What is alcoholic psychosis. Treatment of alcoholic psychosis

Alcoholic psychoses appear at 2-3 and are a disorder of mental activity. At the initial stage of alcoholism, psychosis is very rare.

Among the psychoses that occur with alcoholism are:

• hallucinosis;
• delirium delirium();
• alcoholic pseudoparalysis;
• delusional alcoholic psychoses;
• alcoholic encephalopathy;
• hemorrhagic polyencephalitis;
• Antabuse psychosis;
• dipsomania.

All psychoses differ in course and clinical manifestations. Psychoses due to dependence on alcohol develop not under its influence itself, but due to the products obtained after its breakdown and metabolic disorders. Thus, delirium and hallucinosis usually appear not during a period of heavy drinking, when there is a very high level of toxins in the human body, but during abstinence - when there is too sharp a decrease in alcohol in the blood.

Alcoholic psychosis is a consequence of alcoholism. A drinking person who is not an alcoholic does not experience psychosis even with very large doses of alcohol. Often preceded by such phenomena as injuries, acute infections, stress. They contribute to the rapid development of psychotic reactions of the patient’s unhealthy nervous system.

Such psychoses have various forms: chronic, acute, subacute and others. About 45% of all existing psychoses are acute, 27% are chronic and subacute. If psychosis recurs, it usually develops according to the same scenario as the primary one, but its course becomes more complicated each time. In alcoholic psychosis, the patient experiences quite strong psychoorganic disorders and disturbances in the perception of reality. Among alcoholics with 5-7 years of experience, alcoholic psychosis occurs in 13% of cases.

Delirium tremens - delirium delirium

Alcoholism and delirium tremens are two accompanying phenomena. With alcoholic delirium, the patient cannot navigate in time and place, he is aggressive and agitated.

Alcohol delirium usually begins 2-4 days after heavy drinking, but can sometimes occur during heavy drinking. The first attack of fever occurs during a long period of heavy drinking, and subsequent ones can occur during short periods of heavy drinking. Quite often, delirium tremens is preceded by a new infectious disease or an exacerbation of a chronic infection.

Signs of delirium delirium

There are symptoms that indicate the onset of delirium tremens:

1. Lack of craving for alcohol. Before the onset of delirium, the alcoholic completely loses desire, and in some cases even develops an aversion to alcoholic beverages.
2. Sudden change of mood. The approach of delirium tremens can be warned by the change of joy to unexpected melancholy, fear or depression. The patient becomes overly excited and cannot sit in one place.
3. Trembling of hands and feet.
4. Restless sleep, insomnia, nightmares. After waking up, terrible visual images appear in front of a person, he can even hear sounds that are not really there.

How can you avoid delirium tremens? The answer is clear: you need to stop drinking if it hasn’t happened yet. If the disease is already present, you need to be treated for alcoholism. So, there are different drugs and cures for this disease.

Hallucinations in delirium delirium

Attacks of delirium tremens usually occur at night. Hallucinations are usually dominated by images of amphibians, insects and small animals, such as snakes, spiders, rats or mice, which a person is normally afraid of. In ancient times, believing alcoholics often imagined devils during delirium tremens. There may also be visions of nets, ropes, cobwebs from which a person cannot get out, or various scenes from horror films where chaos and destruction reign. Such pictures in the perception of delirium tremens are not three-dimensional; rather, they resemble watching a movie. Auditory hallucinations are directly related to what the patient imagines: he may hear screams of horror, animal cries or threats. During delirium tremens, cases of painful, unreasonable jealousy of an alcoholic are not uncommon.

Everything that the patient hears and sees in this state is shown in his facial expressions. Grimaces of confusion, horror and fear appear on the person’s face. He tries to throw off imaginary reptiles or insects, tries to hide, or pushes someone away from him. In addition to auditory and visual ones, the patient may be haunted by tactile hallucinations. He feels how amphibians or insects crawl over him, how he is bitten, beaten or cut. This condition is characterized by the sensation of a foreign body in the mouth: the person tries in every possible way to pull it out with his hands or spit it out. Speech during an attack is slurred and abrupt; most often he speaks individual lines, conducting a conversation with images of hallucinations.

Dangers of delirium

Delirium tremens (or, as alcoholics call it, squirrel) is a psychosis that poses a great danger to the life and health of the patient and the people around him. In this state, a person can, for example, jump out of a window. Trying to get rid of terrible hallucinations or obeying the voices in his head, the patient may even commit suicide.

During delirium tremens, the patient loses orientation in space: he completely does not understand where to go and where he is. Although he can provide his personal name and other information that relates to his personality very accurately.

Hallucinations related to delirium tremens weaken during the daytime, and become bright again in the evening and at night. There are also gaps between them when the visions release the patient a little, and he can talk about them.

Alcoholic psychosis: hallucinosis

This type of psychosis manifests itself in 5-11% of cases of alcoholic mental disorders and ranks second in prevalence, second only to delirium. Most often, hallucinosis occurs in alcoholic women and occurs, like delirium, after long-term alcohol abuse. But, unlike alcoholic delirium, it occurs with fairly clear consciousness and normal orientation in place and time. Auditory hallucinations usually predominate, while tactile and visual hallucinations are rare. Patients completely retain memories of their behavior and feelings in a state of psychosis.

