Neurotic cough in a child, symptoms and treatment. Causes and treatment of psychogenic cough Causes of development of nervous cough in adults

Parents complain about prolonged cough or cough in a child. Apart from a cough, nothing bothers the child. Or rather, even a cough bothers not the child, but the people around him. He feels fine, and upon examination and thorough examination, no objective signs of disease are revealed that explain this cough. Prescribing antitussive or expectorant drugs, or antibiotics has no effect.

This cough may be one of the types of tics ( obsessive movements, obsessive muscle contractions), namely vocal tics. It is called a psychogenic cough or “malinger cough.” And it occurs under the influence of stress, difficult psycho-emotional situations, and in children who are in a state of increased anxiety.

Prevalence:

Psychogenic cough occur in 10% of children with chronic cough.

Which children are characterized by psychogenic cough:

As a rule, these are smart and intelligent children, with many hobbies and interests. They have a lot of workloads at school and after school activities.
These children are emotionally sensitive, vulnerable, and react painfully to criticism.
They may have problems with peers in a team and seem stubborn and proud to others.

Reasons contributing to the occurrence of psychogenic cough:

The main role in the occurrence of tics (cough, among other things) belongs to an unfavorable, traumatic environment in the family. Among these factors is cruel treatment of the child or people close to him (usually the mother). Also, among the reasons are watching horror films, stress due to attending kindergarten or school.
School exams, conflicts with peers and teachers can contribute to increased tics. It has been noticed that the cough intensifies in the presence of parents, doctors, and teachers.
A contributing factor in the occurrence of tics is the complicated course of pregnancy and childbirth.
A cough can also occur as a result of copying a coughing close relative who has chronic illness lungs.
If during an illness (bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, etc.), the child was surrounded by worried relatives who paid a lot of attention to the illness, the cough reflex can take hold and persist for a long time, becoming worse during subsequent illnesses.

Features of cough:

The cough may begin in early age(3-4 years), most often occurs in children aged 4-8 years.
The cough is dry, obsessive, and constant. The nature of the cough does not change for a long time.
Happens only in daytime and never during sleep. The cough worsens in the evening and worsens in autumn and winter.
Not accompanied by other symptoms of respiratory damage. There is never phlegm with this cough.
When talking quickly or reading poetry, the cough decreases or disappears.
Does not increase with physical activity.
There is no effect from taking expectorants, antitussives, or antibiotics.
IN adolescence may intensify.
Rarely lasts more than a year.
In most cases, it goes away on its own before the age of 18.

How to make a diagnosis:

The diagnosis is made after a thorough examination of the child and exclusion of all others.

Treatment of psychogenic cough:

Creating a psychologically comfortable environment at home and in kindergarten (school).
You should not focus on coughing, scold or punish your child for it. This can only make the cough worse in the future. On the contrary, you need to pay attention to what factors provoke coughing attacks in a child in order to avoid them.
Rationalize the child’s daily routine: normalize night and nap, eliminate or significantly reduce the time spent in front of the TV and at the computer.
Regular physical exercise: physiotherapy, visiting sports sections.
It is advisable to limit foods containing caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, etc.), and consume foods that contain magnesium (green vegetables, nuts, etc.).

Usually the appearance of a cough is regarded as a sign of some disease. respiratory tract or lungs. However, it can be caused not only by an infection, but also by a psychosomatic disorder. By external manifestations psychogenic cough differs little from cough caused by pathology respiratory system, it also causes discomfort, creates inconvenience and negatively affects general condition person. Its peculiarity is that it cannot be treated and is not reduced by taking it. special drugs. In such cases, it is necessary to pay attention to other signs of the disease, this will help establish a diagnosis. Contacting a specialist can help with this.

Who is susceptible to psychogenic cough?

The most susceptible to psychogenic cough are people who regularly experience significant physical and moral overload, as well as those who are too emotional.

This type of cough is more common in children and adolescents, as they are more emotional and react more strongly to psychological stress. In adults, a cough that is psychogenic in nature often becomes one of the consequences of hyperventilation syndrome.

