Hidden mental illness. Mental disorders: signs and symptoms of the disease. Types of mental disorders

An epidemic of violence has swept across Russia: teenagers ruthlessly slaughter people and rape corpses, and students revive Columbine and attack schools with Molotov cocktails. There is panic in parental chats: horror stories follow each other at a great speed, and everyone wants to isolate inadequate people from society at any cost. At this time, the deputies are looking for something else to ban, so that the violence stops.

Of course, this happens to people for a reason: probably, each of the perpetrators of the incidents had their own reasons for this, and it is impossible to generalize them. But on the other hand, you can understand how to recognize a mentally ill person and try to provide him with timely assistance, because, as a rule, such people subconsciously ask others about it.

the site decided to look into the problem and turned to the chief psychotherapist of the Sverdlovsk region, Mikhail Pertsel, who has been dealing with mental disorders of all types for many years and knows everything about them.

Almost every day on the news agenda there are murders and attacks, the “heroes” of which are teenagers. What is it connected with, is it some kind of pathology?

I think that it is impossible to generalize, there are many factors. But many experts believe that this is due to the lack of some kind of educational work in the family and school. In fact, teenagers can be subjected to some kind of outside influence in the form of websites, interest groups, communities, without having the ideas formed by education about what is good and what is bad. The presence of these ideas should be the main prevention of such deviations. In my opinion, such statements have been heard since the time of Socrates. The older generation, probably, will always exclaim that the children went wrong, thereby stating the idea of ​​their own inadequacy as educators. Such manifestations of aggression have always existed, but now they have a different form. Now this gives rise to imitation and looks terrible, primarily because some of the youth have no system of education and understanding of who is really a bastard and who is worthy of respect.

Is it possible to somehow drive a person crazy from the outside? What happens to people in sects, terrorist groups?

Under normal conditions, it is practically impossible to influence the human psyche in this way. In order to change the worldview of a person and his mental state, a very serious impact is needed. But the fact is that a person gets there, already being vulnerable due to insufficient, for various reasons, adaptation in normal life. A healthy person will resist brainwashing in every possible way.

What needs to happen for a person to go crazy?

The disorder can either be congenital and be of a genetic nature, or be formed in the process of improper development of the personality. It all depends on what kind of mechanisms a person has to respond to a stressful situation. It is quite natural that a person will react heavily to the loss of some important values ​​and relationships - there will be a reaction of adaptation to some kind of loss or to a change in the state of affairs that is significant for him. He will try to adjust his life to new conditions or change conditions - this is a healthy way.

An unhealthy path is possible if the stress factor is excessive or too long. For example, after hostilities and disasters - when a person faces the question of life and death, physical or moral survival. So-called chronic stress disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder, may occur. Severe stress can also provoke another mental disorder that is not directly related to it, but can be triggered as a result of a strong emotional “shake”.

As a rule, those who fall into the field of view of official statistics are people with diseases that are associated with organic dysfunction of the brain. Such people are sick with borderline disorders.

- How many of us are mentally ill people who really would not interfere with the help of specialists?

The states of mental health and mental illness do not have a clearly defined boundary between them: at some point a person may feel completely healthy, at another - sick and unhappy. However, research suggests that between 30 and 50 percent of people in the world suffer from mental illness. In addition, according to data obtained during a survey of visitors to Russian clinics several years ago, about 40 percent suffer from depressive disorders. Moreover, no more than 10 percent receive adequate psychiatric care. The rest either simply do not apply for it, or do not receive a correct diagnosis.

- And how many of them are aggressive and dangerous to society, many should be afraid of?

The percentage is not that big. Part of mental illness really causes significant changes: personality, worldview, way of thinking. For example, a person suffering from pathological delusions of jealousy (an obsessive and unfounded belief in treason on the part of a partner - approx. ed.), will perceive others in a completely distorted way - in this case, he can really be dangerous. But if you look at the statistics of offenses, the majority of crimes are still committed by healthy people from some kind of selfish or other motives.

- How to understand that the person next to you is mentally ill, what are the symptoms?

Here you need to start from the idea of ​​what the norm is. Normally, a person is cheerful, cheerful, healthy, sociable and functional - doing what depends on him. Noticeable deviations may exist for a long time or appear unexpectedly. The person may become exceptionally sad and begin to talk about issues related to life and death. If he is depressed, if he suddenly became inhibited and stopped coping with his duties, if he had some inappropriate actions and statements, this is always a reason to think and, at least, draw the attention of the person himself to this.

It is, of course, impossible to say unequivocally that a mentally ill person should become sad and mourn his failed life. Sometimes it's the other way around. The most important indicator is a change in the line of behavior in a direction that is not characteristic of a person. Separately, mention should be made of the risk of suicide. This is a very complex phenomenon in which a person, for various reasons, feels himself in a hopeless situation. He can become overly anxious - or, conversely, overly calm - as if living on the edge, preparing to leave, getting his affairs in order. This can manifest itself in statements about the future - people with mental problems often do not see themselves in the future at all and avoid this topic. If this happens, then the person definitely needs help.

If a person is ironic about death, is that normal? Is it necessary to try to drag such a person for psychological help?

In our culture, joking about death is not very accepted - it is believed that people are quite scrupulous about such matters. But it is impossible to drag him for psychological help until he himself wants it. Behind such bravados about death, there can be really serious problems. Most often, a person in this way can unconsciously call for the help of others - in such cases, he begins to be ironic about his value, life in general, underestimates his achievements. For example, all studies show that people who, in one way or another, have come to a suicide attempt, at some point in their lives have tried to turn to others for help. If they were heard, everything ended happily, if not, they made this way further.

Not certainly in that way. Depression and aggression are different things. With depression, a person may have a negative attitude towards himself, but the basis of the disorder is depression, the loss of the opportunity to enjoy life. A person ceases to feel the positive aspects that are in the current moment. To this are added the ideas of their worthlessness and guilt, worthlessness and irrelevance. The mood decreases, in general all functions of an organism are oppressed. Severe depression is accompanied by intellectual and motor retardation.

Aggression is a completely different mechanism that is inherently as universal as the anxiety mechanism. Aggression is necessary for any creature to survive. Another thing is that in the norm it is constructive and directed in the right direction, it is regulated in the degree of expression. Constructive means that it is aimed at achieving some socially acceptable result.

Are psychopaths more likely to be cold-blooded killers? What underlies a psychopathic disorder?

This term today belongs to the category of everyday ones - in the international classification it is called a "personality disorder", which can manifest itself in completely different aspects. This is not only aggressiveness - it happens that, on the contrary, a person is characterized by excessive scrupulousness and defenselessness. A personality disorder is understood as the rigid features of a person’s response, motivation, behavior, thinking, emotions that do not meet the standards and lead to maladaptation of a person in society. This is due to the uneven maturation of different parts of the personality structure due to congenital causes and pathological education, which characterizes the personality as a whole. Due to the immaturity of the mechanisms of inhibition, for example, aggressiveness can be increased; due to the peculiarities of the emotional sphere and peculiarities of thinking - a tendency to depressive response. In fact, a personality disorder is a general disharmony of the mental sphere, which leads to the fact that a person does not achieve a harmonious internal state and the possibility of successful functioning in society.

The most discussed at the intersection of psychiatry and psychology is the so-called borderline personality disorder, in which the main characteristic is the immaturity, first of all, of the sense of one's own "I", a general idea of ​​oneself. A person does not feel like a whole person, therefore he constantly needs complex relationships with other people, a quick change in these relationships, a risk - this is how he tries to feel his "I". Often, the disorder is accompanied by the infliction of some kind of damage to oneself - this is a tool that allows you to drown out the mental pain of the physical one. The way out of the states of disadaptation due to personality disorders can only be in the qualified assistance of specialists - a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist.

- Are the most dangerous to society - those who have increased excitability?

Most often, we are faced with the fact that hooligans and brawlers, that is, asocial individuals, cause the greatest damage. So, in the American psychiatric tradition, psychopaths are usually called people with a so-called antisocial disorder. In this case, the immaturity of personality structures refers to the lack of social feeling, the feeling of being a person and part of society. Such a person does not have developed or trained structures in the higher nervous system that are responsible for conscience, integrity, humanity, sympathy and empathy. He becomes a cold, excitable, insensitive egoist who is ready to do everything only for himself and his momentary pleasure.

Nowadays, mental deviations are found in almost every second person. Not always the disease has bright clinical manifestations. However, some deviations cannot be neglected. The concept of the norm has a wide range, but inaction, with obvious signs of illness, only exacerbates the situation.