Alcoholic hallucinosis can be divided into 3 types: acute, subacute and chronic.

Acute hallucinosis begins against the background of a hangover and becomes psychopathological.

This psychosis has the following symptoms:

• rare tactile and visual hallucinations;
• auditory hallucinations – separate sounds, calls, voices of different timbres;
• persecution mania (the patient thinks that someone wants to kill or mock him);
• decreased emotional background (sullenness, fear, gloomy mood);
• behavior that is directly related to hallucinations (attempts to run away, hide);
• arming yourself with various items to protect yourself;
• attacking others in order to avoid aggression from them (imaginary).

Acute alcoholic psychosis can last up to several weeks.

Subacute hallucinosis manifests itself over several months. It is characterized by exacerbations. The patient is worried about anxiety and fear. He moves little, stays in bed for a long time and listens to voices. In this state, delirium is associated with self-accusation, because of this, patients have suicidal tendencies.

In alcoholism, chronic hallucinosis usually begins after the patient has suffered acute psychosis. Auditory hallucinations and ideas of persecution begin immediately. Then only auditory hallucinations remain, but they bother the patient for a very long time. He can simultaneously hear several voices arguing with each other. Over time, the patient begins to get used to these voices, answering them, but his mood remains gloomy.

If this psychosis continues for more than 2 years, then treatment may not lead to a positive result. However, treatment of alcoholic psychosis, constant therapy with abstinence from alcohol can relieve the patient from hallucinations.

Alcohol paranoid

This type of psychosis also has chronic and acute forms, and it is characterized by systematic delusions, where images of persecution, jealousy, poisoning, etc. predominate. The patient ceases to adequately evaluate the people around him and reality.

Alcoholic paranoid occurs as a primary delusion that is not associated with hallucinations. But in some cases there is still a dependence on hallucinations. Often with this psychosis there are delusional ideas that are associated with jealousy. If jealousy becomes the main thing in a person’s delusional experiences, then ideas of poisoning, persecution, etc. are mixed in with it, which forms the picture of the paranoid syndrome.

Patients with alcoholic paranoia experience increased temperature, pressure fluctuations, nightmares, sleep disturbances, heat intolerance, and dizziness. A person ceases to control his emotions, becomes unrestrained, angry, or, conversely, very inhibited. He loses control over his moral and ethical behavior.

Delusional psychosis in alcoholism

In alcoholism, delusional psychosis occurs when the body is intoxicated, usually in difficult situations for the body: when tired, on the road, after an injury, in an unfamiliar place. The leading symptom of this psychosis is delusional ideas of persecution.

The patient in this state thinks that people are plotting against him and his family, trying to kill or torture him in sophisticated ways. In an attempt to escape, a person is often the first to attack the “pursuer” or attempt to commit suicide. In a state of delusional psychosis, patients are afraid of being poisoned, so they begin to refuse medication. Under the influence of delusional ideas, people cease to perceive reality.

In 10% of cases of such alcoholic psychosis, delusions of jealousy are observed. When his wife reproaches him for infidelity, the marital relationship cools down, and the alcoholic begins to believe that his wife has taken a lover. The delusional mood is greatly complemented by the fact that most alcoholics are impotent. They blame their wives for their troubles, of course, and it is simply impossible to convince an alcoholic that he is wrong.

Alcoholic pseudoparalysis

People who consume alcohol substitutes for a long time quite often develop pseudoparalysis. This disease occurs against the background of alcoholism with an eating disorder with vitamin deficiency and metabolic disorders. Such patients begin to degrade intellectually; they are in a state of euphoria and complacency, not noticing their own miscalculations and mistakes. A complete reassessment of personality occurs and because of this, the alcoholic develops delusions of grandeur, which can be very difficult to cure.

Then the mental activity of the patients begins to decline, delusional experiences and hallucinations weaken, and the patients become indifferent and lethargic.

Neurological symptoms of pseudoparalysis:

• poor pupil reaction;
• pain in the limbs;
• dysarthric speech;
• tremor of fingers;
• impaired reflexes in the tendons.

It is important to treat pseudoparalysis before neurological symptoms develop.

Alcoholic encephalopathy

Encephalopathy in chronic or acute forms occurs in people with a long history of drinking alcoholic beverages: mainly surrogates, strong wines and vodka. This psychosis is observed in chronic or binge alcoholics who abuse alcohol frequently and in large quantities. Alcoholic encephalopathy is characterized by neurological and somatic disorders.

A person with alcoholic encephalopathy experiences hypovitaminosis, metabolic disorders, and a lack of thymine, which is aggravated by disruption of the normal functioning of the liver and leads to a rapid deterioration in brain activity, which is almost impossible to cure. With encephalopathy, the patient experiences an imbalance of nicotinic acid and pyridoxine.