Causes of cough

The beginning of a psychogenic cough is usually some difficult situation in the psycho-emotional sense. These include:

too tense atmosphere in family life or at the workplace;
having to engage in unpleasant activities, such as speaking in front of large numbers of people;
severe stress associated with exams, quarrels with loved ones, loneliness and other negative circumstances;
Also, such a cough can occur when other people are sick, as a reflection reflex.

Signs of a psychogenic cough

Psychogenic cough has its own specific signs, it is dry, loud, and may resemble the cry of a goose or a loud dog barking. In addition, exacerbations are observed in unfavorable situations, and with distraction the symptoms disappear completely. A cough of a psychogenic nature cannot be treated, so it can drag on for several months and sometimes years. It should also be noted that this disease does not usually lead to disturbances in appetite and sleep. During the examination, it can be noted that there is no pathological changes from the lungs. Often, the diagnosis of the disease is complicated by previous long-term erroneous treatment with various active drugs, which can lead to disruption of the normal functioning of the respiratory system.

When diagnosed, patients often exhibit symptoms various violations psyche: tendency to hysterics, loss of voice, psychogenic tics and others.

Treatment of psychogenic cough

Treatment of psychogenic cough involves creating a calm psychological environment, eliminating stress and uncomfortable situations. It is worth protecting the patient from overwork and excessive overload, this will help rational mode days in which loads alternate with periods of rest. When an attack begins, you need to try to distract the person, for example, an interesting book or a movie.

When a diagnosis of “psychogenic cough” is made, it is advisable to conduct a course of psychotherapy, during which the patient is oriented toward understanding the causes of his illness. In addition, it is advisable to teach him the techniques of slow breathing, relaxation and relaxation. Tight cloth wrapping may be used for children and adolescents chest for a period of 1-2 days, shock shocks to the forearm area are used as a distraction therapy. In extreme cases, tranquilizers and other drugs are used medications.

Typically, the appearance of a cough is characterized by the presence of a certain disease. As soon as we start coughing, suspicions of a cold or some other disease immediately drop. But sometimes a person may develop a psychogenic cough. This is a type that occurs due to mental, emotional or even physical overload. Many people think that it is possible to keep themselves in shape or even overload their body. But sometimes you need to think about the consequences, because regular overloads have a rather detrimental effect on the human body.

A cough caused by psychological disorders is not much different from a cold. It also causes inconvenience and discomfort in adults and children. That is why sometimes you might think that it is a cold cough. It cannot be said that such a cough is exposed certain group of people. A psychogenic cough is possible for anyone who is exposed to frequent stress or overwork.

In children, for example, this can happen even against the background of stress of any kind. Even exams at school or college can cause psychological disorders in the body and, accordingly, a cough will appear.

Reasons for appearance

As mentioned above, a psychogenic symptom occurs only for reasons emotional state or other mental disorders. This can best be achieved different reasons, which sometimes you don’t even have to think about:

unfavorable living conditions in the family or at work for adults;
unfavorable living conditions in the family or in kindergarten for children;
serious stress suffered once or several times;
constant physical or emotional fatigue;
against the background of unwanted or unusual actions, for example, before a performance where there will be a large number of of people;
out of concern for loved one and many other reasons.

It would take a very long time to list various reasons, which cause psychological disorders in the form of cough. But the only thing that can be said for sure is that nothing just happens, especially in children. Everything has its reasons, and before starting treatment, you need to accurately determine what kind of cough it is and why it occurred.

Symptoms

The most important symptoms of psychogenic cough are very similar to other types in both adults and children. That is why it can be easily confused. It is almost always a dry and loud cough that occurs either periodically or constantly. In some people, and in particular in children, it occurs during times of excitement or fear of something.

Sometimes it is difficult to identify such symptoms with accuracy, because not everyone is able to assess the situation in time. In children, for example, the psychosomatics of cough can manifest themselves in an unpleasant society for them, when their parents are not around. Therefore, it is quite difficult to identify such problems in a timely manner. As the person calms down or the environment changes, the cough symptoms completely disappear. This can also be confused with allergic reaction, which also occurs at a certain time. Treatment in this case can be complex, since eliminating the symptom itself is useless.