Mental illness in adults, children: list and description

Sometimes different ailments have the same symptoms, but in most cases, diseases can be divided and classified. Major mental illnesses - a list and description of deviations may attract the attention of loved ones, but only an experienced psychiatrist can establish the final diagnosis. He will also prescribe treatment based on the symptoms, coupled with clinical studies. The sooner the patient seeks help, the greater the chance of successful treatment. We need to discard stereotypes, and not be afraid to face the truth. Now mental illness is not a sentence, and most of them are successfully treated if the patient turns to the doctors for help in time. Most often, the patient himself is not aware of his condition, and this mission should be taken on by his relatives. The list and description of mental illnesses is for informational purposes only. Perhaps your knowledge will save the lives of those who are dear to you, or dispel your worries.

Agoraphobia with panic disorder

Agoraphobia, in one way or another, accounts for about 50% of all anxiety disorders. If initially the disorder meant only the fear of open space, now the fear of fear has been added to this. That's right, a panic attack overtakes in an environment where there is a high probability of falling, getting lost, getting lost, etc., and fear will not cope with this. Agoraphobia expresses non-specific symptoms, that is, increased heart rate, sweating can also occur with other disorders. All the symptoms of agoraphobia are exclusively subjective signs experienced by the patient himself.

Alcoholic dementia

Ethyl alcohol, with constant use, acts as a toxin that destroys the brain functions responsible for human behavior and emotions. Unfortunately, only alcoholic dementia can be tracked, its symptoms can be identified, but treatment will not restore lost brain functions. You can slow down alcohol dementia, but you can't heal a person completely. Symptoms of alcoholic dementia include slurred speech, memory loss, sensory loss, and lack of logic.

Allotriophagy

Some are surprised when children or pregnant women combine incompatible foods, or, in general, eat something inedible. Most often, this is the lack of certain trace elements and vitamins in the body. This is not a disease, and is usually “treated” by taking a vitamin complex. With allotriophagy, people eat what is basically not edible: glass, dirt, hair, iron, and this is a mental disorder, the causes of which are not only a lack of vitamins. Most often, this is a shock, plus beriberi, and, as a rule, treatment also needs to be approached comprehensively.

Anorexia

In our time of craze for gloss, the mortality rate from anorexia is 20%. An obsessive fear of getting fat makes you refuse to eat, up to complete exhaustion. If you recognize the first signs of anorexia, a difficult situation can be avoided and measures can be taken in time. The first symptoms of anorexia:

Table setting turns into a ritual, with calorie counting, fine cutting, and spreading/smearing food on a plate. All life and interests are focused only on food, calories, and weighing five times a day.

Autism

Autism - what is this disease, and how can it be treated? Only half of the children diagnosed with autism have functional brain disorders. Children with autism think differently than normal children. They understand everything, but cannot express their emotions due to the disruption of social interaction. Ordinary children grow up and copy the behavior of adults, their gestures, facial expressions, and so learn to communicate, but with autism, non-verbal communication is impossible. Children with autism do not seek loneliness, they simply do not know how to make contact on their own. With due attention and special training, this can be somewhat corrected.

Delirium tremens

Delirium tremens refers to psychosis, against the background of prolonged use of alcohol. Signs of delirium tremens are represented by a very wide range of symptoms. Hallucinations - visual, tactile and auditory, delirium, rapid mood swings from blissful to aggressive. To date, the mechanism of brain damage is not fully understood, as well as there is no complete cure for this disorder.

Alzheimer's disease

Many types of mental disorders are incurable, and Alzheimer's disease is one of them. The first signs of Alzheimer's disease in men are non-specific, and it is not immediately evident. After all, all men forget birthdays, important dates, and this does not surprise anyone. In Alzheimer's disease, short-term memory is the first to suffer, and a person literally forgets today. Aggression, irritability appear, and this is also attributed to a manifestation of character, thereby missing the moment when it was possible to slow down the course of the disease and prevent too rapid dementia.

Pick's disease

Niemann Pick disease in children is exclusively hereditary, and is divided according to severity into several categories, according to mutations in a certain pair of chromosomes. The classic category "A" is a sentence for a child, and death occurs by the age of five. Symptoms of Niemann Pick disease appear in the first two weeks of a child's life. Lack of appetite, vomiting, clouding of the cornea of ​​​​the eye and enlarged internal organs, due to which the child's stomach becomes disproportionately large. Damage to the central nervous system and metabolism leads to death. Categories "B", "C", and "D" are not so dangerous, since the central nervous system is not affected so rapidly, this process can be slowed down.

bulimia

Bulimia - what kind of disease is it, and should it be treated? In fact, bulimia is not just a mental disorder. A person does not control his feeling of hunger and eats literally everything. At the same time, the feeling of guilt makes the patient take a lot of laxatives, emetics and miracle remedies for weight loss. Weight obsession is just the tip of the iceberg. Bulimia occurs due to functional disorders of the central nervous system, with pituitary disorders, with brain tumors, the initial stage of diabetes, and bulimia is only a symptom of these diseases.

Hallucinosis

The causes of hallucinosis syndrome occur against the background of encephalitis, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, hemorrhage or tumors. With full clear consciousness, the patient may experience visual hallucinations, auditory, tactile or olfactory. A person can see the world around him in a somewhat distorted form, and the faces of the interlocutors can be presented as cartoon characters, or as geometric shapes. The acute form of hallucinosis can last up to two weeks, but you should not relax if the hallucinations have passed. Without identifying the causes of hallucinations, and appropriate treatment, the disease may return.

Dementia

Stuttering is a violation of the tempo-rhythmic organization of speech, expressed by spasms of the speech apparatus, as a rule, stuttering occurs in physically and psychologically weak people who are too dependent on someone else's opinion. The area of ​​the brain responsible for speech is adjacent to the area responsible for emotions. Violations occurring in one area are inevitably reflected in another.

gambling addiction

This psychological disorder refers to the disorder of drives. The exact nature has not been studied, however, it is noted that kleptomania is a concomitant disease with other psychopathic disorders. Sometimes kleptomania manifests itself as a result of pregnancy or in adolescents, with a hormonal transformation of the body. The craving for theft in kleptomania does not aim to get rich. The patient is looking for only thrills from the very fact of committing an illegal act.

Cretinism

Types of cretinism are divided into endemic and sporadic. As a rule, sporadic cretinism is caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones during embryonic development. Endemic cretinism is caused by a lack of iodine and selenium in the mother's diet during pregnancy. In the case of cretinism, early treatment is of the utmost importance. If, with congenital cretinism, therapy is started at 2-4 weeks of a child's life, the degree of his development will not lag behind the level of his peers.

"Culture shock

Many do not take culture shock and its consequences seriously, however, the state of a person with culture shock should be of concern. Often people experience culture shock when moving to another country. At first a person is happy, he likes different food, different songs, but soon he encounters the deepest differences in deeper layers. Everything that he used to consider normal and ordinary goes against his worldview in a new country. Depending on the characteristics of the person and the motives for moving, there are three ways to resolve the conflict:

1. Assimilation. Complete acceptance of a foreign culture and dissolution in it, sometimes in an exaggerated form. One's own culture is belittled, criticized, and the new one is considered more developed and ideal.

2. Ghettoization. That is, creating your own world inside a foreign country. This is a separate residence, and the restriction of external contacts with the local population.

3. Moderate assimilation. In this case, the individual will keep in his home everything that was accepted in his homeland, but at work and in society he tries to acquire a different culture and observes the customs generally accepted in this society.

Persecution mania

Mania of persecution - in a word, one can characterize a real disorder as spy mania or persecution. Persecution mania can develop against the background of schizophrenia, and manifests itself in excessive suspicion. The patient is convinced that he is an object of surveillance by special services, and suspects everyone, even his relatives, of espionage. This schizophrenic disorder is difficult to treat, since it is impossible to convince the patient that the doctor is not an employee of the special services, but the pill is a medicine.

Misanthropy

A form of personality disorder characterized by hostility towards people, up to hatred. , and how to recognize a misanthrope? Misanthrope opposes himself to society, its weaknesses and imperfections. To justify his hatred, a misanthrope often raises his philosophy to a kind of cult. A stereotype has been created that a misanthrope is an absolutely closed hermit, but this is not always the case. The misanthrope carefully selects whom to let into his personal space and who, perhaps, is his equal. In a severe form, the misanthrope hates all of humanity as a whole and may call for massacres and wars.