Hemorrhagic polyencephalitis

Among acute psychoses, the main place is occupied by Wernicke's disease or hemorrhagic polyencephalitis. This is a rather complex disease that combines neurological, mental and somatic disorders based on degenerative and destructive processes.

People suffering from this psychosis experience tremors, sleep disturbances, oculomotor disorders, dysarthria, as well as loss of respiratory, pharyngeal, sneezing and palatal reflexes.

Mental disorders are manifested by a state of delirium or occupational delirium with very strong agitation. This condition can result in stunning.

Signs of hemorrhagic polyencephalitis:

• breathing quickens;
• arterial pressure;
• the liver is painful and enlarged;
• loose stools;
• hypotonia of the muscles of the limbs;
• muscle twitching.

The likelihood of death is very high.

Alcohol depression

Alcoholic depression as an independent disease is very rare. It can last from several days to several weeks. A person in this state feels irritable and melancholy; he accuses his surroundings of being insensitive to him, while he acutely feels his guilt and inferiority.

This psychosis is characterized by mood swings. In this case, the patient may experience anxiety, dysphoria, and tearfulness. Suicidal thoughts appear, so a patient in this state must be constantly monitored. This can happen both after binge drinking and during it.

Dipsomania in alcoholism

Dipsomania is manifested in a person by the desire for binge drinking - prolonged drunkenness. This type of psychosis occurs in patients suffering from epilepsy, endocrine psychosyndrome, and manic depression. Long-term drunkenness can last up to 3 weeks, starting during a long period of abstinence from alcoholic beverages. It also ends suddenly, and the person may develop an aversion to alcohol.

An attack of dipsomania usually occurs after a sleep disorder or some other moment that depletes the alcoholic’s body. Against this background, alcoholic psychosis can develop very rapidly and painfully.

Antabuse psychosis

When treating alcoholism with the drug teturam (disulfiram, antabuse), a serious complication is antabuse psychosis. Too large doses of this drug or the sensitivity of the human body to it due to organic inferiority of the nervous system, chronic alcohol intoxication or head trauma often lead to very severe psychosis. This psychosis has 3 stages of development.

The prodromal (first) stage lasts from several days to several weeks, and is characterized by drowsiness, dizziness, sleep disturbance, lethargy in the patient, depressed mood, and an unpleasant sensation in the heart area.

At the height of the disease, there are several development options:

• with paranoid and hallucinatory-paranoid mental disorders;
• with confused consciousness;
• with a manic state.

At the last stage of this psychosis, lethargy, weakness, and emotional lability predominate. The patient does not remember well his condition, which was in the acute period of the disease. The duration of psychosis can last up to 2 months.

In antabuse psychosis, the proportion of suicides is high. Their reasons are different: sometimes suicide attempts occur due to affective fluctuations during alcohol intoxication, sometimes with personal characteristics, and in some cases with different life situations.

The frequency of suicides depends entirely on the degree of degradation of the patient. More often, suicide is committed by patients with fully preserved intellect, and not by the mentally retarded. Very often, the cause of such actions is conflict in the family. Quite often there are cases when, due to the actions of a patient with delusions of jealousy, several people suffer: an alleged rival, a spouse, the patient’s children. Typically, suicidal acts are committed by an alcoholic during an affective outburst in a state of depression.

Thank you for your feedback

Comments

Megan92 () 2 weeks ago

Has anyone succeeded in ridding their husband of alcoholism? My drink never stops, I don’t know what to do anymore ((I was thinking about getting a divorce, but I don’t want to leave the child without a father, and I feel sorry for my husband, he’s a great person when he doesn’t drink

Daria () 2 weeks ago

I have already tried so many things, and only after reading this article, I was able to wean my husband off alcohol; now he doesn’t drink at all, even on holidays.

Megan92 () 13 days ago

Daria () 12 days ago

Megan92, that’s what I wrote in my first comment) I’ll duplicate it just in case - link to article.

Sonya 10 days ago

Isn't this a scam? Why do they sell on the Internet?

Yulek26 (Tver) 10 days ago

Sonya, what country do you live in? They sell it on the Internet because stores and pharmacies charge outrageous markups. In addition, payment is only after receipt, that is, they first looked, checked and only then paid. And now they sell everything on the Internet - from clothes to TVs and furniture.

The human body is initially born ideal. Only under the influence of external products that enter the body does it begin to change and form. They say, “a man is what he eats.” You can add to this: “The psyche is what a person drinks.” People who drink alcohol soon begin to suffer from alcoholic psychosis. This disease has types, symptoms and serious consequences that cannot be eliminated without treatment.

What it is?

What is it - alcoholic psychosis? Until recently, alcohol psychosis was not considered a disease. And this is understandable, since people who abused alcoholic beverages have suffered from this disorder at all times. Today, it has become a disease that requires targeted treatment.

Alcoholic psychosis is a mental disorder that occurs after prolonged alcohol abuse. Its peculiarity is that mental changes do not form immediately, gradually, but in their presence a person constantly experiences certain sensations.

It is important to distinguish alcoholic psychosis from ordinary intoxication, in which similar symptoms appear. Alcoholic psychosis manifests itself not only when drinking alcohol, but also after a day or more when a person does not drink it.