Treatment

Psychogenic cough in children and adults, unfortunately, cannot be treated. In this case, we will only talk about how to correctly approach the solution to eliminating common mental disorders of a person. It will be much easier for children to do this, because for a small organism, sometimes it is enough to eliminate the problem itself and it forgets about the past.

As for adults, treatment here will most likely consist of regular intake sedatives. Treatment may also include regular rest. Sometimes it is enough for a person to change his usual environment for a while and everything goes away by itself. It's kind of spa treatment which can be combined with relaxation.

The psychosomatics of such treatment are quite simple, although they require a long period of rehabilitation. For some people, the cough lasts for a long time long time– from several months to several years. Therefore, treatment may include taking some soothing herbs, infusions or medications. If you use them regularly, the nervous system will react a little easier to certain stressful situations. The psychosomatics of a person’s subconscious improves, which in some way constitutes treatment.

Possible consequences

There are some opinions that a psychogenic cough on a constant basis can lead to various complications. For example, some people think that such a strong, periodic or constant cough can cause pneumonia. But this is absolutely not true. The fact is, psychosomatics similar condition has slightly different specifics. Pneumonia occurs due to an untreated cold or other type respiratory disease. There are no infectious lesions, so there is no need to worry about this type of complication.

Children, for example, may even go through everything on their own without various treatments. If after a long time nothing happens and no improvement is observed, it is still recommended to consult a doctor. In any case, it will be possible to somehow help the person, because there are no hopeless situations.

What to do?

If you have been diagnosed with a cough due to mental disorders and it has already for a long time If you are constantly tormented, then you definitely need to take some action. The first thing you need to do is, if possible, change your permanent location. If you are sitting at home and there are provoking factors in your family, then try to get a job. Thus, your attention will be diverted from your usual mode.

If the opposite is the case and you nervous work– try to change it or go on a long vacation. This way, you can calm down and relax and turn your attention to other more positive aspects of life.

In addition, you can take sedatives, but this should only be done as prescribed by a doctor. Not worth purchasing medicines at your own discretion. Quite often there are cases when such a cough occurs against the background of constant stress during school in children. In this case, the child should pay more attention to rest.

You can enroll your child in some entertainment groups, where he will be distracted from the irritable environment. If the problem is something else, then you can even visit a psychologist. He will determine exactly what the child’s problem is and what needs to be done.

Most often it happens that everything emotional disorders provoke the development of a particular disease. Cough in this case is no exception. And, most importantly, you should understand that not all diseases, pathologies, or even the first symptoms can be cured with pills. It is necessary to approach the problem with a comprehensive examination and treat it correctly. So don’t be lazy to go to the hospital and get examined. Of course, if possible, it is better to choose clinics of a high professional level for this.

Important! Be sure to check out this material! If after reading you still have any questions, we strongly recommend that you consult with a specialist by phone:

The location of our clinic in the park has a beneficial effect on the state of mind and promotes recovery:

Psychogenic or habitual cough most often worries young children and adolescents, but adults also experience this phenomenon. It is difficult to treat and can last for a very long time. long period, preventing you from leading your usual lifestyle. At integrated approach it can be dealt with. It is important to know what psychogenic cough is in children and adults - treatment, symptoms and measures for its prevention.

Symptoms of psychogenic cough

Psychogenic cough is a neurotic disorder accompanied by paroxysmal cough without respiratory pathologies. The ICD-10 code is F45.33.

Psychogenic respiratory disorder is explained by patients as a feeling of lack of air. The symptoms of psychogenic cough are quite specific, which makes it possible to determine the type of disorder. Frequent and short breathing movements can alternate with long breaths, which entail a feeling of relief. This is followed by holding your breath again.

Reference! The frequency of respiratory movements has a wave-like character with a gradual increase.

Features of the manifestation of psychogenic cough:

begins in children under 4 years of age, but most often occurs between 4 and 8 years of age;
cough occurs only during the daytime, never bothers you at night;
is dry, constant and intrusive in nature;
there are no other symptoms of respiratory distress;
a quick conversation helps eliminate cough;
antitussives do not give any effect;
intensifies during adolescence;
Most often it goes away completely before the age of 18.

Habitual cough becomes a serious problem for children and adults. Frequent attacks interfere with social activity. Sometimes a person has to give up his activities. At the same time, at night, during sleep, the phenomenon does not bother me at all.

