Dissociative disorders.

The widespread prevalence of mental illnessleads this group of pathologies to a new level of studying clinical features. Because of this, an active evaluation of the effectiveness of therapy of patients with mental illness is currently underway.

If we talk about specific diseasesmental activity of the person, then dissociative disorders (or conversion ones) are one of the most interesting and colorful (in terms of symptoms and clinical picture).

Such disorders are manifested as somatic,and mental symptoms. Somatic often resemble manifestations of neurological diseases (imitating paresis, paralysis or loss of function of other organs).

Dissociative disorders occur asrule, after a psycho-emotional conflict. As a result of excitation of the nervous system, conversion occurs (substitution of some diseases by others) and dissociation.

Medical specialists of a number of countries subdividedissociative disorders for conversion (manifesting somatic symptoms) and dissociative (for which the characteristic symptomatology is characteristic). However, according to the IBC of the tenth revision, the two data of the group are combined into one.

The main feature that distinguishes dissociativea disorder from other diseases of mental activity, is that the etiology of this group of diseases is not any somatic or neurological diseases. This feature is used as a diagnostic criterion for dissociative disorders.

However, there are some difficulties indiagnostics. First, complications arise at the initial stage of differentiation of mental illness and truly somatic. The second obstacle - in the correct diagnosis - is the clarification of the "consciousness" of the symptoms. That is, whether these symptoms are true (unconscious) or whether they are simulated (conscious).

It turns out that truly dissociative symptoms are not intentional and willful, but these symptoms manifest themselves according to the patient's ideas about the disease.

Distinguish dissociative disorders of the following types: motor, sensory and disorders with mental symptoms. All of them have their own peculiarities of the clinic and their peculiarities in treatment.

The concept of "dissociative personality disorder"somewhat similar to the above. Disorders of this kind are characterized primarily by mental symptoms, somatic manifestations either are not detected, or are detected to a minor extent.

The very term "dissociation" indicates disunitysomething one. Dissociative personality disorders - a condition in which the consciousness of the patient is divided into several separately existing forms. That is, the patient acts as a person with a plurality of personality. This disease manifests itself during the "change of personalities". So, with the change of personality, there is a change in mood, speech, movement, character (often opposite). Watching a few personalities of such a person from outside, it can be said that these are completely different people.

Dissociative identity disorder is onefrom the forms of psychic dissociation. For this disease are characteristic - depersonalization and derealization. Depersonalization is a process of disturbing the perception of one's own reality by the person himself (the patient seems to perceive himself as being distorted). Derealization is characterized by a distorted perception of everyone around. It is difficult for such a patient to understand that the people around him really exist.

Dissociative disorders in psychiatry are extremely serious diseases that are difficult to treat. Even with successful treatment, mental activity is rarely fully restored.