Monomania

Monomania is a psychosis, expressed in focusing on one thought, with full preservation of reason. In today's psychiatry, the term "monomania" is considered obsolete, and too general. Currently, there are "pyromania", "kleptomania" and so on. Each of these psychoses has its own roots, and treatment is prescribed based on the severity of the disorder.

obsessive states

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is characterized by the inability to get rid of annoying thoughts or actions. As a rule, OCD suffers from individuals with a high level of intelligence, with a high level of social responsibility. Obsessive-compulsive disorder manifests itself in endless thinking about unnecessary things. How many cells are on the companion's jacket, how old is the tree, why the bus has round headlights, etc.

The second variant of the disorder is obsessive actions or rechecking actions. The most common impact is related to cleanliness and order. The patient endlessly washes everything, folds and washes again, to the point of exhaustion. The syndrome of persistent states is difficult to treat, even with the use of complex therapy.

narcissistic personality disorder

The signs of narcissistic personality disorder are easy to recognize. prone to overestimated self-esteem, confident in their own ideality and perceive any criticism as envy. This is a behavioral personality disorder, and it's not as harmless as it might seem. Narcissistic personalities are confident in their own permissiveness and are entitled to something more than everyone else. Without a twinge of conscience, they can destroy other people's dreams and plans, because for them it does not matter.

Neurosis

Is obsessive-compulsive disorder a mental illness or not, and how difficult is it to diagnose the disorder? Most often, the disease is diagnosed on the basis of patient complaints, and psychological testing, MRI and CT of the brain. Often, neuroses are a symptom of a brain tumor, aneurysm, or previous infections.

Oligophrenia

The delusional negative twin syndrome is also known as Capgras syndrome. In psychiatry, they have not decided whether to consider this an independent disease or a symptom. A patient with the negative twin syndrome is sure that one of his relatives, or himself, has been replaced. All negative actions (crashed the car, stole a candy bar in the supermarket), all this is attributed to the double. Of the possible causes of this syndrome, the destruction of the connection between visual perception and emotional is called, due to defects in the fusiform gyrus.

irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation is expressed in bloating, flatulence, and impaired defecation. The most common cause of IBS is stress. Approximately 2/3 of all TCS sufferers are women, and more than half of them suffer from mental disorders. Treatment for IBS is systemic and includes medication to treat constipation, flatulence, or diarrhea, and antidepressants to relieve anxiety or depression.

chronic fatigue syndrome

Tapophilia manifests itself in attraction to the cemetery and funeral rituals. The reasons for tapophilia mainly lie in the cultural and aesthetic interest in monuments, in rites and rituals. Some old necropolises are more like museums, and the atmosphere of the cemetery pacifies and reconciles with life. Tapophiles are not interested in dead bodies, or thoughts about death, and show only cultural and historical interest. As a general rule, taphophylia does not require treatment unless visiting cemeteries develops into compulsive behavior with OCD.

Anxiety

Anxiety in psychology is unmotivated fear or fear for minor reasons. There is a “useful anxiety” in a person’s life, which is a protective mechanism. Anxiety is the result of an analysis of the situation, and a forecast of the consequences, how real the danger is. In the case of neurotic anxiety, a person cannot explain the reasons for his fear.

Trichotillomania

What is trichotillomania and is it a mental disorder? Of course, trichotillomania belongs to the OCD group and is aimed at pulling out one's hair. Sometimes hair is pulled out unconsciously, and the patient can eat personal hair, which leads to gastrointestinal problems. As a rule, trichotillomania is a reaction to stress. The patient feels a burning sensation in the hair follicle on the head, on the face, body, and after pulling out, the patient feels calm. Sometimes patients with trichotillomania become recluses, as they are embarrassed by their appearance, and they are ashamed of their behavior. Recent studies have revealed that patients with trichotillomania have damage in a particular gene. If these studies are confirmed, the treatment of trichotillomania will be more successful.

hikikomori

To fully study such a phenomenon as hikikomori is quite difficult. Basically, hikikomori deliberately isolate themselves from the outside world, and even from members of their family. They do not work, and do not leave the limits of their room, except for an urgent need. They maintain contact with the world via the Internet, and can even work remotely, but they exclude communication and meetings in real life. It is not uncommon for hikikomori to suffer from autism spectrum disorder, social phobia, and anxiety disorder. In countries with an underdeveloped economy, hikikomori is practically not found.

Phobia

A phobia in psychiatry is fear, or excessive anxiety. As a rule, phobias are classified as mental disorders that do not require clinical research, and psychocorrection will do better. The exception is already rooted phobias that get out of control of a person, disrupting his normal life.

Schizoid personality disorder

Diagnosis - schizoid personality disorder is based on the signs characteristic of this disorder. In schizoid personality disorder, the individual is characterized by emotional coldness, indifference, unwillingness to socialize, and a tendency to retire.

Such people prefer to contemplate their inner world and do not share their experiences with loved ones, and are also indifferent to their appearance and how society reacts to it.

Schizophrenia

Sometimes parents ask the question: "Encopresis - what is it, and is it a mental disorder?" With encopresis, the child cannot control his feces. He can "go big" in his pants, and not even understand what's wrong. If such a phenomenon is observed more than once a month, and lasts at least six months, the child needs a comprehensive examination, including by a psychiatrist. During potty training, parents expect the child to get used to it the first time, and scold the baby when he forgets about it. Then the child has a fear of both the potty and defecation, which can be expressed in encopresis on the part of the psyche, and a host of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Enuresis

As a rule, it disappears by the age of five, and special treatment is not required here. It is only necessary to observe the regime of the day, do not drink a lot of liquid at night, and be sure to empty the bladder before going to bed. Enuresis can also be caused by neurosis against the background of stressful situations, and psychotraumatic factors for the child should be excluded.

Of great concern is enuresis in adolescents and adults. Sometimes in such cases there is an anomaly in the development of the bladder, and, alas, there is no treatment for this, except for the use of an enuresis alarm clock.

Often mental disorders are perceived as a character of a person and blame him for what, in fact, he is innocent. The inability to live in society, the inability to adapt to everyone is condemned, and the person, it turns out, is alone with his misfortune. The list of the most common ailments does not cover even a hundredth of mental disorders, and in each case, symptoms and behavior may vary. If you are concerned about the condition of a loved one, do not let the situation take its course. If the problem interferes with life, then it must be solved together with a specialist.

Mental diseases are characterized by changes in consciousness, thinking of the individual. At the same time, a person’s behavior, his perception of the world around him, and emotional reactions to what is happening are significantly violated. A list of common mental illnesses with a description highlights the possible causes of pathologies, their main clinical manifestations and methods of therapy.

Agoraphobia

The disease belongs to anxiety-phobic disorders. Characterized by fear of open space, public places, crowds of people. Often a phobia is accompanied by autonomic symptoms (tachycardia, sweating, shortness of breath, chest pain, tremor, etc.). Panic attacks are possible, which force the patient to abandon their usual way of life for fear of a recurrence of an attack. Agoraphobia is treated with psychotherapeutic methods and medication.

Alcoholic dementia

It is a complication of chronic alcoholism. At the last stage, without therapy, it can lead to the death of the patient. Pathology develops gradually with the progression of symptoms. There is a violation of memory, including its failures, isolation, loss of intellectual abilities, control of one's actions. Without medical care, personality disintegration, speech, thinking, and consciousness disorders are observed. Treatment is carried out in narcological hospitals. It is mandatory to refrain from alcohol.

Allotriophagy

A mental disorder in which a person tends to eat inedible things (chalk, dirt, paper, chemicals, and others). This phenomenon occurs in patients with various mental illnesses (psychopathies, schizophrenia, etc.), sometimes in healthy people (during pregnancy), in children (aged 1-6 years). The causes of pathology can be a lack of minerals in the body, cultural traditions, a desire to attract attention. Treatment is carried out using psychotherapy techniques.

Anorexia

A mental disorder resulting from a malfunction of the food center of the brain. Manifested by a pathological desire to lose weight (even at low weight), lack of appetite, fear of obesity. The patient refuses to eat, uses all sorts of ways to reduce body weight (diet, enemas, inducing vomiting, excessive exercise). Arrhythmias, menstrual irregularities, cramps, weakness and other symptoms are observed. In severe cases, irreversible changes in the body and death are possible.

