatment is usually complex, including psychotherapy and medication.

What is neurosis

The concept first appeared in medicine at the end of the 18th century, as opposed to the morphological theory of the origin of all diseases. The term was introduced by the Scottish physician Kuplen to distinguish a separate group of pathologies not associated with organic lesions.

Subsequently, the Russian physiologist Pavlov made a great contribution to their study. Currently, according to the ICD, a more correct concept of "neurological disorder" is used. In the coding system, they are designated by codes from F40 to F48.

The reasons

Despite the fact that the causes of neurosis have been clarified for a long time, there is still no reliable data on the origin of the pathology. For quite a long time, they were associated with the busy pace of life of the townspeople, as well as the peculiarities of their professional activities. But as practical studies have shown, nervousness is mainly promoted by intra-family and interpersonal conflicts.

At the same time, the degree of psycho-traumatic impact is determined not so much by the objective force of stress as by its subjective perception. That is, for neurotics, certain individual triggers that trigger the mechanism for the development of the disease matter. Therefore, psychoneurosis often arises and progresses against the background of insignificant, according to others, events, while for a particular individual they can be very significant.

The characteristics of the patient's personality also have a great influence on the formation of pathological reactions. For example, women suffer from psychoneurosis 2 times more often than men due to increased emotional lability. Also, people of a special psycho-emotional type are more prone to inadequate response to stressful situations: demonstrative, suspicious, prone to depression.

Often, neuroses develop in adolescents against the background of age-related changes in the work of the endocrine system. Hormonal imbalance also affects the mental state of women during menopause. In children, neurosis is often caused by other specific disorders of nervous activity - logoneurosis or enuresis. It is impossible to exclude the influence of such a factor as hereditary predisposition.

The mechanism and stages of the development of the disease

The pathogenesis of neurosis is associated with the activity of some parts of the brain, mainly the hypothalamus. The disorder of its functioning leads to disruption of the interaction and internal connections between the endocrine, vegetative and other spheres.

In the absence of organic lesions of brain structures, disintegration of these processes is observed, leading to disadaptation and the appearance of pathological reactions. Since the activity of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted, along with mental disorders, somatic symptoms occur. Most often, vegetative-vascular dystonia develops.

All neuroses in their development pass through three successive stages. The first two, despite their duration, can be attributed to acute conditions, and the third is already considered a chronic form of the disease:

neurotic reaction. It is a response to psychotrauma, usually lasts no more than a month, is typical for childhood. In adults, mentally healthy people can be observed as isolated cases.
neurotic state. It has all the signs of neurosis, but with the help of psychotherapy, medications goes away without consequences. The duration of this stage can vary from six months to 2 years, if the impact of the traumatic situation does not weaken.
The third stage is the actual neurosis in a chronic form. At this stage, pathological changes become persistent, drug treatment and psychotherapy are not amenable.

If therapy is not started during the first or second stage, when neurasthenia can be cured without consequences, the personality structure changes irreversibly. The patient's condition at the third stage is characterized by close people with the phrase "the person seemed to have been replaced."

Classification

Personality characteristics, the specificity of the mechanism of the development of the disease, the general condition of the body determine the variety of forms of neurotic conditions. Some of them are united under one general concept (like panic attacks or claustrophobia), others are separated into separate groups.

In modern neurology, several types of neuroses are considered:

neurasthenia;
conversion disorder (or hysterical neurosis);
, abbreviated as OKR;
depressive;
hypochondria;
anxiety-phobic;
somatotrophic disorders;
post-stress disorders.

Each type of pathology is characterized by its own symptoms, although mixed varieties are often found.

Symptoms

Diagnosis of different types of neuroses requires a professional approach. Neurologists use various methods to identify the disease and its causes: testing, pathopsychological examination, studying the structure of the patient's personality.

To make a differential diagnosis, exclude cerebrovascular and organic disorders, instrumental studies are prescribed. Nevertheless, already during the initial examination, on the basis of complaints and specific symptoms, it is possible to determine the type of neurotic disorder with a high degree of certainty.

The second name of the pathology is asthenic neurosis. Most often occurs in men aged 20 to 40 years, develops against the background of prolonged physical or mental overload. It represents the exhaustion of the nervous system, which is facilitated by the presence of somatic diseases and bad habits.

The main symptom of neurasthenia is a diffuse headache that appears by the end of the day. It seems to squeeze the head, which is why it is called the “neurasthenic helmet”. Often there are also dizziness, tachycardia, increased pressure.

