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Among psychogenic diseases, neurosis is the most common. The disease can be caused by a traumatic factor or situation. In the first case, we are dealing with a one-time and short-term phenomenon, in the second case, with a nervous disease that develops under the influence of constant stress. With timely treatment, neurosis can be eliminated; to do this, you need to learn about the causes of the disease and ways to treat it.
Stages of the disease
Neurotic reactions do not always turn into neurosis. It depends on the strength and duration of the impact of the situation on the body.
Stages of development of situational neurosis:
- A weakened state of the body that contributes to the onset of disease.
- Acute nervous system disorder.
- Chronic neurosis.
- The neurotic state becomes part of human nature.
The concept of “situational neurosis” is not in ICD-10. But there are several points that correspond to this disorder. This will be mentioned below.
Acute form
The cause of situational nervous disorder is stress that arises from a specific situation if the person is not adapted to it. This is written about in ICD-10 in the category code F43.
This condition saves the patient from further depletion of the nervous system. If a neurotic person becomes comfortable in his status, then he may subconsciously not want to return to normal, pushing away all methods of treatment. And this is the most dangerous thing.
When a patient brings home his diagnosis of neurosis on a clinic form, he has a real chance to convict his relatives and people close to him for bringing him to this state. The reasons for this behavior of the patient:
- He wants sympathy.
- Looks for an excuse for his inactivity and helplessness.
- The husband stops drinking.
- Children begin to obey.
- Relatives stop interfering in the internal affairs of the family.
- The employees are becoming polite.
- Aggression.
- We're crying.
- Seeking the sympathy of other people.
- Solitude in your thoughts.
- Numb.
- Avoiding people.
- Hyperventilation syndrome.
- Hypocapnia is a lack of carbon dioxide in the blood.
- Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen in the blood.
- Respiratory alkalosis is the excessive removal of carbon dioxide from the lungs.
- Heartache.
- Shortness of breath.
- Cough.
- Dyspnea.
- Lack of air.
- Tachycardia.
- Unstable pulse.
- Vomiting, diarrhea.
- Belching.
- Flatulence.
- Dizziness.
- Impaired movement coordination.
Often this gives positive results even without a course of treatment, that is, the culprits of the nervous disorder begin to behave well:
The acute form can last from 1-2 hours to several months and end with stabilization of the body’s condition or transition to the next stage - chronic with persistence of symptoms. This is stated in ICD-10 when describing the disease with code F43.2. The result can be influenced not so much by the treatment as by the patient’s mood.
Protracted neurosis
If the cause of the disorder is not eliminated, then the neurosis can drag on for many years. The neurotic becomes disillusioned with recovery. Even drug treatment does not help.
An organism weakened by illness can easily be subject to other stress, as F43.0 of ICD-10 warns.
A prolonged neurosis can have a wave-like character: it either subside until the symptoms completely disappear, then reappear.
Thoughts about a failed life may come: the patient begins to feel that he has always been treated unfairly. He often becomes the “hero of a difficult fate” and brags about his troubles.
He has the attitude of a loser. A neurotic person tries to impose the idea on each of his interlocutors that he will not succeed in anything in life, and cites himself as an example.
This can affect anyone and make them feel guilty about being luckier than the sufferer.
The disease becomes real
If another stress occurs during the illness, it results in new complaints to others. Since the patient receives sympathy and help, such tactics become the norm of behavior. This helps the neurotic to surround himself with an aura of sympathy. In this way he adapts to the appropriate environment. This is written in F43 ICD-10. Treatment of symptoms becomes unprofitable for the patient.
At this stage, neurosis becomes practically incurable. Therefore, you need to get rid of it immediately.
The patient may react to an undesirable situation in this way:
As described by ICD-10, secondary symptoms appear as a result:
These symptoms can lead to panic attacks. Tension, fatigue, and irritability increase. It becomes difficult to concentrate on certain work. Memory starts to work poorly. Sleep is disturbed.