Autism

Childhood mental illness. It is characterized by impaired social interaction, motor skills, and speech dysfunctions. Most scientists classify autism as a hereditary mental illness. The diagnosis is based on observation of the child's behavior. Manifestations of pathology: the patient's immunity to speech, instructions from other people, poor visual contact with them, lack of facial expressions, smiles, delay in speech skills, detachment. For treatment, methods of speech therapy, behavioral correction, drug therapy are used.

white fever

Alcoholic psychosis, manifested by a violation of behavior, anxiety of the patient, visual, auditory, tactile hallucinations, due to dysfunction of metabolic processes in the brain. The causes of delirium are a sharp interruption of a long binge, a large one-time volume of alcohol consumed, and poor-quality alcohol. The patient has a body tremor, high temperature, pallor of the skin. Treatment is carried out in a psychiatric hospital, includes detoxification therapy, taking psychotropic drugs, vitamins, and so on.

Alzheimer's disease

Refers to incurable mental illness, characterized by degeneration of the nervous system, the gradual loss of mental abilities. Pathology is one of the causes of dementia in the elderly (over 65 years). Manifested by progressive memory impairment, disorientation, apathy. In the later stages, hallucinations, loss of independent mental and motor abilities, and sometimes convulsions are observed. Perhaps the registration of disability for the mental illness of Alzheimer's for life.

Pick's disease

A rare mental illness with predominant localization in the frontotemporal lobes of the brain. Clinical manifestations of pathology go through 3 stages. On the first stage, antisocial behavior is noted (public realization of physiological needs, hypersexuality, and the like), a decrease in criticism and control of actions, repetition of words and phrases. The second stage is manifested by cognitive dysfunctions, loss of reading, writing, counting skills, sensorimotor aphasia. The third stage is deep dementia (immobility, disorientation), leading to the death of a person.

bulimia

A mental disorder characterized by uncontrolled excessive consumption of food. The patient is focused on food, diets (breakdowns are accompanied by gluttony and guilt), his weight, suffers from bouts of hunger, which he cannot satisfy. In severe form, there are significant weight jumps (5-10 kg up and down), swelling of the parotid gland, fatigue, loss of teeth, irritation in the throat. This mental illness is often found in adolescents, persons under 30 years old, mainly in women.

Hallucinosis

A mental disorder characterized by the presence in a person of various types of hallucinations without impaired consciousness. They can be verbal (the patient hears a monologue or dialogue), visual (visions), olfactory (smell), tactile (the feeling of insects, worms crawling under the skin or on it, etc.). The cause of the pathology are exogenous factors (infections, injuries, intoxications), organic brain damage, schizophrenia.

Dementia

Severe mental illness characterized by progressive degradation of cognitive function. There is a gradual loss of memory (up to a complete loss), mental abilities, speech. Disorientation, loss of control over actions are noted. The occurrence of pathology is typical for the elderly, but is not a normal state of aging. The therapy is aimed at slowing down the process of personality decay, optimizing cognitive functions.

Depersonalization

According to medical reference books and the international classification of diseases, pathology is classified as a neurotic disorder. The condition is characterized by a violation of self-awareness, alienation of the individual. The patient perceives the world around him, his body, activity, thinking as unreal, existing independently of him. There may be violations of taste, hearing, pain sensitivity, and so on. Periodic similar sensations are not considered a pathology, however, treatment (medication and psychotherapy) is required for a protracted, persistent state of derealization.

Depression

Serious mental illness, which is characterized by a depressed mood, lack of joy, positive thinking. In addition to emotional signs of depression (anguish, despair, feelings of guilt, etc.), physiological symptoms (disturbed appetite, sleep, pain and other unpleasant sensations in the body, digestive dysfunction, fatigue) and behavioral manifestations (passivity, apathy, desire for solitude, alcoholism) are noted. And so on). Treatment includes medication and psychotherapy.

dissociative fugue

An acute mental disorder in which the patient, under the influence of traumatic incidents, suddenly abandons his personality (completely losing memories of it), inventing a new one for himself. The departure of the patient from home is necessarily present, while mental abilities, professional skills, and character are preserved. New life can be short (a few hours) or last a long time (months and years). Then there is a sudden (rarely - gradual) return to the former personality, while the memories of the new one are completely lost.

Stuttering

The performance of convulsive actions of the articulatory and laryngeal muscles during the pronunciation of speech, distorting it and making it difficult to pronounce words. Usually stuttering occurs at the very beginning of phrases, less often in the middle, while the patient lingers on one or a group of sounds. Pathology may rarely recur (paroxysmal) or be permanent. There are neurotic (in healthy children under stress) and neurosis-like (in diseases of the central nervous system) forms of the disease. In the treatment, psychotherapy, speech therapy corrections of stuttering, drug therapy are used.

gambling addiction

A mental disorder characterized by dependence on games, the desire for excitement. Among the types of gambling, there is a pathological commitment to gambling in casinos, computer, network games, slot machines, sweepstakes, lotteries, sales in the foreign exchange and stock markets. Manifestations of pathology are an irresistible constant desire to play, the patient becomes isolated, deceives loved ones, mental disorders, irritability are noted. Often this phenomenon leads to depression.

Idiocy

Congenital mental illness characterized by severe mental retardation. It is observed already from the first weeks of a newborn's life, manifested by a significant progressive lag in psychomotor development. Patients lack speech and its understanding, ability to think, emotional reactions. Children do not recognize their parents, they cannot master primitive skills, they grow up absolutely helpless. Often, pathology is combined with anomalies in the physical development of the child. Treatment is based on symptomatic therapy.

Imbecility

Significant mental retardation (moderately severe oligophrenia). Patients have weak learning abilities (primitive speech, however, it is possible to read by syllables and understand the account), poor memory, primitive thinking. There is an excessive manifestation of unconscious instincts (sexual, for food), antisocial behavior. It is possible to learn self-care skills (by repetition), but such patients are not able to live independently. Treatment is based on symptomatic therapy.

Hypochondria

A neuropsychiatric disorder based on the patient's excessive worries about his health. At the same time, manifestations of pathology can be sensory (exaggeration of sensations) or ideogenic (false ideas about sensations in the body that can cause changes in it: cough, stool disorders, and others). The disorder is based on self-hypnosis, its main cause is neurosis, sometimes organic pathologies. An effective method of treatment is psychotherapy with the use of medications.

Hysteria

Complex neurosis, which is characterized by states of affect, pronounced emotional reactions, somatovegetative manifestations. There is no organic lesion of the central nervous system, the disorders are considered reversible. The patient seeks to draw attention to himself, has an unstable mood, there may be violations of motor functions (paralysis, paresis, unsteadiness of gait, twitching of the head). A hysterical seizure is accompanied by a cascade of expressive movements (falling to the floor and rolling on it, tearing out hair, wiggling limbs, and the like).

Kleptomania

An irresistible urge to commit theft of another's property. At the same time, the crime is committed not for the purpose of material enrichment, but mechanically, with a momentary impulse. The patient is aware of the illegality and abnormality of addiction, sometimes tries to resist it, acts alone and does not develop plans, does not steal out of revenge or for similar motives. Before the theft, the patient experiences a feeling of tension and anticipation of pleasure; after the crime, the feeling of euphoria persists for some time.

Cretinism

The pathology that occurs with thyroid dysfunction is characterized by mental and physical retardation. All causes of cretinism are based on hypothyroidism. It can be congenital or acquired during the development of the child pathology. The disease is manifested by stunted growth of the body (dwarfism), teeth (and their change), disproportionate structure, underdevelopment of secondary sexual characteristics. There are violations of hearing, speech, intelligence of varying severity. Treatment consists of lifelong hormone therapy.

"cultural" shock

Negative emotional and physical reactions provoked by a change in the cultural environment of a person. At the same time, a collision with a different culture, an unfamiliar place causes discomfort and disorientation in a person. The condition develops gradually. First, a person positively and optimistically perceives the new conditions, then the stage of “cultural” shock begins with the realization of certain problems. Gradually, the person comes to terms with the situation, and depression recedes. The last stage is characterized by successful adaptation to a new culture.

Persecution mania

A mental disorder in which the patient feels that they are being watched and threatened with harm. The pursuers are people, animals, unreal beings, inanimate objects, and so on. Pathology goes through 3 stages of formation: initially, the patient is worried about anxiety, he becomes withdrawn. Further, the signs become more pronounced, the patient refuses to visit work, close circle. In the third stage, a severe disorder occurs, accompanied by aggression, depression, suicide attempts, and so on.

Misanthropy

Mental disorder associated with alienation from society, rejection, hatred of people. It is manifested by unsociableness, suspicion, distrust, anger, enjoyment of one's state of misanthropy. This psychophysiological property of a person can turn into antrophobia (human fear). People suffering from psychopathy, delusions of persecution, after suffering bouts of schizophrenia are prone to pathology.