In simple words, alcoholic psychosis is stress and an unhealthy psyche at the same time. A person experiences certain visions, sensations and situations that depend on the type of psychosis that has manifested itself.

The concept under consideration is a general name for all mental changes that arise as a result of alcohol intoxication. This includes many disorders, which will be discussed below. They have a common cause, but different manifestations and symptoms.

Types of alcoholic psychosis

Since alcoholic psychosis is a general name, it is worth considering the types in which it manifests itself:

1. Delirium (delirium tremens).

Characterized by loss of space and time, hallucinations, tremors in the limbs, clouding of consciousness, anxiety and aggressiveness. The person does not remember what happened to him while he was in this state.

1. Hallucinosis.

It is characterized by auditory or visual hallucinations, in which a person is not lost in space and time, but is also aware and remembers everything that happens to him. In addition, self-talk, delusional ideas, persecution mania, and depressed mood can be observed. As the disease progresses, the patient may take a supine position.

1. Delirium, paranoia.

The person is devoid of any hallucinations, but he has various obsessive thoughts. For example, the idea of ​​adultery or being stalked. Since the patient performs actions that obey his delirium, he is capable of causing harm to himself or others.

1. Pseudoparalysis.

The state of a “vegetable” into which a person falls. Delusions and hallucinations occur. A person becomes withdrawn, apathetic, and isolates himself from the world. There is pain in the limbs, difficulty moving, slurred and difficult speech.

1. Depression.

Depression, irritability, self-flagellation and loss of self-esteem are the main characteristics of this type of alcoholic psychosis. Since a person may have experienced depression before, loved ones may not pay attention to the patient’s condition, thinking that everything is fine with him.

1. Alcoholic encephalopathy.

This is a change in brain function due to alcohol intoxication. It is characterized by memory impairment, disturbance of consciousness, headache, depression, poor sleep, depression, apathy, and absent-mindedness.

1. Dipsomania.

This is an uncontrollable desire to get drunk that cannot be satisfied. It manifests itself even at the moment when a person drinks. The main symptoms are tremors of the limbs, insomnia, and loss of appetite.

1. Hemorrhagic polyencephalitis.

Complex of mental disorders.

1. Korsakov psychosis.

Characterized by various memory impairments and impaired body functions. The mood often changes to the opposite. Sometimes there is disorientation. Performance decreases. Occurs after consuming cologne, low-quality alcohol, lotions, etc.

1. Antabuse psychosis.

It is characterized by development after improper use of medications (Antabuse, Teturam, etc.), which occurs during self-treatment.

Each type of alcoholic psychosis lasts differently and manifests itself in different symptoms, despite the fact that the main cause of their occurrence is the breakdown products of alcohol.

Causes of alcoholic psychosis

The most important cause of alcoholic psychosis is alcohol abuse. It usually develops after 3-5 years of abuse and deteriorating health. Let's just say that a person must be an experienced alcoholic who is already in the second or third stage of alcoholism.

In addition, in rare cases, a person’s genetic predisposition to the development of this disease is identified. A rare category of causes also includes the social environment and living conditions. The factors of this disease are:

1. Infectious diseases, especially in the brain.
2. Inflammatory processes in the body.
3. Brain injuries.
4. Strong experiences, stress and irritants that suppress the psyche.

Doctors note the age when people begin to drink and experience constant cravings for alcohol. Nowadays, the age when people start drinking is dropping to 12-15 years. In adolescence, children try to be like adults, not understanding the consequences of this. The problem lies in the fragile nervous system, which begins to be affected by alcohol.

When intoxicated, a person feels changes. However, if he has certain disorders, a fragile nervous system or brain diseases, then alcoholic psychosis will develop very quickly.

Changes occur gradually. Especially if they are reinforced by an unsettled life, dysfunctional family relationships and unresolved problems that provoke uncontrollable feelings, then the person will drink even more, which will lead to the development of a disease. It is easier to eliminate the disease at the stage of its occurrence, with which the specialists of the psychotherapeutic assistance website can help.

Symptoms of alcoholic psychosis

The symptoms of alcoholic psychosis depend entirely on the type that manifests itself in a particular person. However, general symptoms of this disease can be identified:

1. Mood swings.
2. Continuous movements.
3. Expressive facial expressions.
4. Delusions, hallucinations and disorientation.
5. Changing your sleep pattern.
6. Tremor of the limbs.
7. Change in skin color.

Delirium tremens begins with insomnia, sweating, depression and sudden mood swings. Periodically, a person feels normal, and then hallucinations and delusions occur. This provokes the mobility of the patient, who tries to cope with the problems that he sees. Here he can scream, wave his arms, etc.

With hallucinosis, a person sees various images or hears sounds, causing his mood and movements to change in accordance with them. Over time, mobility decreases, the person becomes passive and depressed.

With paranoia, a person is haunted by various unpleasant thoughts that provoke the development of somatic manifestations:

• Fever.
• Sleep disturbance.
• Unstable blood pressure.
• Headache.