Clinical picture
The physiological symptoms of neurosis are similar to many systemic diseases: diseases of the heart, kidneys, liver, and musculoskeletal system.
Diseases of the nervous system occur with equal frequency in people of both sexes and at any age. Changes at the cellular level lead to hypoxia, which manifests itself:
- headaches;
- temporary or long-term decrease in physical activity;
- nervousness;
- inappropriate behavioral reactions;
- hysterical fits;
- sleep disorder.
Disturbed sleep patterns are a sign of neurosis
Most patients experience a disturbance in appetite: lack of it or overeating. Many patients are active at night and experience a loss of energy during the day.
From the cardiovascular system the following may be observed:
- cardiopalmus;
- attacks of suffocation;
- muscle flaccidity.
When the effect of the psychogenic factor increases, diarrhea, vomiting and urinary incontinence are observed. With prolonged stress - thermoregulatory dysfunction. Temperature varies from 35.5 to 37.3⸰. The patient complains of chills and tremor in the fingers. Skin rashes and itching are not uncommon. Itchy pimples may appear on the scalp.
The main symptom of neurosis is a violation of behavioral reactions and an unstable mental state.
Patients become anxious and experience panic attacks. Obsessive thoughts appear that prevent you from concentrating on work, and phobias appear. Obsession leads to compulsions (ritual movements, actions). This manifestation is due to the nervous system’s attempts to protect itself from a traumatic factor. This includes frequent hand washing, constant checks: whether the front door is closed, whether household appliances are turned off. Over time, these actions are performed not just once, but constantly. Even at work, a person cannot concentrate and tries to return home to do something. There are also more serious deviations of this type:
- Searching in all areas of activity for numbers that supposedly haunt a person, bringing him failure.
- Arranging objects in a certain order.
- Refusal to visit crowded places, ride public transport, etc.
A person constantly feels aggression. Thoughts about harming others or yourself appear. The brain often reproduces scary, strange pictures. Some cases are accompanied by prolonged clinical depression, when patients sleep for several days, but still feel tired.
Psychological conflicts
The disorder arises on the basis of conflicts that have arisen in the mind, which are of two types:
Situations that lead to neurotic conflict:
The strength of mental trauma and symptoms depend not only on the situation, but also on the characteristics of the body: character, gender, age, upbringing, education, profession. ICD-10 recognizes this. Therefore, one person neutralizes the trauma, while the other remains inactive, which leads to neurotic conflicts.
Patient behavior
The main personality traits that lead to conflict of thoughts:
Based on the type of behavior of patients, conflicts are divided into the following types:
Hysterical type
A person with a hysterical type of neurosis may have the following character traits:
Situational neurosis is characterized by inflated demands on the surrounding world. A person can completely ignore traditions, etiquette, and even such real facts as cold in winter and warmth in summer.
At the same time, the patient allows himself not to criticize himself. His thoughts work according to the following image: “The world should be the way I imagine it. Everything around me must adapt to me.” This type of neurosis is demonstrated by the fairy-tale hero - Princess Nesmeyana. Here the cause of the disorder lies in upbringing. Treatment should occur only through psychotherapy.
Neurosthenic type
The demands placed on oneself are too high here. A person demands the impossible from himself. And when he fails, he panics.
A conflict arises when there are needs that are unrealistic for an individual to achieve in a given situation:
When hopelessness has not taken over the entire consciousness, then the conflict may not end in neurosis. Otherwise, a disorder of the nervous system occurs.
It depends both on the situation and on the body's ability to counteract unfavorable thoughts.
Characteristic qualities of a patient with a neurasthenic type of disorder:
The performance of such individuals can be high and spurred by anxious thoughts.
Obsessive-psychasthenic type
This type of disorder can be called behavioral weakness. It is expressed in the fact that the individual cannot decide what he needs. Today he wants to be a sailor, tomorrow a scientist, and the day after tomorrow he goes to work as a loader and curses himself for his failed life.
Conflicting demands on oneself cause internal conflicts, which lead to an inferiority complex.