Monomania

Excessive obsessive adherence to the idea, the subject. It is a one-subject insanity, a single mental disorder. At the same time, the mental health of patients is noted. In modern classifiers of diseases, this term is absent, since it is considered a relic of psychiatry. Sometimes used to refer to a psychosis characterized by a single disorder (hallucinations or delusions).

Obsessive states

Mental illness, which is characterized by the presence of persistent thoughts, fears, actions, regardless of the will of the patient. The patient is fully aware of the problem, but cannot overcome his condition. Pathology manifests itself in obsessive thoughts (absurd, terrible), counting (involuntary recounting), memories (usually unpleasant), fears, actions (their meaningless repetition), rituals, and so on. In the treatment, psychotherapy, medications, physiotherapy are used.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Excessive experience of the personality of its significance. It is combined with the requirement of increased attention to oneself, admiration. The disorder is based on the fear of failure, fear of being of little value, defenseless. The behavior of the individual is aimed at confirming one's own value, a person constantly talks about his merits, social, material status or mental, physical abilities, and so on. Long-term psychotherapy is required to correct the disorder.

Neurosis

A collective term that characterizes a group of psychogenic disorders of a reversible, usually not severe, course. The main cause of the condition is stress, excessive mental stress. Patients are aware of the abnormality of their condition. Clinical signs of pathology are emotional (mood swings, vulnerability, irritability, tearfulness, etc.) and physical (dysfunctions of cardiac activity, digestion, tremor, headache, difficulty breathing, and others) manifestations.

Oligophrenia

Congenital or acquired at an early age mental underdevelopment caused by organic damage to the brain. It is a common pathology, manifested by disorders of the intellect, speech, memory, will, emotional reactions, motor dysfunctions of varying severity, somatic disorders. Thinking in patients remains at the level of young children. Self-service abilities are present, but reduced.

Panic attacks

Panic attack, accompanied by severe fear, anxiety, autonomic symptoms. The causes of the pathology are stress, difficult life circumstances, chronic fatigue, the use of certain drugs, mental and somatic diseases or conditions (pregnancy, the postpartum period, menopause, adolescence). In addition to emotional manifestations (fear, panic), there are autonomic manifestations: arrhythmias, tremors, difficulty breathing, pain in various parts of the body (chest, abdomen), derealization, and so on.

Paranoia

A mental disorder characterized by excessive suspicion. Patients pathologically see a conspiracy, malicious intent directed against them. At the same time, in other areas of activity, thinking, the adequacy of the patient is fully preserved. Paranoia can be the result of some mental illness, brain degeneration, medication. Treatment is predominantly medical (neuroleptics with anti-delusional effect). Psychotherapy is ineffective, because the doctor is perceived as a participant in the conspiracy.

Pyromania

Violation of the psyche, which is characterized by an irresistible craving of the patient for arson. Arson is carried out impulsively, in the absence of full awareness of the act. The patient experiences pleasure from performing the action and observing the fire. At the same time, there is no material benefit from arson, it is done confidently, the pyromaniac is tense, obsessed with the topic of fires. When watching a flame, sexual arousal is possible. Treatment is complex, since pyromaniacs often have serious mental disorders.

Psychoses

Severe mental disorder, accompanied by delusional states, mood swings, hallucinations (auditory, olfactory, visual, tactile, gustatory), agitation or apathy, depression, aggression. At the same time, the patient lacks control over his actions, criticism. The causes of pathology include infections, alcoholism and drug addiction, stress, psychotrauma, age-related changes (senile psychosis), dysfunction of the central nervous and endocrine systems.

Self-damaging behavior (Patomymia)

A mental disorder in which a person intentionally injures himself (wounds, cuts, bites, burns), but defines their traces as a skin disease. In this case, there may be a craving for injury to the skin, mucous membranes, damage to nails, hair, lips. Neurotic excoriation (scratching of the skin) is often encountered in psychiatric practice. Pathology is characterized by the systematic infliction of damage by the same method. For the treatment of pathology, psychotherapy with the use of medications is used.

seasonal depression

A mood disorder, its depression, a feature of which is the seasonal periodicity of the pathology. There are 2 forms of the disease: "winter" and "summer" depression. Pathology acquires the greatest prevalence in regions with a short duration of daylight hours. Manifestations include depressed mood, fatigue, anhedonia, pessimism, decreased sexual desire, thoughts of suicide, death, autonomic symptoms. Treatment includes psychotherapy and medication.

Sexual perversions

Pathological forms of sexual desire and distortion of its implementation. Sexual perversions include sadism, masochism, exhibitionism, pedo-, bestiality, homosexuality, and so on. With true perversions, the perverted way of realizing sexual desire becomes the only possible way for the patient to obtain satisfaction, completely replacing the normal sexual life. Pathology can be formed with psychopathy, oligophrenia, organic lesions of the central nervous system, and so on.

Senestopathy

Unpleasant sensations of different content and severity on the surface of the body or in the region of internal organs. The patient feels burning, twisting, throbbing, heat, cold, burning pain, drilling, and so on. Usually sensations are localized in the head, less often in the abdomen, chest, limbs. At the same time, there is no objective reason, a pathological process that could cause such feelings. The condition usually occurs against the background of mental disorders (neurosis, psychosis, depression). In therapy, treatment of the underlying disease is required.

Negative Twin Syndrome

A mental disorder in which the patient is convinced that he or someone close to him has been replaced by an absolute double. In the first variant, the patient claims that it is precisely a person who is exactly identical to him that is to blame for his bad actions. Delusions of a negative double are found autoscopic (the patient sees a double) and Capgras syndrome (the double is invisible). Pathology often accompanies mental illness (schizophrenia) and neurological diseases.

irritable bowel syndrome

Dysfunction of the large intestine, characterized by the presence of symptoms that bother the patient for a long period (more than six months). Pathology is manifested by pain in the abdomen (usually before defecation and disappearing after), stool disorder (constipation, diarrhea or their alternation), and sometimes autonomic disorders. A psycho-neurogenic mechanism of the formation of the disease is noted, and intestinal infections, hormonal fluctuations, and visceral hyperalgesia are also among the causes. Symptoms usually do not progress over time, and weight loss is not observed.

Syndrome of chronic fatigue

Permanent, long-lasting (more than six months) physical and mental fatigue, which persists after sleep and even several days of rest. Usually begins with an infectious disease, but is also observed after recovery. Manifestations include weakness, recurrent headaches, insomnia (often), impaired performance, possibly weight loss, hypochondria, and depression. Treatment includes stress reduction, psychotherapy, relaxation techniques.

Emotional burnout syndrome

A state of mental, moral and physical exhaustion. The main reasons for the phenomenon are regular stressful situations, the monotony of actions, a tense rhythm, a feeling of underestimation, and undeserved criticism. Chronic fatigue, irritability, weakness, migraines, dizziness, insomnia are considered manifestations of the condition. Treatment consists in observing the regime of work and rest, it is recommended to take a vacation, take breaks from work.

Vascular dementia

Progressive decline in intelligence and impaired adaptation in society. The reason is damage to parts of the brain in vascular pathologies: hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, and so on. Pathology is manifested by a violation of cognitive abilities, memory, control over actions, deterioration of thinking, understanding of addressed speech. In vascular dementia, there is a combination of cognitive and neurological disorders. The prognosis of the disease depends on the severity of brain lesions.

Stress and maladjustment

Stress is the reaction of the human body to excessively strong stimuli. Moreover, this condition can be physiological and psychological. It should be noted that in the latter variant, stress is caused by both negative and positive emotions of a strong degree of severity. Violation of adaptation is observed during the period of adaptation to changing living conditions under the influence of various factors (loss of loved ones, serious illness, etc.). At the same time, there is a connection between stress and adjustment disorder (no more than 3 months).

Suicidal behavior

A way of thinking or acting toward self-destruction in order to escape life's problems. Suicidal behavior includes 3 forms: completed suicide (ending in death), suicide attempt (not completed for various reasons), suicidal action (committing actions with a low probability of lethality). The last 2 options often become a request for help, and not a real way to die. Patients should be under constant control, treatment is carried out in a psychiatric hospital.

Madness

The term means severe mental illness (madness). It is rarely used in psychiatry, usually used in colloquial speech. By the nature of the impact on the environment, madness can be useful (the gift of foresight, inspiration, ecstasy, etc.) and dangerous (rage, aggression, mania, hysteria). According to the form of the pathology, melancholy (depression, apathy, emotional experiences), mania (hyperexcitability, unjustified euphoria, excessive mobility), hysteria (reactions of increased excitability, aggressiveness) are distinguished.