: dyspepsia, lack of appetite, epigastric pain, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea. A characteristic sign of neurosis in men is premature ejaculation against the background of reduced sexual desire.

The last two factors together have a particularly negative effect on the psychophysical state of the patient, exacerbating neurasthenia. Depending on the stage of development of the pathology, increased excitability or apathy is noted.

OKR

Obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder is much less common than neurasthenia. The cause is presumably hereditary features of neurohumoral regulation in combination with external trigger factors.

Clinically, the disease is manifested by two main symptoms - obsessions and compulsions. The first are obsessive thoughts that cannot be eliminated. They include fears, doubts, memories, ideas. Compulsions are actions by which the patient tries to distract from obsessions, to lower the level of his own anxiety. They can be performed both explicitly (repetitive movements, grimaces) and mentally.

It makes up about a third of all diagnosed neurotic disorders, it is more common in women. The risk group also includes people with an unstable, immature psyche and a demonstrative personality (mainly children with aggravated heredity, adolescents). Demonstrativeness is the most important distinguishing feature of this type of disorder, since it is “in public” that its symptoms manifest themselves most clearly.

Signs of hysterical neurosis in women and men are very numerous and varied:

violations of coordination;
aphonia or stuttering;
tremor of fingers;
partial paralysis;
paresthesia;
temporary loss of hearing, vision;
pain in the region of the heart, stomach, other internal organs (the range of somatic manifestations is limited only by the patient's imagination);
seizures similar to epileptic seizures;
cephalgia.

Symptoms of the disease always appear suddenly, but if there are other people nearby, they end the same way. Despite the pronounced symptoms of neurological or somatic diseases, there are no organic lesions or brain pathology.

depressive neurosis

With this form of neurosis, the symptoms are manifested, first of all, by a characteristic triad: decreased activity, inhibition of speech and thinking, low mood. At the same time, a general positive outlook on the future is preserved, working capacity and the ability to interact with others are also not lost.

This specific sign of depressive neurosis (called the symptom of "hope for a brighter future") makes it possible to distinguish it from depression. The disease occurs against the background of a prolonged psychotraumatic situation, which the patient is trying not to solve, but to hide from others. This is a key factor leading to an increase in the main symptoms and the occurrence of somatic disorders. The latter include fluctuations in blood pressure, dizziness, gastrointestinal dysfunction.

This symptom complex, which usually manifests itself in persons prone to suspiciousness and anxiety, consists in an inadequate attitude to the state of health (of one's own or close people). The patient has apathy, outbursts of irritability, dejection, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite.

Against the background of a deterioration in the general condition, somatic symptoms of neurosis appear: cephalgia, dizziness, heart rhythm disturbances, pain. At the same time, the patient perceives them as signs of dangerous diseases (cancer, tissue necrosis), constantly thinks about them, and often seeks medical help.

Anxiety-phobic neurosis

According to the ICD-10, it is classified as an "anxiety disorder", including mental disorders such as panic attacks, social phobias, generalized disorder, claustrophobia, agoraphobia, logophobia and other fears.

The main symptoms common to all types of the disease are:

social isolation, difficulties in establishing contacts;
a high degree of self-doubt, dependence on the assessment of others;
increased sensitivity, a tendency to experience.

The first symptoms of neurosis usually appear in childhood, and heredity in combination with the characteristics of upbringing acts as the cause. Such children are characterized by shyness, fearfulness, which by adolescence are transformed into isolation.

At the same time, the patient experiences an acute need for social contacts, but because of the fear of criticism, condemnation or hostility from others, he avoids communication.

Psychosomatic disorders

Against the background of a strong or prolonged psychotraumatic situation, a patient suffering from somatotrophic neurosis develops symptoms of various somatic diseases.

The clinical picture can fully correspond to the pathology of the cardiovascular system, stomach, intestines, but during a thorough instrumental and laboratory examination, no organic lesions are detected.

post stress disorder

The causes of a neurotic disorder of this type are very strong stresses: military operations, natural or man-made disasters, terrorist acts. In persons who have experienced such situations, a response occurs in the form of a neurosis, the symptoms of which depend on the form of the course of the disease.

An acute disorder looks like a hysterical seizure, which quickly and without consequences passes. The chronic form is characterized by a gradual change in personality along with social maladaptation, which is often observed in combat operations participants (“Afghan syndrome”, for example).

Conclusion

When symptoms characteristic of neurosis appear, its treatment in adults or children should begin immediately. First of all, qualified diagnostics, including differential, is necessary. Therapy should also be prescribed and carried out under the supervision of a physician of the appropriate profile.