Characteristics of such a person:
Here, emotionality combined with restraint is characteristic: the individual experiences the received impressions within himself. This leads to non-standard conclusions and contributes to the development of self-hypnosis: the patient tends to form long logical chains in the brain and draw conclusions that do not correspond to reality.
Getting out of a nervous state
You can read about methods of treating the disorder in the article Cure neurosis is within your power!
During the period when the body returns to its normal state, a person may feel some discomfort, which is accompanied by the following symptoms:
Sometimes I am tormented by remorse that I could have behaved differently. Has a feeling of dissatisfaction with his weakness.
But when a person begins to see his mistakes, then there is hope that he will correct them.
lechenienevroza.ru
How does situational neurosis arise and by what symptoms can it be identified?
Let's start with the fact that situational neurosis, also known as neurasthenia, occurs when a person experiences a strong traumatic event. This type of neurosis is distinguished by the fact that the patient is aware that he is replaying the same difficult situation in his head, but cannot get out of this state on his own. Endlessly experiencing this situation, he becomes more and more immersed in his experiences, and the more he worries, the more his condition worsens.
Causes of situational neurosis:
Family conflicts are one of the most common causes of such a disease as neurosis!
95% of female neuroses and 35% of male ones develop due to intra-family conflicts, and what is especially important to realize is that in a difficult family environment the child’s psyche is traumatized! If conflicts and quarrels constantly occur in a family, there is pathological jealousy, betrayal, children are kept in too strict or too free conditions, then in such a family the ideal soil has been created for the development of situational neurosis. Because of such situations, a person’s self-esteem is deformed, rises or falls too much and irritability, anxiety and constantly recurring thoughts arise.
Next, changes appear at the body level.
Psychotherapists are confident that neuroses are an inevitable part of our lives, since conflict situations are always present in it to one degree or another. They also argue that neuroses are useful in modern life because they push us to solve problems. Illness as a mental disorder arises not because of neurosis itself, but because of the unwillingness or inability to resolve the conflict and eliminate the traumatic factor.
A person experiencing a difficult stressful situation has two options - either his psyche is destroyed and he ultimately gets an acute form of the disease, which is almost impossible to cure, or his resistance to stress increases by overcoming difficulties and reaching a new level.
As for intrapersonal conflicts, they arise when a person’s emotions and desires contradict each other. Usually this situation develops when the norms of generally accepted morality and his own desires and dreams collide within a person. In this case, suppressed emotions are first experienced, and then the development of neurosis occurs.
As for conflicts with the outside world, they very often become the cause of the development of situational neurosis. For example, if a person works in a low-paid job, the situation in the team is very difficult and requires constant mental strength, or there is no opportunity to grow in a career despite all efforts.
Signs of neurasthenia are the patient’s complaints about:
- Sexual function disorders - female frigidity or premature ejaculation in men. Such disorders further aggravate the patient’s condition, as he begins to think about this problem all the time.
- Constant dissatisfaction with your work, life, environment, low energy level, lack of energy for work and rapid fatigue.
- Headaches and sleep disturbances, fatigue after minor exertion, poor attention and inability to concentrate on seemingly simple things.
- Poor sleep (the patient initially cannot fall asleep for a long time, and then sleeps restlessly, waking up frequently).
- Palpitations, shortness of breath, pallor and redness, alternating with each other.
- Increased sensitivity to irritants - creaking doors, rustling paper, ticking clocks, noise of cars on the street and many others.
Stages of disease development
Neurotic reactions do not always turn into illness. It all depends on how long the person was in a stressful situation and how much he experienced it. Even if these reactions develop into a disease, it can end at any stage with appropriate treatment.
At the first stage, the body becomes weakened and the disease begins. At the second stage, the disorder of the nervous system already becomes acute, and at the third stage it becomes chronic. The fourth stage is the most difficult to treat, because at this stage neurotic reactions and behavior already become part of the person’s character.