Usually, with such manifestations, treatment for bronchitis or bronchial asthma is prescribed. However, the result of therapy is completely absent, then additional diagnostics, during which it becomes clear that we are talking about a psychogenic cough.

The second name for the disorder is vocal tic. It appeared after recent research. This name is due to the fact that cough can be caused by contraction vocal cords, and this is a type of teak. But such a discovery does not solve the problem. The causes of tics are still poorly understood, let alone effective ways elimination.

Treatment of psychogenic cough

The main treatment for psychogenic cough is psychotherapy. The technique is selected individually. Extremely important point in therapy there will be awareness by the patient of the nature of the disorder. A psychotherapist can use speech therapy, relaxation, hypnosis, breathing exercises and other techniques that have proven themselves.

General principles of therapy:

create comfortable conditions to eliminate stress factors;
normalize the daily routine, allocate enough time for daytime rest and sleep;
include daily exercises, walks, breathing exercises in your schedule;
limit caffeinated foods and drinks;
follow the recommendations of the psychotherapist.

Reference! The doctor may decide to prescribe psychotropic medications. For children, distraction therapy techniques, chest wraps, and special breathing techniques with a button between the lips can be additionally used.

Psychogenic cough in children

For what reasons can a psychogenic cough occur in children:

the main reason is an unfavorable family environment, frequent conflicts, child abuse and other traumatic factors;
fear of important events, exams, fear of teachers, doctors;
feelings of shame and guilt if the child was very ashamed;
increased attention to the child during an illness that is accompanied by a cough, which can reinforce the positive association;
a child copying the behavior of an adult, a close relative, or an authority figure who suffers from a chronic cough.

With this disorder, the child is characterized by demonstrative behavior, the presence of other complaints, active speech and gestures. It is quite easy to provoke a cough by touching on a topic that is painful for a child.

Children with the following characteristics are at risk:

talented and active, constantly busy with studies, hobbies, attending various educational classes;
conflictual, with problem behavior;
faced aggression from peers, parents or other people;
emotionally sensitive, with low resistance to stress, vulnerable, not accepting criticism.

When there is a suspicion of a habitual cough, you need to take the child to see a psychiatrist. You also need to consult other doctors to rule out possible diseases.

A psychogenic cough may initially be mistaken for bronchial asthma. The problem is the fact that not every doctor is well acquainted with this disorder, so useless treatment can be carried out for quite a long time.

When therapy does not help, the cough is constant and the same, you should definitely consult a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. In 10% of cases, chronic cough is of psychogenic origin.

Psychogenic cough in adults

Psychogenic cough in adults is rather an exception and more often serves as a manifestation of hyperventilation syndrome. The treatment is long and complex. The cough is constant, dry, and quite loud. Attacks can last for months and even years.

When conducting hormone therapy results are usually absent, as with other methods of drug treatment. A thorough diagnosis makes it possible to find out that there are no causative diseases, and then the correct diagnosis is made.

Reference! Diagnosing a psychogenic cough in an adult is quite problematic, because you need to detect a psychogenic disease. When studying anamnesis clinical picture becomes more clear, as does the pathogenesis of the disorder. Hysterical and ataxic disorders are often detected, and these may also be somatosensory disorders.

Considering the fact that before the age of 18, the vocal tic goes away in almost everyone, the diagnosis of an adult who suspects this disorder should be more thorough. It is possible that cough is a sign of a still hidden disease, even if all the symptoms correspond to a psychogenic disorder.

How to treat psychogenic cough

Before treating a psychogenic cough, a correct diagnosis is necessary to rule out a number of diseases. You need to be examined by several doctors - a therapist, a pulmonologist, a gastroenterologist. If no pathology is detected, a psychotherapist takes over the treatment.

A characteristic feature of the disorder is that children’s cough goes away while doing what they love. This feature usually does not apply to adults, but good results provides a set of measures with the use of medications and psychocorrection. Sometimes using sedatives is enough.

In severe cases, the following groups of drugs are prescribed:

tranquilizers;
antitussives.