Korsakov's psychosis is characterized by a decrease in a person's mobility and performance. His memory is deteriorating and sensitivity is lost.

With encephalopathy, metabolism is disrupted, vitamin deficiency, hypovitaminosis develop, the liver and brain work poorly. This provokes memory impairment, apathy, poor sleep, etc.

For the most part, people gradually become lost. He isolates himself from social life, withdraws into the house, and does not trust anyone. Interest in life disappears, which allows him to move less. The supine position is often characterized by a severe state of alcoholic psychosis.

Acute alcoholic psychosis

Every disease goes through forms of its development. The first form of alcoholic psychosis is acute - this is when the symptoms of the emerging disorder are pronounced. Only over time does alcoholic psychosis become subacute or chronic.

Acute alcoholic psychosis is characterized by a complex of various mental disorders that manifest themselves alternately or constantly. This includes:

• Depression.
• Rave.
• Alcoholic epilepsy.
• Hallucinosis.

At the end of the binge, a person begins to experience various auditory and visual hallucinations, which is accompanied by delusional ideas and irritability. Anxiety arises due to panic and the thought that others think something bad about him. He may start yelling at them, threatening them, and even getting into a fight. There are cases of contacting the police.

There are a lot of crazy thoughts. Firstly, a person thinks that he is being persecuted. Accordingly, he can be aggressive towards those whom he allegedly considers his persecutors. Secondly, thoughts of betrayal arise. He expresses dissatisfaction with those whom he suspects of betrayal.

Acute alcoholic psychosis accounts for 70% of all cases in which it manifests itself in various forms. Everyone experiences various disorders, delusions and hallucinations, disorientation, as well as unpleasant physical sensations.

When the experience of drinking alcoholic beverages exceeds 5 years, not only does alcoholic psychosis develop, but the nervous system is also irreversibly destroyed. The measures taken can only relieve some symptoms, but not completely cure the patient.

Treatment of alcoholic psychosis

Attempts to cope with the disease on your own will be unsuccessful. Often, alcoholics return to their bad habit even after hospitalization. This is due not so much to an irresistible craving for alcohol, but rather to the lack of desire on the part of the person himself not to drink. Treatment of alcoholic psychosis is possible only with doctors who use medication and psychotherapeutic methods.

Intensive therapy is carried out by a mix of:

• Phenobarbital 0.3-0.4 g.
• Water 100 g.
• Ethyl alcohol 30-50 ml.

The patient is fixed. Subsequently, the following drugs are used:

• Seduxen.
• Aminazine.
• Tizercin.
• Vitamins B.
• Enterosorbents.

Infusion therapy is prescribed only for obvious vegetative symptoms. Plasmapheresis is used. Psychotropic drugs are:

• Tizercin.
• Haloperidol.
• Stelazine.
• Nootropic drugs.
• Vitamins C and B.
• Tranquilizers.
• Diazepam and Phenazepam.
• Sleeping pills.
• Neuroleptic Neuleptil for observed suicidal impulses.

Psychotherapy becomes mandatory. Even at the beginning of treatment for alcoholic psychosis, a person is protected from alcohol. He must subsequently abstain from drinking alcohol himself, since he will not be under supervision all the time.

The main goal of psychotherapy is the voluntary desire to give up alcohol. If a person is aware of the harm caused to him, and also experiences an internal aversion to alcohol, then he can calmly refuse strong drinks.

Here all the flaws that led to alcoholism in a person are worked out. This includes low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, lack of willpower, and a dysfunctional life or relationships with loved ones. If a person learns to cope with his stress problems, then he will no longer need alcohol.

Consequences of alcoholic psychosis

There are many consequences of alcoholic psychosis, which should also encourage people to give up their bad habit.

One of them is intellectual abilities, which are significantly reduced. The person literally becomes dumb. He forgets what he previously knew, does not learn anything new, and degrades. His intellectual skills are declining due to the influence of alcohol, as well as lack of training and memory loss.

Others include disturbances in the functioning of internal organs: the brain, gastrointestinal tract, liver and heart. First, the liver suffers, which over time loses its functionality due to the large amount of toxins and the volume of incoming ethanol. Cirrhosis and even liver coma develop, which is its complete failure.

The gastrointestinal tract suffers due to the large amount of alcohol, which does not have time to be digested and lingers in this department for a long time.

Damage that begins to occur in other organs affects the heart. It begins to quickly and slowly distil blood, which affects the nutrition of the brain. All available factors combine and lead to alcoholic psychosis.

The third of them are social connections and performance, which are first partially and then completely lost. The person becomes unable to work. And relationships with people become impossible, because the alcoholic is not ready to adhere to the norms and rules of society. Thus, he becomes an outcast, needed only by his family and drinking buddies.

The fourth consequence of alcoholic psychosis is personal degradation. A person becomes passive, stupid, aggressive, infantile and sometimes unable to take care of himself. People with alcohol psychosis are patients of psychiatrists who have been working with their disorder for a long time.

How long do people live with alcoholic psychosis?