In ICD-10, the second stage of situational neurosis is designated by code F43. The acute form of neurosis lasts several months or hours, it all depends on the amount of stress experienced by the person. This condition does not allow the nervous system to become exhausted and there is a huge danger that the patient will feel good in his status. Such patients begin to resist all types of treatment and subconsciously cling to the disease. Often people use their diagnosis to extract maximum bonuses for themselves from their family and friends. They can play on feelings of guilt, blame others for making him sick, or, on the contrary, appeal to pity, show how bad they feel and thereby receive additional attention from the family.
The disease at this stage can recede even without treatment, because if loved ones were the cause of stress and after the diagnosis changed their behavior, the stressful situation itself disappears and the person feels better!
By the way, often a diagnosis serves as an excellent excuse why something in life has not yet worked out or has not turned out the way I wanted, it’s so convenient - I’m sick, so I can’t work fully...
Whether the disease will recede or go into a chronic stage depends more on the mood of the patient, on what he is ready to do and whether he wants to get out of it. If, after all, the disease has passed into the third stage, chronic, a note is placed in ICD-10 when describing the disease with code F43.2.
The third stage - prolonged neurosis is characterized by the fact that even medication treatment does not help, and the patient’s disappointment in this treatment. This happens most often due to the fact that the stressful situation that caused the disease has not gone away. People can live in this state for years, the symptoms of the disease will either disappear almost completely or appear with renewed vigor. Patients are increasingly visited by thoughts that life has not gone well, that everything has failed and nothing good awaits them ahead.
People at this stage are already beginning to take the position of a loser to whom the world around them is simply unfair. And here comes a very dangerous line, because... the character gradually changes and neurotic reactions become its features. This is how a neurotic person adapts to his environment and has virtually no chance of healing!
Stages of neurotic disorder
Neurotic reactions that are repeated frequently sooner or later turn into neurosis. How soon this happens depends on the strength and duration of the impact of the situation on the body.
But it is worth understanding that neurosis is not a disease, but a reversible functional disorder. Due to their ignorance, many people think that a neurotic is someone like crazy. But this is a huge misconception. In fact, 80% of people suffering from neuroses are unaware of their disorder. And there are many more of us like this than it seems. In fact, every 2-3 residents of a big city are neurotic.
Stages of development of situational neurosis:
- A weakened state of the body that contributes to the development of psychosomatic symptoms and can later lead to illness.
- Acute nervous system disorder.
- Chronic neurosis.
- The neurotic state becomes a person’s nature (character, behavior, personality traits change).
The concept of “situational neurosis” is not in ICD-10, since this condition is not a disease. But there are several items in the handbook that correspond to this disorder. This will be mentioned in more detail below.
Although neuroses are not classified as somatic or mental illnesses, they must be treated without fail. Their therapy should be taken as seriously as possible. Being in this state, a person feels very bad and needs qualified help.
Treatment methods
The first thing to do in the treatment of situational neurosis is to try to eliminate the unfavorable situation that caused the disease. It is recommended to work with a psychotherapist to change the attitude towards the problem and resolve traumatic situations.
There are two types of psychotherapy:
In the treatment of situational neurosis, medication is also used. It should normalize the basic processes of the nervous system - inhibition and excitation. They use drugs such as tazepam, seduxen, napoton, elenium, but only a qualified specialist can prescribe them after examination and identifying the severity of the disease.
Also, physiotherapeutic measures such as massage, wet wraps and salt-pine baths will not be superfluous in the treatment of neurosis. Light sports games and gymnastics will also help reduce the level of nervous tension.
Situational neurosis must be treated immediately, because if the patient has reached the fourth stage of his illness, then it is almost impossible to cure him!
And in conclusion, I would like to note that the main prevention of situational neuroses is the ability not to experience unnecessary stress in situations that you cannot change, and to act in cases where you can influence these situations! Everyone experiences stress, but whether you become stronger and more self-confident by overcoming a difficult situation or whether you become a hostage to it and develop an illness depends on you. If you find signs of situational neurosis in yourself or your loved ones, be sure to seek help from a qualified specialist.
psihodoc.ru
Treatment of situational neurosis
Therapy for situational neurosis involves the use of various general strengthening measures, training in effective relaxation tactics, adaptation of the person, and relief of the main symptoms. Each individual case is considered individually. Drugs and treatment measures depend entirely on the configuration, aggressiveness of nervous disorders and accompanying physiological abnormalities.
