Causes and symptoms of neurosis. How is a neurosis treated? What is the obsession neurosis?
Have you ever caught yourself on that,for example, in the morning a certain line from the song "got attached" to you, and you constantly mentally humming it? Or for some reason feel the urgent need to remember the name of the film actor who flashed on the screen? And did you suffer from the experience during the whole working day: "Horror! It seems that the water in the bathroom is not turned off! "?
These same or similar thoughts are literally taken incaptivity of some people, delivering them a lot of trouble. In medicine, this condition has its name - obsessive-cumulative disorder, or neurosis.
About what neurosis is and how to deal with it, we'll talk further in the article.
The causes of the appearance of obsessive-compulsive disorder
The emergence of the aforementioned disease researchersassociated with a genetic predisposition. Explaining this by saying that, perhaps, to our distant ancestors, compulsive behavior gave some advantages. For example, caution, keeping clean and constant readiness to meet with the enemy allowed people to survive, leaving a tendency in the genes for this particular psyche.
Scientists have proved that people with the nameda diagnosis in the collection of an anamnesis, as a rule, relatives are found in whom similar conditions are observed. This applies in the first place to those patients who have neurosis appeared in childhood. Nevertheless, in modern world medicine there is no unequivocal answer to the question of why some people develop this neurosis.
What is the state can provoke? This we will talk about a little later, but for now, let's name who is at risk.
Who most often develops neurosis
Psychiatrists believe that the aforementioned affliction is most oftendevelops in the personalities of a certain psycho-emotional storehouse. As a rule, these are shy and indecisive people, only in their fantasies capable of performing any meaningful actions.
The neurosis of compulsive states, the reasons for which wewe consider, develops on the background of the fact that they diligently avoid the realities of life, requiring the adoption of strong-willed decision or serious actions, since such things are simply beyond their power. As a result, people with the named character warehouse gradually "go into themselves," obsessing on their own experiences and feelings, which eventually supplant all other interests and turn into painful obsessions.
Neurosis: what is the obsessions
Obsessions or ideas are, in a different way,obsessions. They, as already mentioned above, manifest themselves against the will of the patient and are not amenable to his attempts to get rid of a constant sense of anxiety or absurd, but ineradicable thoughts. It can be, for example, reflections on why the seen bird is gray, or where exactly the counter passer-by went.
The patient, as a rule, is aware of theiruselessness and meaninglessness, but nothing can be done about it. Such thoughts do not leave him even for a minute - in fact, this expresses the neurosis of obsessive states. Symptoms, treatment of this ailment has long been a subject of study of specialists in the field of medicine. Later we will discuss what the doctors came to.
Degrees of manifestation of obsessions
In medicine, it is customary to distinguish between degrees of obsessionsbrightness and clarity. That is, a person with relatively vague obsessions can constantly feel the causeless tension, anxiety or confusion that generates in him the common belief that there is nothing good in life.
And more vivid obsessions lead to the fact thatthe neurosis of compulsive states (what it is, hopefully, you become clearer) grows into, for example, the belief that the higher forces are determined to harm not only the bearer of these thoughts, but also his relatives.
Some patients may even experiencesexual obsession, imagining sexual relations or only caressing with strangers, and sometimes close people (relatives), children or even animals. This can cause the patient to fear and doubt their own "normality", sexual orientation, self-criticism and even self-hatred.
Signs of the appearance of a neurosis
So, we have almost figured out what isneurosis. And its symptoms, and methods of therapy, of course, are of interest to modern people, which, however, is not surprising, because the current rhythm of life provokes the appearance of many, including neurological ailments and pathologies. How to know, maybe some manifestations of the disease already have place to be, and they need to be combated. And is there any way to avoid such a state? First, we should pay attention to the fact that such patients are always well aware of the artificiality and unreality of their ideas, but at the same time they have an acute need to act in this way, and not otherwise.
The clinical picture of the disease, as a rule,is limited by the presence of obsessive symptoms, while the volume of consciousness and the degree of critical attitude of the patient remain normal. To the named signs of a neurosis the impossibility to concentrate, fast fatigue, the raised irritability and disturbances of a dream is usually joined.
The listed symptoms manifest themselves with varying intensity, but in the mood of the patient, nevertheless, there is an obvious shade of hopelessness and an acute sense of inferiority.
Specialists consider 3 types of disease course:
- A single attack, which can last as long as a week, or several years.
- Relapses, including periods of complete absence of signs of the disease.
- Continuous course of the disease, accompanied by an increase in her symptoms.
Neurosis: what is compulsions
Obsessive thoughts, doubts and memories are, by the way, rather rare symptoms, as well as obsessive movements or actions.
The most common type ofactions are rituals, called compulsions. It is with their help that the patient tries to ease his condition and avoid that frightening event, the thought of which causes endless experiences.