The question arises about the life expectancy of a person who does not understand what is happening to him, does not control his actions and gradually destroys his body. How long do people live with alcoholic psychosis? Answer: depending on your luck. It all depends on the state of the body that is being destroyed. Some organs may fail at any moment. Also important are the situations that happen to an alcoholic. He could be killed at any moment because he started a fight.

A person with alcoholic psychosis does not live in the real world. His life is scary, he becomes suspicious and irritable. The prognosis for such delusions and hallucinations is unpredictable. If there are loved ones nearby, then only they can help a person who does not notice problems.

The result of alcoholic psychosis is only one – death. This is why medical treatment becomes mandatory here. With further consumption of alcohol, a person develops various diseases that can also kill him:

• Pancreatitis.
• Ischemic disease.
• Hypertension.
• Stomach ulcer, etc.

The patient becomes completely asocial. Everything that previously pleased and interested him now has no value. Life is narrowed down to specific persons and things: loved ones, drinking companions, alcohol, the room in which a person constantly resides. Often the disease is not recognized, but is treated by the patient himself by regularly consuming alcohol. She will not be able to get rid of it on her own, since he will have to deal with it, which will increase his craving for alcohol.

A dangerous complication of alcoholism is alcoholic psychosis - symptoms and treatment make it clear that getting rid of delirium and delusional ideas will not be easy even in a hospital setting. Such a critical condition is not limited to withdrawal syndrome; irreversible changes occur in the psyche of a chronic alcoholic and his worldview. Alcoholic psychosis occurs when a smaller dose of ethanol enters the blood, and this is a problem. It will be very difficult to recover and return to a full life.

What is alcoholic psychosis

This acute mental disorder is provoked by prolonged abuse of alcoholic beverages. Simply put, this is a serious complication of alcoholism, which, in addition to insomnia, causes amnesia and delirium tremens. The disease is chronic, however, if you stop the attack within 10 days, you can achieve a stable and very long period of remission. More often, male alcoholics suffer from this characteristic pathology, but one should not exclude the development of alcoholic psychosis in the female body. This is an official diagnosis, which has an ICD-10 code F 10.4.

Causes

The main provoking factor is alcoholism, which gradually destroys all internal organs and systems of the body. This is a pathological process lasting more than a year. Alcoholic psychosis more often progresses in chronic alcoholics of stages 2 and 3, and is prone to relapse. Additional motivating factors are:

• social and household factor;
• genetic predisposition;
• metabolic and blood chemical disorders;
• long-term stress, mental trauma;
• chronic fatigue, apathy;
• physical and mental overload;
• low level of comfort.

Symptoms

If a patient falls into alcoholic depression, these are the first prerequisites for an exacerbation of psychosis. It is not easy to cure a chronic disease, especially since the clinical picture only gets worse. The pathological process begins with acute intoxication of the body and does not exclude the appearance of systemic and neurological symptoms. It is recommended to pay attention to the following changes in general health:

• impaired breathing with hoarseness;
• cyanosis around the eyes, corners of the mouth;
• nightmares;
• obsessions;
• delusions with visual hallucinations;
• attacks of emotional excitement;
• progressive delirium;
• paranoia, fit of hysteria;
• progressive mental disorder;
• suicidal tendencies;
• symptoms of dementia;
• progressive epilepsy;
• panic during auditory hallucinations.

Types of alcoholic psychosis

Long-term alcohol intoxication in the absence of desire on the part of the patient is difficult to cure, so psychosis develops over time. Considering the extensive list of delusional disorders, narcologists provide the following conditional classification for quickly diagnosing a patient with alcoholism. So, the following types of alcoholic psychosis are distinguished:

• alcoholic delirium;
• hallucinosis;
• alcoholic depression;
• alcoholic pseudoparalysis;
• Korsakov's alcoholic psychosis;
• delusional alcoholic psychosis.

Alcohol delirium

In essence, this is “delirium tremens”, which in case of somatic disorders drives the patient to madness. A dangerous attack is often associated with a sharp decrease in the dose of ethanol in the blood after a long binge. Not only is there complete degradation of personality, but there is also a real threat to society from a violent alcoholic. Its actions during alcoholic delirium are difficult to guess and predict.

Hallucinosis

This pathology is no longer accompanied by a physical disorder, but by a psychological one. The patient personally experiences auditory and visual hallucinations, exists in a state of severe stress, emotional instability and alcohol addiction. He constantly hears other voices, with whom he even has a conversation. In practice, eye symptoms are much less common, but they also become an eloquent manifestation of alcoholic psychosis and require timely treatment.

Othello syndrome

This symptom is associated with intense jealousy, which borders on signs of insanity. In such a clinical picture, even a human life may depend on the further behavior of patients, since an alcoholic in a state of passion is able to “strangle” the object of jealousy or a conditional rival. Therefore, with long-term drinking bouts, the prognosis is unfavorable; you can end up “behind bars” after sobering up.

Korsakoff's syndrome

With progressive alcoholic encephalopathies, a binge alcoholic periodically loses memory. We are talking about temporary episodes of amnesia, which he tries to fill with his own fantasies. Each time he comes up with a new story about what happened, but in reality everything was completely different. Such stories cause alarm among relatives, so treatment for alcoholic psychosis should follow immediately. It is important to understand that Korsakoff's syndrome belongs to the category of chronic alcoholic encephalopathies.