Tapophilia

An attraction disorder characterized by a pathological interest in the cemetery, its paraphernalia and everything connected with it: tombstones, epitaphs, stories of death, funerals, and so on. There are varying degrees of cravings: from mild interest to obsession, manifested in the constant search for information, frequent visits to cemeteries, funerals, and so on. Unlike thanatophilia and necrophilia, with this pathology there are no addictions to a dead body, sexual arousal. Funeral rites and their paraphernalia are of primary interest in tapophilia.

Anxiety

The emotional reaction of the body, which is expressed by concern, anticipation of trouble, fear of them. Pathological anxiety can occur against the background of complete well-being, can be short in time or be a stable personality trait. It is manifested by tension, expressed anxiety, a feeling of helplessness, loneliness. Physically, tachycardia, increased respiration, increased blood pressure, hyperexcitability, sleep disturbances can be observed. Psychotherapeutic methods are effective in treatment.

Trichotillomania

A mental disorder that refers to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is manifested by a craving for pulling out one's own hair, in some cases for their subsequent eating. Usually appears on the background of idleness, sometimes with stress, more common in women and children (2-6 years). Pulling out hair is accompanied by tension, which is then replaced by satisfaction. The act of pulling is usually done unconsciously. In the vast majority of cases, pulling out is carried out from the scalp, less often - in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eyelashes, eyebrows and other hard-to-reach places.

hikikomori

A pathological condition in which a person renounces social life, resorting to complete self-isolation (in an apartment, room) for a period of more than six months. Such people refuse to work, communicate with friends, relatives, are usually dependent on relatives or receive unemployment benefits. This phenomenon is a common symptom of depressive, obsessive-compulsive, autistic disorder. Self-isolation develops gradually, if necessary, people still go out into the outside world.

Phobia

Pathological irrational fear, the reactions to which are exacerbated by the influence of provoking factors. Phobias are characterized by an obsessive persistent flow, while a person avoids frightening objects, activities, and so on. Pathology can be of varying severity and is observed both in minor neurotic disorders and in serious mental illness (schizophrenia). Treatment includes psychotherapy with the use of medications (tranquilizers, antidepressants, etc.).

schizoid disorder

A mental disorder characterized by lack of sociability, isolation, low need for social life, autistic personality traits. Such people are emotionally cold, have a weak ability to empathize, trusting relationships. The disorder manifests itself in early childhood and is observed throughout life. This person is characterized by the presence of unusual hobbies (scientific research, philosophy, yoga, individual sports, etc.). Treatment includes psychotherapy and social adaptation.

schizotypal disorder

A mental disorder characterized by abnormal behavior, impaired thinking, similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia, but mild and unclear. There is a genetic predisposition to the disease. Pathology is manifested by emotional (detachment, indifference), behavioral (inadequate reactions) disorders, social maladjustment, the presence of obsessions, strange beliefs, depersonalization, disorientation, hallucinations. Treatment is complex, including psychotherapy and medication.

Schizophrenia

A severe mental illness of a chronic course with a violation of thought processes, emotional reactions, leading to the disintegration of the personality. The most common signs of the disease include auditory hallucinations, paranoid or fantastic delusions, speech and thinking disorders, accompanied by social dysfunction. The violent nature of auditory hallucinations (suggestion), the secrecy of the patient (devotes only loved ones), chosenness (the patient is convinced that he was chosen for the mission) are noted. For treatment, drug therapy (antipsychotic drugs) is indicated to correct the symptoms.

Elective (selective) mutism

A condition when a child has a lack of speech in certain situations with the proper functioning of the speech apparatus. In other circumstances and conditions, children retain the ability to speak and understand addressed speech. In rare cases, the disorder occurs in adults. Usually, the onset of pathology is characterized by a period of adaptation to kindergarten and school. With the normal development of the child, the disorder resolves spontaneously by the age of 10 years. The most effective treatments are family, individual and behavioral therapy.

Encoprese

A disease characterized by dysfunction, uncontrolled defecation, fecal incontinence. It is usually observed in children, in adults it is more often of an organic nature. Encopresis is often combined with stool retention, constipation. The condition can be caused not only by mental, but also by somatic pathologies. The causes of the disease are the immaturity of the control of the act of defecation, the anamnesis often contains intrauterine hypoxia, infection, and birth trauma. More often, pathology occurs in children from socially disadvantaged families.

Enuresis

Syndrome of uncontrolled, involuntary urination, mainly at night. Urinary incontinence is more common in children of preschool and early school age, usually there is a history of neurological pathology. The syndrome contributes to the emergence of psychotrauma in a child, the development of isolation, indecision, neuroses, conflicts with peers, which further complicates the course of the disease. The purpose of diagnosis and treatment is to eliminate the cause of the pathology, psychological correction of the condition.

There is no magic "10 signs of a mental disorder." As such, there are no general signs of mental disorders. Each symptom is defined by the disease or syndrome in which it is included.

The World Health Organization lists criteria for mental health. From these criteria, by the principle of the opposite, one can distinguish signs that probably indicate a mental pathology:

• A person does not have a sense of continuity, there is no internal constancy and identity of the physical and mental "I". He does not perceive himself as a whole person, does not feel the inner unity. May be aware that his personality is fragmented, not complete, discontinuous.
• There is no feeling of constancy of experiences and emotions in situations of the same type. For example, at the funeral of one loved one, he is sad and crying, at the funeral of another important loved one, he laughs and jokes.
• There is no criticality to one's experiences, there is no criticism of one's own mental activity and its products. The man does not understand what he is doing. Accepts critical situations as normal. For example, he can stand on the edge of the roof of a high-rise building and look down, not realizing that after a sloppy step he will fall and die.
• Inconsistency of behavioral and emotional reactions to the strength of external or internal influence. A person can hear the average news on TV about the robbery of a souvenir shop in another country, after which he will board the doors with boards and insert bricks instead of windows.
• Inability to control one's own behavior, inability to conform to generally accepted norms and situations.
• There is no ability to plan life, act according to the plan and achieve goals.
• Inability to change the model of behavior in response to external changes, changing circumstances and situations.

There is no concept of "absolute" mental health: there are situations where a mentally healthy person temporarily loses control over himself. For example, this happens after severe and traumatic situations, after which there is a transient psychotic episode in the form of an acute reaction to stress.

Experts from the World Health Organization believe that the main signs of a mental disorder are a violation of one of the mental processes (thinking, emotions, memory), the content of which goes beyond the cultural and generally accepted framework. Theoretically, if a person believes that the Sun revolves around the Earth and it is impossible to convince him even with the most rational and understandable arguments, he can be recognized as mentally ill: his thoughts go beyond generally accepted norms and are considered delusional.

Some symptoms may be the result of mental disorders and diseases of the internal organs. To distinguish them, it is first necessary to exclude somatic pathology. For example, constant falling asleep during the day can simultaneously indicate depression, atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels, or side effects of drugs.

The first signs of a mental disorder in men are the same as in women. The symptoms of mental disorders have no gender, except for functional or organic sexual disorders. For example, in men, this can manifest itself in a weak or absent erection, in women - frigidity in the form of an inability to get excited and secrete a vaginal secret.

Signs by disease category

There are different types of mental disorders. Some are characterized by a violation of memory, others - emotions and thinking. Below is a list of register syndromes and their main (nuclear) symptoms:

This includes schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizotypal disorder, schizoid personality disorder.

The main signs of register syndrome:

• Violation of the operations of thinking. In humans, the process of generalization is disturbed: it actualizes latent, secondary and hyperabstract features. Often relies on minor and personally significant features. For example, when choosing an apartment, buyers are guided by the area, the number of storeys, the well-being of the quarter, and the availability of infrastructure. The actualization of secondary features means that a person "misses past the ears" the main criteria for choosing an apartment, and can focus, for example, on the type of trees in front of the window or the color of the front doors.
• Reasoning: a person aimlessly talks about a topic for hours. These reasonings do not lead him to a conclusion or thought product. It's just thought gum.
• Diversity of thinking. A person performs the same task in several ways. And he considers only one of these methods to be true, rejecting the others. A healthy person will accept all existing methods as effective if they have led to a result.
• Violation of emotions. They become dull and flat. The person is emotionally cold.
• Tendency to social isolation.

Affective-endogenous syndrome syndrome

Clinically, it corresponds to bipolar affective disorder, cyclothymia and psychosis of late age.

At the heart of these disorders are emotional disturbances. Bipolar affective disorder manifests itself in phases - depressive and manic syndromes.

depressive syndrome:

1. depressed mood;
2. low physical activity;
3. slowing down mental processes.