Drug treatment
To relax the nervous system, maintain its mobility and stop the destruction of neurons, the following is prescribed:
- herbal preparations based on valerian root, lily of the valley flowers, chamomile, ginseng, elecampane, St. John's wort, hawthorn, motherwort;
- antidepressants;
- tranquilizers.
Mild forms of neurosis do not require special intervention from a psychologist. Treatment is carried out at home. It involves regulating the daily routine. It is recommended to sleep at least 8 hours a day, as well as restorative procedures. For muscle hypertonicity, physiotherapy is indicated, including electrosleep, massage, and physical therapy. Sedatives are prescribed for mild nervous disorders. If there is diarrhea during a nervous breakdown, Persen with Nosh-Poy is prescribed for 2 weeks, then No-Shpu is continued to be taken for 2 months. This can effectively eliminate muscle spasms in the stomach and relieve tension in the nervous system. To restore neural communication, “Glycine” and vitamin complexes are used.
Antidepressants are used for more serious pathologies to directly relieve depression and panic attacks. Tranquilizers are used less frequently, in advanced cases when an inadequate reaction is observed. They are prescribed as a course for a maximum of 2 weeks.
Psychotherapeutic techniques
The psychotherapist selects an activity to moderate behavior depending on the characteristics of the patient. In some cases it is a group lesson, in others it is an individual session. Techniques may include hypnosis, self-hypnosis, adaptation exercises, art therapy, music therapy, etc.
The main goal of working with the patient is to find out the reasons. Based on this, a cause-and-effect relationship is built (the patient himself does this). It is important that a person understands why a certain factor causes such a reaction in him. Neurosis is a set of behavioral reactions that represent a stable reflex developed over the years; any nervous reaction can be transformed.
Patients are taught to adapt to living conditions near the irritant, since it will never be possible to eliminate it. In many situations, it is enough to learn to relax. This is what meditation practices are for.
Causes of neuroses
A person, being part of society and interacting with the environment, constantly finds himself in situations of conflict of interests. Moreover, directly opposite attitudes, desires and aspirations can also exist within the human psyche. If, when there is a clash of interests, it is impossible to reach a compromise, then the situation, as they say, “hangs in the air,” giving rise to internal tension.
This tension may not be recognized at all or is a kind of background, worsening upon contact with an irritating factor. Long-term tension takes away a person's strength. As a result of the depletion of internal reserves, disruptions in the functioning of the nervous system begin to occur.
If the tension is prolonged, but not very strong, or if a person is not fully aware of the causes of the conflict and does not take measures to resolve it, then the neurotic reaction is delayed. As a result, some lasting changes occur in the psyche. Initially, they are adaptive in nature, but at the same time they can contribute to painful manifestations, forming a “vicious circle”. Under the influence of a neurotic disorder, a person’s character “deteriorates,” and his interaction with the outside world becomes even more conflicting.
If the conflict situation is clearly defined (the person knows what exactly unbalances him), and at the same time is quite strong in its impact, then situational neurosis may develop. A prerequisite for its occurrence is the absence for a person of a visible possibility of resolving the problem. This does not mean that there is no way out of the situation. It’s just that a person, being within the framework of his ideas, does not see this way out.
Causes of neuroses
Such tension may not be recognized at all, or it may be a certain background, which becomes aggravated upon contact with an irritating factor. Long-term tension robs a person of strength. As a result of the depletion of reserves inside, disruptions in the functioning of the nervous system begin.
The human nervous system, when under stress, loses stability and becomes exhausted. In response to a minimum of provoking factors or even without them, a not entirely normal mental reaction or painful symptom may appear, creating a clinical picture of a certain type of neurosis.