In a child, the disorder can be eliminated, if possible, by non-drug measures. This includes hypnosis, massages, baths, aromatherapy, breathing exercises, psychotherapy sessions. Herbal soothing decoctions and inhalations will also be useful. If there is no effect, the same drugs are already used as for adults (tranquilizers, antitussives, sedatives).

Drug treatment has side effects. For example, the famous doctor Komarovsky does not recommend resorting to the use of medications. The reason for using drugs should be a significant problem that interferes with normal life.

Practice shows that they are most effective in drug treatment neuroleptics. They almost always help get rid of the vocal type. However, their long-term use can lead to headaches, sleep disturbances, and muscle hypertonicity.

The smallest doses of medications are indicated for the child, which are adjusted over time depending on the effectiveness. Nootropics can also be used for the little ones, restoratives for improvement brain activity. However, their benefit for tics has not been proven. The main effect is aimed at increasing resistance to stress factors.

Baths

Relaxing baths will be equally beneficial for adults and children. Water procedures help calm the nervous system, feel positive emotions. The child can play in the water. After a bath, your sleep will be healthy and sound.

For better effect can be added to water sea salt and herbal tinctures:

from chamomile – has a sedative effect, calms;
from lavender – strengthens the nervous system, improves microcirculation;
from valerian - calms.

Decoctions and tinctures

Herbal decoctions and infusions can be used not only for relaxing baths, but also for oral administration. The mixtures can be bought ready-made at the pharmacy and brewed at home according to the instructions. Positive effect Valerian, motherwort, peony, thyme, and hawthorn are especially good for the nervous system.

You can prepare decoctions from the age of 3, but you must first consult a doctor, because the child may have allergies and intolerances. It is best to take sedatives before bed to promote relaxation, stress relief and strengthening. nervous system. You can also drink several sips of soothing teas throughout the day.

Reference! Alcohol tinctures Best taken only by adults. They can be prescribed from the age of 12, but only after agreement with the attending physician.

The following tinctures can be used:

Eleutherococcus – helps cope with neurogenic diseases, increases overall tone;
motherwort – soothes, relieves cough nervous soil;
peony root - useful for neurasthenia, for calming and relieving seizures;
Aralia Manchurian – used for depression, chronic fatigue, decreased tone, increased excitability of the nervous system;
angelica - effective for hysteria and convulsions;
sleep-herb - has shown itself well as a sedative for nervous tic;
hawthorn – improves blood circulation in the brain, relieves tension, and is used in the treatment of neuroses;
nettle – increases tone, energizes.

It is important to understand that the use of decoctions and tinctures is only auxiliary and preventive measure treatment. The main emphasis is on psychotherapy.

To help your child cope with a vocal tic, it is important to create a favorable family environment for him so that he feels protected and loved.

Experts recommend turning Special attention when exactly the child starts coughing. This could be a certain time of day, being with someone, talking about something. Having identified the trigger, you can try to completely remove it from your life. However, this is not suitable for everyone. It is much better to try to distract the child, to transfer his attention to something else, so that it becomes a habit.

No less important factor– parents’ attitude towards their child’s cough. If you focus on this and show increased care, getting rid of the problem will not be so easy. On the contrary, you should make sure that the child feels especially good during periods when he does not cough. But there must be a balance in everything, because if the baby is ignored when he is unwell, this will become another stress factor.

Severe nervous shock and chronic stress are key factors in the development of psychoneurological disorders. There is always a way out. For prevention and treatment, you should contact a psychotherapist who is well acquainted with the neurological nature of the disorder.

The private clinic “Salvation” has been providing effective treatment various psychiatric diseases and disorders. Psychiatry is a complex field of medicine that requires maximum knowledge and skills from doctors. Therefore, all employees of our clinic are highly professional, qualified and experienced specialists.

When to ask for help?

Have you noticed that your relative (grandmother, grandfather, mother or father) does not remember basic things, forgets dates, names of objects, or does not even recognize people? This clearly indicates some kind of mental disorder or mental illness. Self-medication in this case is not effective and even dangerous. Tablets and medications taken independently, without a doctor’s prescription, in best case scenario temporarily alleviate the patient’s condition and relieve symptoms. At worst, they will cause irreparable harm to human health and lead to irreversible consequences. Traditional treatment at home also unable to bring desired results, none folk remedy won't help with mental illness. By resorting to them, you will only waste precious time, which is so important when a person has a mental disorder.