Manic Syndrome:

• pathological good mood;
• high physical activity;
• acceleration of mental processes; this is accompanied by superficial thinking and good memory, increased distractibility and the inability to complete the task to the end.

Cyclothymia is a mild subclinical variant of bipolar affective disorder. Manifested by the alternation of good and bad mood. Unlike a mental disorder, cyclothymia does not prevent a person from living and working, although it often creates difficulties.

Psychoses of late age are emotional disorders associated with the physiological aging of the body in the absence of organic changes in the brain. Most often manifested by depression of late age.

It is characterized by congenital or acquired mental deficiency. The main indicator of this category is low IQ, simplified logical thinking, inability to think abstractly. This includes mental insufficiency of 4 degrees: mild, moderate, moderate and severe.

Medium, moderate and severe begin to appear at an early preschool age. Such children are sent from specialized kindergartens and schools. A mild degree manifests itself later - in school-age children, when they have difficulty mastering the basics of the curriculum.

Exogenous Organic Registry Syndrome

Clinically corresponds to a psychoorganic syndrome. It is manifested by the Walter-Bühel triad: a decrease in memory, a decrease in intelligence and emotional disturbances. Often accompanied by asthenic syndrome: fatigue, rapid exhaustion from simple work, irritability. Occurs after organic damage to the brain: traumatic brain injury, as a result of atherosclerosis of the arteries of the brain, tumors or chronic drug addiction.

Endogenous Organic Registry Syndrome

This includes epilepsy. Signs of epilepsy are divided into two types: psychiatric and neurological.

Psychiatric signs: thorough and detailed thinking, rigidity of mental processes, dysphoria with a tendency to emotional outbursts, vindictiveness, pedantry.

Neurological signs: major and minor convulsive seizures, absences, status epilepticus.

Personality abnormal register syndrome

Clinically consistent with personality disorders and accentuations. Personality disorder is a total disharmony of human mental processes and social maladaptation. Distinctive features - a clear expression of certain personality traits and a clear underdevelopment of other traits.

Accentuation is a subclinical variant of a personality disorder. That is, it is a group of personality traits that are on the verge of the norm.

Psychopathies and accentuations begin to appear in adolescents, finally form in adults and fade in old age.

Psychogenic-psychotic register syndrome

These are reactive psychoses resulting from situations that threaten the psychological and physical health of a person. This is a temporary and transient acute mental disorder. It is characterized by altered consciousness, disorientation, and movement disorders. It is possible to understand that a person has a mental disorder of the type of reactive psychosis by his behavior and emotional reactions: he is motorically excited or in a complete stupor, does not understand the essence of the event, does not recognize his relatives.

Psychogenic neurotic register syndrome

The most common disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is characterized by difficult-to-control obsessive thoughts and actions, anxiety, and feelings of inner discomfort.

It also includes eating disorders (bulimia nervosa, anorexia, binge eating, and psychogenic vomiting), which are more common in girls, generalized anxiety disorder, somatoform migratory pain syndromes, and conversion disorder.

How to know if you have a mental disorder

You can understand that you have a mental disorder if there is no impairment of consciousness or delusional ideas. For example, pseudohallucinations (voices in the head) occur with clarity of consciousness. A person criticizes such voices: he understands that these voices should not exist.

You can suspect a personality disorder by studying them in psychiatric textbooks and "recognizing" yourself in them. However, this information passes through a subjective barrier: a person with a paranoid personality disorder may not recognize his psychotype by reading about it in a textbook. In the same way, we can assume the presence of depression, obsessive thoughts. The main condition is that consciousness be preserved.

Otherwise, in violation of consciousness, a person cannot determine whether he is sick or not. He himself does not realize what is happening, does not understand where he is, does not know his name and address. His consciousness is clouded, disoriented, and his behavior and emotions are completely determined by the content of true hallucinations and delusions.

You can take psychological questionnaires and testing. However, the result will never be final without the professional interpretation of a medical psychologist. Such tests are more of an entertaining nature and have practically no diagnostic value for the subject himself.

Mental disorders are a heterogeneous group of pathological conditions that differ from the generally accepted norm. Mental disorders are characterized by changes in the areas of feelings and perceptions, thinking, drives and behavioral responses. Many of them also cause somatic disorders.

Correction of most mental illnesses involves long, regularly repeated courses of basic therapy in combination with the elimination of the symptoms of the disease.

• Show all

  Prevalence

  Experts have noticed that mental illness and disorders are somewhat more common in women (7%) than in men (3%).

  Clinicians attribute this feature to the presence of more provoking factors in the fairer sex:

  • pregnancy and difficult childbirth;
  • perimenopausal period;
  • menopause, menopause.

  Classification of organic mental disorders

  The term "organic" refers to mental disorders, the occurrence of which is explained by independent cerebral or systemic diseases. The term “symptomatic” refers to disorders that occur secondary to systemic extracerebral disease.

  Organic mental disorders (including symptomatic mental disorders) are a group of conditions that are the consequences of organic brain lesions.

  Three criteria play a role in diagnosing the described disorders:

  • the fact of transferred exogenous pathogenic impact;
  • the presence of specific psychopathological symptoms characteristic of certain cerebral dysfunctions;
  • the possibility of objective diagnosis of cerebral pathomorphological substrate.

  The modern international classification of diseases describes a group of mental disorders as follows:

  ICD-10 class	Group of diseases
  F00-F09	Organic mental disorders, including symptomatic
  F10-F19	Mental and behavioral disorders associated with the use of psychotropic chemicals
  F20-F29	Schizophrenia, schizophrenia-like, schizotypal and delusional disorders
  F30-F39	Mood disorders (affective disorders)
  F40-F48	Disorders provoked by stress (neurotic, somatoform)
  F50-F59	Syndromes relating to behavioral disorders caused by physical factors and physiological disorders
  1.7 F60-F69	Personality and behavioral disorders in adulthood
  1.8 F70-F79	Mental retardation
  1.9 F80-F89	Developmental Disorders
  1.10 F90-F98	Behavioral and emotional disorders that debut in childhood and (or) adolescence
  1.11 F99	Mental disorders that do not have additional specifications

  

  Clinical

  The clinical classification distinguishes the following diseases in the group of organic mental disorders:

  Group of diseases	Diagnosis
  Dementia	Dementia due to Alzheimer's disease; vascular dementia; dementia in diseases listed under other headings; unspecified dementia
  Deficiency Disorders	Organic amnesic syndrome; mild cognitive impairment; organic emotionally labile disorder; postencephalitic syndrome; post-concussion syndrome
  Organic psychotic disorders	Delirium not provoked by alcohol or other psychoactive substances; organic hallucinosis; organic catatonic disorder; organic delusional disorder
  affective disorders	Organic disorders of the sphere of mood; organic anxiety disorder
  Organic personality disorders	dissociated disorder; personality disorder of organic origin; other violations of behavior and personality of an organic nature, provoked by damage, trauma or dysfunction of the brain (the same group includes personality changes in epilepsy of traumatic origin)

  

  Etiological

  By origin, all mental disorders are usually divided into the following two types:

  • Exogenous - arising in connection with factors affecting from the outside (reception of toxic substances, exposure to industrial poisons, drug addiction, radiation exposure, the influence of infectious agents, craniocerebral and psychological trauma). A variety of exogenous disorders are psychogenic diseases, the occurrence of which is interconnected with emotional stress, the impact of social or family problems.
  • Endogenous - actually mental disorders. Etiological factors in this case are internal causes. Examples are chromosomal disorders, diseases associated with gene mutations, diseases with a hereditary predisposition that develop if the patient has an inherited injured gene. Hereditary forms of neuropsychiatric diseases manifest themselves in the event of exposure to a powerful provoking factor (trauma, surgery, serious illness).

  Functional Disorders

  From organic mental disorders, functional disorders should be distinguished - violations, the occurrence of which is due to the influence of psychosocial factors. These disorders are formed in people who have a predisposition to their occurrence. Researchers refer to such a group of ailments, for example, postpartum psychosis with decreased appetite, anxiety, and a desire for isolation.

  Violations of this group are most typical for the following categories of people:

  • unbalanced, with a mobile psyche;
  • in a state of chronic stress;
  • suffering from asthenic syndrome, which is a consequence of the weakening of the body by a serious illness, injury, chronic fatigue, systematic lack of sleep.

  The psychological characteristics of such people contain indications of emotional lability, excessive impressionability, and unhealthy depressive ideas.