And the use of folk remedies is permissible only as a supplement. At the same time, the main factor in successful treatment is the identification and elimination of a traumatic factor.

The term "neurosis" usually covers a range of general disorders that lead to disharmony of mental health. Currently, this complex disease is subdivided into several more precise ones, which are combined under the name "neurotic disorders".

How do neurotic states manifest themselves?

It is worth saying that these disorders include post-traumatic stress syndrome, various somatic disorders of mental activity, panic attacks, phobias, autonomic neurosis. Mental disorders have different manifestations. united by a number of emotional, physical deviations. For example, fear, anxiety are common to this group of disorders. Fortunately, patients do not suffer from hallucinations and various manias. However, neuroses have a negative impact on a person's activity, both functional and daily.

Depending on the type of manifestation of the disorder, the severity of their course may vary. Increased anxiety and fear are common indicators of this disorder. Also, patients often complain about the manifestation of the disease in the physical plane. In this case, usually the causes of the disease, from a medical point of view, remain unclear. These include muscle and headaches, numbness, tingling. Often the symptoms of neuroses are so pronounced that they create difficulties in interpersonal communication. Therefore, patients often experience such phenomena as anger, irritability, the appearance of obsessive thoughts.

Leading signs of neurosis of a different nature:

One of the most important factors that causes such complex conditions is the conflict of an individual, which can be both external and internal. External factors include the impact of individual circumstances that cause psychological trauma, emotional overstrain. All this can affect the intellectual sphere. II Pavlov said that neurosis is a kind of chronic disease associated with the functioning of higher mental activity. It arises due to overvoltage that has arisen in the cerebral cortex.

Karen Horney on neuroses

She said that neurosis is a protection from adverse environmental factors. These include, for example, humiliation or parental controlling love, leading to the fact that signs of neurosis begin to appear in the child. Thus, the baby's psyche, as it were, forms a defense against people. It manifests itself in several forms: the need for freedom, for love, for glory. Each person suffering from the described violation has all three directions, but one of them begins to dominate sooner or later. Consequently, people who have symptoms of neurosis are divided into detached, subordinate and aggressive.

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! It seems the water in the bathroom is not turned off!”?

These same or similar thoughts literally capture some people, giving them a lot of trouble. In medicine, this condition has its own name - obsessive-cumulative disorder, or neurosis.

We will talk about what neurosis is and how to deal with it later in the article.

Causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder

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 proven that in people with the named diagnosis, when collecting an anamnesis, as a rule, relatives are found who have similar conditions. This applies primarily to those patients whose neurosis appeared in childhood. Nevertheless, in modern world medicine there is no unambiguous answer to the question of why some people develop this 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 is most likely to develop 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 are they 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 the named temperament gradually “withdraw into themselves”, obsessing over their own experiences and sensations, which eventually crowd out all other interests and turn into painful obsessive thoughts.

Neurosis: what are obsessions

Obsessive thoughts or ideas are otherwise obsessions. They, as already 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. It 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 he cannot 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 between degrees 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 his 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 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 dealt 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 feel 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 the inability to concentrate, fatigue, increased irritability and sleep disturbances.

The listed symptoms manifest themselves with different intensity, but in the mood of the patient, nevertheless, there is a clear shade of hopelessness and an acute sense of one's own inferiority.

Experts consider 3 types of the course of the disease:

A single attack that can last a week or several years.
Relapses, including periods of complete absence of signs of the disease.
The continuous course of the disease, accompanied by an increase in its 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, he 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 doorknob.

By the way, often such rituals are completely absurd in nature, manifesting themselves in the form of pulling out hair, biting nails, 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 obsession (obsessive thoughts).

Instead, they lure the patient into a kind of trap. 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 semblance

How neurosis manifests itself in children

Almost a third of the 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 with age everything will go away on its own.

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 to get dirty, prick, hit, etc.

How children develop obsessive-compulsive disorder

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 one's actions, requiring a way out.

Trying to anticipate the reaction of parents often forces the child to come up with rituals and look for his 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 makes him 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 generally 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.

Treating Neurosis with Exposure Therapy

The first question that arises in patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder is: 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 control of a specialist, as, indeed, 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, specialists most often use a combination of medications with This allows, by reducing anxiety with the help of drugs, to maximize the impact of psychotherapy. This is especially true for patients in whom the use of the exposure method causes too high a level of anxiety.

By the way, it should be remembered that there are no specific obsessive states. 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 drugs, they are preferred to be administered intravenously.

But tablets ("Frontin", "Alprazolam", "Zoldak", "Neurol", etc.) have proven to be quite effective.