If your relative bad memory, total loss memory, other signs clearly indicating mental disorder or serious illness– don’t hesitate, contact a private psychiatric clinic"The rescue".

Why choose us?

The Salvation clinic successfully treats fears, phobias, stress, memory disorders, and psychopathy. We provide assistance in oncology, care for patients after a stroke, hospital treatment elderly, geriatric patients, cancer treatment. We do not refuse the patient, even if he has the last stage of the disease.

Many government agencies they do not want to take on patients over 50-60 years of age. We help everyone who applies and willingly provide treatment after 50-60-70 years. For this we have everything you need:

pension;
nursing home;
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Old age is not a reason to let the disease take its course! Complex therapy and rehabilitation gives every chance of restoring basic physical and mental functions in the vast majority of patients and significantly increases life expectancy.

Our specialists use in their work modern methods diagnostics and treatment, the most effective and safe medications, hypnosis. If necessary, a home visit is carried out, where doctors:

an initial examination is carried out;
the causes of mental disorder are determined;
a preliminary diagnosis is made;
removed acute attack or hangover syndrome;
in severe cases, it is possible to force the patient into a hospital - rehabilitation center closed type.

Treatment in our clinic is inexpensive. The first consultation is free. Prices for all services are completely open, they include the cost of all procedures in advance.

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Consult a specialist!

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wrote that one of the main causes of psychogenic cough in children is stress.

What is a psychogenic cough?

Such a cough may be one of the types of tics (obsessive movements, obsessive muscle contractions), namely vocal tics. It is called a psychogenic cough or “malinger cough.” And it occurs under the influence of stress, difficult psycho-emotional situations, and in children who are in a state of increased anxiety.

Which children are characterized by psychogenic cough?

As a rule, these are smart and intelligent children, with many hobbies and interests. They have a lot of workloads at school and after school activities.
These children are emotionally sensitive, vulnerable, and react painfully to criticism.
They may have problems with peers in a group and appear stubborn and proud to others.

Causes contributing to the occurrence of psychogenic cough

The main role in the occurrence of tics (cough, among other things) belongs to an unfavorable, traumatic environment in the family. Among these factors is cruel treatment of the child or people close to him (usually the mother). Also, among the reasons are watching horror films, stress due to attending kindergarten or school.
School exams, conflicts with peers and teachers can contribute to the intensification of tics. It has been noticed that the cough intensifies in the presence of parents, doctors, and teachers.
A contributing factor in the occurrence of tics is the complicated course of pregnancy and childbirth.
A cough can also occur as a result of copying a coughing close relative who has a chronic lung disease.
If during an illness (bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, etc.), the child was surrounded by worried relatives who paid a lot of attention to the illness, the cough reflex can take hold and persist for a long time, becoming worse during subsequent illnesses.

Features of cough

Cough can begin at an early age (3-4 years), most often occurring in children aged 4-8 years.
The cough is dry, obsessive, and constant. The nature of the cough does not change for a long time.
Happens only during the daytime and never during sleep. The cough worsens in the evening and worsens in autumn and winter.
Not accompanied by other symptoms of respiratory damage. There is never phlegm with this cough.
When talking quickly or reading poetry, the cough decreases or disappears.
Does not increase with physical activity.
There is no effect from taking expectorants, antitussives, or antibiotics.
It may intensify during adolescence.
Rarely lasts more than a year.
In most cases, it goes away on its own before the age of 18.

Treatment of psychogenic cough:

Creating a psychologically comfortable environment at home and in kindergarten (school).
You should not focus on coughing, scold or punish your child for it. This can only make the cough worse in the future. On the contrary, you need to pay attention to what factors provoke coughing attacks in a child in order to avoid them.
Rationalize the child’s daily routine: normalize night and daytime sleep, eliminate or significantly reduce time spent in front of the TV and at the computer.
Regular physical activity is recommended: physical therapy, visiting sports clubs.
It is advisable to limit foods containing caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, etc.), and consume foods that contain magnesium (green vegetables, nuts, etc.).