So, a person to free himself fromconstant fear of getting infected with any infection, comes up with a ritual in the form of washing hands with a certain amount of soaping. At the same time he thinks loudly, but after getting lost, he starts all over again. Or, to get rid of obsessive thoughts about the unlocked front door, before leaving home the number of times pulls the door handle.
By the way, often such rituals are also absurd in nature, manifested in the form of pulling out of hair, biting nails, unfolding objects in strict order, etc.
Why rituals become a trap for a patient with neurosis?
Obsessions are designed to instill insuffering from the patient's exhausting doubts of confidence, although with this task, they usually do not cope. After all, if you remember what neurosis and its symptoms are, it becomes clear that compulsions giving a false sense of control over what is happening can not get rid of obsession (obsessive thoughts).
Instead, they entice the patient into a peculiartrap. Trying to get relief, a person complicates the ritual, and as doubts remain, he adds more and more details to him, gradually turning his life and the lives of others into the semblance of an absurd theater.
How is neurosis manifested in children
Almost a third of the patients claim that the pathology we are considering has appeared at an early age.
By the way, the neurosis of compulsive states in children has a reversible character. It does not distort the perception of the world, and parents often do not pay attention to these deviations, believing that with age everything will pass by itself.
As a rule, in small patients ailmentmanifests itself in the form of obsessive movements. This can be a wrinkling of the forehead, a tick, a twitching of the shoulders, snorting, sniffing, coughing, etc. To the listed symptoms, there is often a feeling of fear, for example, in front of a closed or empty room. Children are afraid to get dirty, get pricked, hit, etc.
How do children develop obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescentscan provoke the peculiarities of upbringing in the family. If, for example, for the same actions a child can both punish and encourage (all depends on the mood of the parents), then he simply can not develop a certain stereotype of behavior. And unpredictability often becomes a stimulus for a constant sense of anxiety and uncertainty about the correctness of their actions, demanding an exit.
An attempt to foresee the reaction of parents often causes the child to invent rituals and seek his own way of protecting himself.
The same problem can also occur in families,where parents are divorced or someone is seriously ill. This often leads to the fact that the house is becoming oppressive. The child, as a rule, is not told about what is happening, but he feels something wrong, and this worries him, frightens him and eventually forces him to seek salvation in compulsions.
Features of the treatment of neurosis in children and adolescents
There are certain difficulties in the treatment of childrendiagnosed with neurosis. What is the condition requires almost the same treatment for children and adults, of course, but the age of the child often creates additional problems.
Kids are mostly unable toidentify and articulate your fears. They cannot explain what makes them perform some rituals. In many cases, they refuse to admit that their fears are too exaggerated and irrational. Moreover, they believe that all their disturbing thoughts will come true if you tell someone about them.
And teenagers are even ashamed to share ideas.experiences with a psychotherapist, and all because of the fear of recognizing oneself as inferior and being the object of ridicule from peers. Therefore, competence and ability to work with children are the main criteria when choosing a doctor.
Getting rid of neurosis with exposure psychotherapy
The first question that arises in patients withDiagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder: how to get rid of? Reviews of relatives, and the patients themselves tell about different ways of dealing with this ailment. Quite often, people praise the method of exposure psychotherapy.
It implies the possibility of reducing fears.patient in case of frequent and (notice!) proper immersion in a painful situation. For example, if a patient is tormented by fear of infection, he is offered to hold onto the handrails of a common staircase, and then not to wash his hands. And to get rid of anxious doubts about whether the door is locked, leave the house without checking it out.
Such actions to make the patient is very difficult. But they allow patients to understand and make sure that the terrible consequences that they are anxiously waiting for do not occur: the deadly disease from germs does not immediately fall down from their feet, and the door remains locked even without repeated testing. Anxiety, which at first grows somewhat, eventually is overcome and passes, but this method requires the obligatory control of a specialist, as well as the classic treatment of neurosis.
Methods of therapy
The described neuroses are diseases that, for the most part, require complex treatment.
To effectively get rid of the disease specialistsmost often used combination of drugs with cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. This allows, reducing anxiety with the help of drugs, to maximize the impact of psychotherapy. This is especially true for patients in whom the use of the exposure method causes too high anxiety levels.
By the way, it should be remembered that the specificThere are no drugs for obsessive-compulsive disorder. And the use of sedatives alone can lead to side effects and a return to anxiety immediately after stopping such treatment.
In complex therapy, experts givepreference for tranquilizers with a strong general effect: “Napoton”, “Elenium”, “Relanium”, “Seduxen” or “Syabazon”, etc. Since neurosis, unlike neurasthenia, involves taking high doses of drugs, they are preferred administered intravenously.
But the pills (Frontin, Alprazolam, Zoldak, Neurol, etc.) have proven to be quite effective.