Acute alcoholic psychosis

Gaye-Wernicke encephalopathy occurs exclusively in an acute form, and develops against the background of severe delirium. In autonomic disorders, extensive brain damage is observed due to a deficiency of thiamine - vitamin B1 against the background of chronic alcoholism, malnutrition, and incessant vomiting. Metal-alcohol psychosis of this type is accompanied by increased drowsiness, disturbed sleep phases, general weakness in the limbs, nightmares and a feeling of emptiness. All manifestations of depressive disorders are difficult to treat.

Treatment of alcoholic psychosis

With prolonged drinking bouts, extensive disturbances in the psycho-emotional state cannot be ruled out, which require timely correction using medication. Treatment is carried out in a hospital, the main goal is to reduce the risk of developing irreversible damage to the brain and internal organs and systems. If post-alcohol psychosis is diagnosed, general recommendations from certified narcologists are presented below:

1. An alcoholic with severe symptoms must be hospitalized, otherwise he may harm himself and others.
2. To get rid of the symptoms of psychosis, infusion therapy is necessary to effectively cleanse the systemic bloodstream of heavy metals.
3. During attacks of psychosis accompanying hangover syndrome, the patient must be isolated from others.

Medications

After performing a series of tests to make a final diagnosis, getting rid of such extensive pathology is possible only with an integrated approach. The basis of intensive care in a hospital setting is infusion therapy for the rapid and safe removal of alcohol breakdown products. Additionally, narcologists appoint representatives of the following pharmacological groups:

• psychotropic drugs to eliminate symptoms of psychosis;
• saline solutions for high-quality blood purification;
• a mixture of phenobarbital and alcohol with the addition of water to fix the alcoholic;
• vitamin B1 in large doses to avoid extensive brain damage;
• nootropic drugs, tranquilizers to calm a violent patient;
• sleeping pills to pacify a violent patient;
• antipsychotics recommended for the patient with thoughts of suicide;
• multivitamin complexes for quick recovery of the body.

These medications can only be prescribed on an individual basis with daily dosage adjustments. Treatment of unpleasant symptoms of psychosis due to alcohol dependence should only occur in a hospital, under strict medical supervision. Here are effective medications in a given direction:

1. Diazepam. 0.5% solution intended for intramuscular injections. It is recommended to administer 2–4 ml of medication at a time, up to 2–3 approaches per day. Continue treatment until the unpleasant symptoms disappear completely.
2. Carbamazepine. This is a drug in tablet form that is prescribed when seizures occur. The daily dose is 1.2 g, an overdose is completely excluded (dangerous to the health of an alcoholic).

Psychotropic drugs

In case of dipsomania without representatives of the specified pharmacological group, successful treatment of the patient is excluded. To remove symptoms of aggression and inappropriate behavior, narcologists recommend the following psychotropic drugs in the hospital:

1. Aminazine. Treatment solution with a concentration of 2.5%. It is recommended to administer 2–3 ml, with daily doses adjusted individually depending on the unpleasant symptoms of psychosis. It can be replaced with Tizercin solution - the principle of use is similar.
2. Seduxen. Another medicinal solution with a concentration of 0.5% for drip administration. It is recommended to administer 3 ml of the medicine 2 to 3 times a day until the symptoms completely disappear.

Consequences

If the symptoms of alcoholic psychosis are not eliminated in a timely manner, the patient becomes socially dangerous and can threaten the lives of healthy and adequate people. His actions are difficult to predict, and his conversations do not have a calming effect. Therefore, a violent alcoholic must be urgently neutralized and isolated, and treatment must be carried out only in a specialized clinic. Among the potential complications, narcologists highlight:

• gradual but steady decline in mental capacity;
• progressive amnesia;
• regular spasms and tremors of the limbs;
• complete degradation of personality;
• extensive damage to internal organs and systems;
• death at a relatively young age;
• gradual development of chronic alcoholic psychosis with frequent relapses.

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Prolonged consumption of alcoholic beverages in any case has an impact on the psyche of a previously healthy person. The disorders that alcohol provokes (more correctly, the products of its breakdown) are all kinds of psychotic disorders that differ in clinical picture and symptoms. Acute alcoholic psychosis, schizophrenia, pseudoparalysis, delirium and hallucinosis are not all the disorders that can occur in an alcoholic. The first manifestations of acute mental health disorders can be observed both after 10 years of alcohol abuse and after three years of “experience”.

Alcohol psychosis: what is it?

Alcoholic psychosis is a general concept of all psychotic disorders that were provoked by prolonged alcohol use. Ethanol breakdown products negatively affect all organs, especially the cerebral cortex and nerve cells. Against the background of alcoholism, complex and often irreversible dysfunctions of internal organs and metabolism develop. Surrogate alcoholic drinks are especially dangerous. For the first clinical manifestations in this situation, a long period of time is not required; it is enough to abuse alcohol for 2-3 years.