Treatment of situational neurosis
Eliminating the symptoms of the disease with medication is only possible temporarily. Treatment will be complete only if the conflict situation is eliminated or resolved. Drug therapy includes adaptogens, psychotropic drugs, and multivitamins. Physiotherapeutic treatment (massage, acupuncture) and restorative measures (physical therapy, swimming, normalization of the daily routine) also help.
Various individual and group methods of self-development, auto-training, yoga, meditation and other practices help. An example is a practice called “Annulment of negative thought forms, fears, phobias, negative situations.” This technique is a combination of visualization, auto-training with elements of trance. When using any of the methods, the main thing is the person’s attitude to get rid of the problem, the willingness to make compromises in the search for solution options, and an understanding of the value of an adequate perception of the situation.
psycholekar.ru
Diagnostic methods and treatment
It is impossible to diagnose a state of neurosis only on the basis of clinical tests and a personal examination of the patient. This requires special methods and techniques from neurologists, personal conversations, surveys of loved ones that will clarify the clinical picture, the nature of the manifestations and the patient’s behavior.
It is important to seek help in time and prevent mental complications, which entail complex disorders and longer treatment. In addition to medical therapy methods, it is important to find a distraction from problems at home, do what you love, find a new hobby and hobby. This will help you abstract from obsessive anxious thoughts and quickly return to normal.
Situational neurosis
Situational neurosis is a form of neurotic disorder that develops under the influence of an unresolved conflict (external or internal) and is reversible if the situation that caused it is eliminated.
Situational neurosis is a disorder that occurs in connection with a situation. It has various manifestations, like all other neuroses. And the reason for it is the same as for other neuroses - unresolved conflict. This may be a conflict between desires and possibilities, expectations and reality, interpersonal, internal conflict and others. The peculiarity of this form of neurotic disorder is that the situation that provoked it is usually quite specifically designated in the person’s mind.
The nervous system of a person in a state of tension, exhausted, loses stability. In response to minimal provoking stimuli, and even without them, a not entirely adequate mental reaction or painful symptom may arise, causing the clinical picture of one or another type of neurosis. The characteristics of the reaction depend on:
The essence of the problem
Situational neurosis includes a group of disorders of a different nature, provoked by a psychogenic situation, i.e., prolonged stress. The second name of the disease is psychasthenia. The clinic is characterized by predominant asthenic manifestations, a significant temporary or long-term decrease in physical activity. The course of the disease is reversible with timely assistance.
The essence of the problem lies in the disruption of the functionality of the higher nervous system. The mechanism of development is the action of psychogenic stimuli. A big role is given not even to the situation itself, but to its perception by a person and the adaptive characteristics of his body.
Under the influence of various factors, the following deviations may appear, provoked by disruption of the central nervous system:
- temporarily increased emotionality;
- neurotic syndrome;
- deep neurosis;
- a progressive form of psychosis.
The interaction of a traumatic situation and personal attitudes generates the main chain of neurosis. The further development of events, i.e., the resolution of a personal conflict and the successful overcoming of its consequences for the nervous system or the formation of a disorder with a violation of the personality structure, completely depends on the adaptive abilities of the body. Under the influence of stress, the central nervous system mobilizes all the forces of the body and throws them into the fight against the stimulus. This is revealed in the acceleration of metabolic processes and improved performance. If the body has successfully adapted to work without paying attention to the psychogenic situation, neurosis does not develop. With the inability to adapt, a violation of higher nervous activity occurs.
The problem of neurosis is the body’s inability to adapt to the current situation.
In any of its manifestations, the situational form of neurosis involves oxygen starvation of the brain, which leads to deformation of nerve cells. The sympathoadrenal system spasms, due to which the vessels narrow and the blood flow reduces its speed. In order to preserve the body, the nervous system redirects blood flow to vital systems. Due to the hormonal surge, tissues become more susceptible to the effects of catecholamines, which are produced by the body in large quantities. This causes symptoms such as nervousness and unreasonable fears.