  Prevention of the occurrence of disorders in people with an unstable psyche can serve as:

  • healthy lifestyle;
  • specialized psychological trainings;
  • if necessary - individual sessions with a psychotherapist.

  Clinical manifestations

  Each type of mental illness is characterized by unique features of the clinical picture that determine the behavior of the patient, the severity of his condition and influence the choice of medical tactics.

  Clinical manifestations are superimposed on the personality traits of a person who has mental problems. Therefore, the description of the symptoms of the same disease in different patients may vary. To distinguish pathological manifestations from personality traits helps to collect a family history, a conversation with the patient's immediate environment.

  Researchers have noticed some patterns in the formation of symptoms, depending on the gender of the patient. For example, phobic disorders, sleep disturbances, and decreased resistance to stress are more common among women.

  Dementia

  Dementia, or acquired dementia, in psychiatry is a disorder manifested by the impoverishment of mental activity and the gradual loss of a number of higher cortical functions (cognitive and mental processes, emotional reactions, systems of behavior and motivation).

  The group of dementias is heterogeneous - that is, the disorder may have a different etiology and other features that are used in differential diagnosis. Dementias that have arisen against the background of various diseases have a different course: from chronic, with a gradual extinction of the functions of the central nervous system, to fulminant.

  Often, patients with dementia are prone to depressive moods. In this case, a differential diagnosis with appropriate pathologies is required.

  Features of subtypes of pathology are described in the table:

  Etiology of dementia	Characteristic manifestations
  Dementia syndrome in Alzheimer's disease	Gradual and smooth start. No other cause for dementia
  Vascular dementia	The presence of diagnostic data confirming the insufficiency of blood supply to brain tissues. A history of transient ischemic episodes or cerebral infarctions. The predominance of disorders related to the intellectual-mnestic sphere (memory loss, impoverishment of the level of judgments, amnestic aphasia, emotional weakness). Duration of preservation of the personality core
  Dementia in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease	A triad of symptoms is characteristic: transient devastating dementia; gross pyramidal and extrapyramidal disorders; triphasic electroencephalogram
  Dementia in Huntington's disease	Progressive dementia is accompanied by mental disorders (in the form of depression, dysphoria, paranoid phenomena), choreiform hyperkinesis and characteristic personality changes.
  Dementia in Parkinson's disease	The course of dementia is characterized by disorders in the system of formation of emotions and motivation, emotional poverty, a tendency to manifest depressive, hypochondriacal reactions.

  Deficiency disorders

  The group of deficient pathologies includes conditions characterized by a decrease or loss of any of the mental functions. They are described in detail in the table:

  Disorder	Character traits
  Amnestic Syndrome	Prevalence of loss of memory of recent events, anterograde and retrograde amnesia, sequential memory decay. Sometimes there are confabulations. At the same time, automated knowledge should be stored for a long time.
  Organic emotionally labile disorder (asthenic)	Cerebrosthenia. Constant emotional incontinence. Rapid exhaustion. Hyperesthesia to various physical sensations. Autonomic disorders
  Mild cognitive impairment	Decreased productivity of mental activity due to memory impairment, difficulty concentrating, situational mood swings. Mental fatigue and subjective learning problems are typical.
  Postencephalitic syndrome	Neurosis-like syndrome in the form of a sleep disorder, appetite. High fatigue, mental exhaustion. Increased irritability, tendency to conflicts. Difficulties with learning and work. The fundamental difference from organic personality disorders is the reversibility of the process
  Postconcussion (postconcussion) syndrome	Vegetative disorders. Fatigue and irritability. Difficulties in solving mental problems and concentrating. Memory deterioration. Decreased resistance to stress. Insomnia. Emotional arousal. The formation of a depressive state and a phobia of an unfavorable outcome is possible

  Organic mental disorders

  Conditions in this category have the following characteristics:

  • hallucinatory syndrome, characterized by clouding of consciousness;
  • the predominance of true hallucinations;
  • acute development of disorders;
  • figurative nonsense;
  • motor excitation;
  • violation of the structure of sleep and the cyclical nature of sleep and wakefulness;
  • impaired consciousness - from arousal to stupor.

  The clinical picture of organic hallucinosis is characterized by a combination of visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile hallucinosis, including the Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome (an obsessive sensation of extraneous influence from the outside and an acute desire to get rid of it).

  This mental disorder does not exclude the sanity of the patient. ATin some cases, such a person may be the first to understand that he is sick, and deliberately hide the symptoms from loved ones. In this case, it is difficult for others to recognize the patient. The patient, as a rule, retains criticism of his condition. Against the background of preserved consciousness, violations may well be perceived by the patient as hallucinations (not always).

  For a catatonic disorder, signs of catatonia (waxy flexibility, impulsivity) accompanying hallucinosis are typical. Polar psychomotor disorders (stupor and agitation) can be interspersed with any frequency.

  In medicine, it is still a debatable question whether the development of such a disorder is possible against the background of clear consciousness.

  Schizophrenia-like disorder has characteristic features in the form of dominance of stable recurrent delusional ideas of various structures, accompanied by hallucinations, thought disorders. When diagnosing, pay attention to the absence of impaired memory and consciousness.

  organic affective disorder

  Organic mood disorder has a wide range of manifestations, always accompanied by a change in the overall level of activity.

  Affective disorders are usually divided into:

  • monopolar (depressive and manic);
  • bipolar (manic-depressive).

  Personality disorder

  The criterion for diagnosing a personality disorder is a violation of the integration between the memory of the past and awareness of oneself as a person in the present day. Disturbances of direct sensations and control over the movement of the body are characteristic.

  Organic personality disorder is manifested by a significant violation of the lifestyle and behavior habitual before the illness. This is especially clearly expressed in the sphere of emotions (sharp emotional lability, euphoria, irritability, aggression). There is a violation of needs and motives. In patients, cognitive activity decreases, the function of planning and foresight disappears. Sometimes there is the formation of overvalued ideas.

  Treatment

  When providing medical care to patients with mental disorders, it is important to determine the place of treatment (whether hospitalization is necessary). The choice is made taking into account the patient's condition individually in each case. Sometimes the issue of hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital is decided in court.

  Indications for hospitalization in a mental institution are:

  • psychotic disorders of acute or subacute course;
  • disturbance of consciousness;
  • state of psychomotor agitation;
  • identification of suicidal tendencies and intentions;
  • any other mental disorders that are not stopped on an outpatient basis (disturbance of desires, violent actions, convulsive attacks).

  

  Relanium (diazepam) - a drug from the category of benzodiazepine derivatives

  The goal of therapy in a hospital setting is to relieve acute symptoms, normalize behavioral reactions, select effective therapy that the patient will receive in the future, and also address social issues.

  

  Velafax is a member of the antidepressant group.

  Therapy of mental disorders is carried out in a complex manner using all available therapeutic agents, which are described in the table:

  Syndrome	Pharmacotherapeutic group and list of drugs
  depressive state	Antidepressants: Venlafaxine, Velafax, Lenuxin, Elycea, Venlaxor, Brintellix; Neroplant, Geparetta, Adepress, Amitriptyline, Framex, Paxil. Anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs): Grandaxin, Atarax, Alprox
  Anxiety, obsessive fears	Anxiolytic drugs
  psychomotor agitation	Tranquilizers (anxiolytics). Soothing benzodiazepine series: Diazepam, Nozepam, Phenazepam. Antipsychotics: Sulpiride, Quentiax, Tiapride, Ketilept, Olanzapine, Ariprazol, Betamax
  Sleep disorders	Sleeping pills of plant origin. benzodiazepine derivatives
  Delirium, hallucinatory syndrome	Antipsychotics. tranquilizers
  Dementia	Nootropic drugs: Piracetam, Phenotropil, Noopept, Cereton, Bilobil, Combitropil. Cerebroprotectors: Celebrolysin. Antioxidants: Mexidol. Vasodilator drugs; Cavinton, Vinpocetine
  convulsive syndrome	Anticonvulsants: Carbamazepine, Convulsan, Konvuleks, Depakine. Drugs of the benzodiazepine group

  The list of drugs used to treat mental disorders is quite large. From the whole variety, you should choose the means that have the least number of side effects and the minimum range of drug interactions. Another mandatory rule is to start therapy with minimal dosages - this is especially true in cases where continuous treatment is required over a long period of time.

  The success of therapy of patients with mental disorders is due to the complexity of the approach. If possible, the impact is carried out simultaneously on the elimination of the causes that caused the disease, on the mechanisms of its development and the elimination of the symptoms of the disorder:

  Orientation of therapy