In turn, alcoholic psychoses are divided into:

• alcoholic pseudoparalysis;
• alcoholic delusional psychosis;
• hallucinosis;
• Korsakov's psychosis;
• delirium tremens (delirium tremens);
• alcoholic schizophrenia;
• pathological intoxication;

Treatment of alcoholic psychosis and its duration depend on the stage of the disease (as a rule, hospitalization is carried out in the later stages of alcoholism), etiology and pathogenesis. Any violation that was provoked by alcohol intoxication requires immediate hospitalization in a hospital clinic. Often alcoholics in this state pose a danger to others and behave inappropriately and aggressively. In acute forms of the disease, there may be a risk to the patient’s life - the development of heart failure, stroke, heart attack.

More about alcohol: delirium, pseudoparalysis and epilepsy

Post-alcohol “delirium tremens” is the most common diagnosis for alcohol addicts who, after a long binge, stop drinking alcohol (usually develops on the 3-4th day of sobriety). The course of this disease is characterized by the patient’s violent reaction to sound and light stimuli; he is haunted by hallucinations of various types (tactile, visual, audio). Motor agitation and poor sleep are constant companions of the disease.

An increase in symptoms is observed in the evening and at night, the patient sleeps in fragments of several hours, the sleep is disturbing, accompanied by nightmares and sudden awakenings. Hallucinations manifest themselves depending on the individual characteristics of the alcoholic’s character: for a person who is calm in life, hallucinations will appear in the form of small insects; for people with increased aggression, characteristic visual hallucinations will be devils, deceased relatives, rats, etc. The first attack of delirium manifests itself most acutely, everyone else regresses, becoming more frequent but less impulsive. The duration of symptoms is 3-5 days. Treatment is inpatient.

Alcoholic pseudoparalysis

Chronic alcoholic psychoses against the background of constant use of surrogates are accompanied by the manifestation of a condition such as pseudoparalysis. The patient cannot control his body, imaginary paralysis of the lower extremities occurs without an obvious clinical picture. Most often, such conditions are observed in alcoholics who drink low-quality alcoholic beverages, medicinal tinctures, and home-made moonshine. The course of the disease is accompanied by:

• lack of reaction of the pupils to light changes;
• pain in the lower extremities;
• hand tremors (both during a hangover and in a normal state);
• vitamin deficiency due to an inadequate diet;
• dysarthric speech, inhibited reaction;
• tendon dysfunction;
• polyneuritic phenomena.

The prognosis for pseudoparalysis is positive: after 2 days the patient’s condition stabilizes and symptoms disappear.

Epilepsy due to alcoholism

Epileptic seizures occur during periods of abstinence from alcohol. Epileptiform seizures are associated with general intoxication of the body. Accompanied by loss of consciousness, muscle spasms of the whole body, throwing the head back, pain and cramps. The duration of the attack is 2-3 minutes. Often the first attack is the most serious. Further alcohol abuse provokes the formation of a chronic disease.

Alcoholic encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis

Diagnosed in persons who have consumed alcohol of dubious quality for a long time (surrogate, tinctures, alcohol pharmaceutical drugs). The disturbances mainly affect the patient's memory. An alcoholic with Korsakoff psychosis cannot remember basic things: when was the last meal, who is the neighbor, what is the name of the child, etc.

The symptoms resemble amnesia. This condition is also associated with impaired coordination of movements, changes in visual and auditory perception, while the core of the personality remains unchanged. An alcoholic does not orient himself in space, and all movements and actions are performed on the territory of the bed or room. A distinctive feature of this disorder is the verisimilitude of the stories: the patient talks about events that allegedly happened in his life. At the same time, all the stories look believable and real. Thus, the brain tries to resume thinking and memory.

Alcoholic encephalopathy

This disease is typical for people who drink alcohol in large doses for a long time. Encephalopathy is the result of constant exposure to ethanol breakdown products on the nerve cells of the brain. Destruction of nerve bundles occurs as a result of severe intoxication of the body and a lack of B vitamins. Conventionally, it can be divided into acute and chronic encephalopathies (the most common type is Gaiet-Wernicke). Hospitalization and subsequent treatment are mandatory, otherwise the disease ends in death.

Neurological disorders are extensive and permanent:

• cardiac dysfunction;
• change in heart rate;
• fever with difficulty breathing;
• sphincter weakness;
• increased muscle tone with cramps of the lower extremities;
• hyperkinesis;
• paralysis of the extraocular muscles;
• polyneuritis;
• weight loss, decreased or complete lack of appetite;
• nystagmus.

General physical condition is associated with progressive weight loss. The skin also changes: characteristic signs are redness of the skin of the face and body, the appearance of spider veins and pigmentation of a different nature (usually dark brown in color). Treatment of alcoholic psychosis of this nature depends on the degree of complexity. In acute and pathological diseases, complete restoration of functions is impossible.

Alcohol paranoid

One of the types of alcoholic psychosis, which is accompanied by manifestations of aggressive delirium towards family and friends. Occurs during a period of abstinence from alcohol after prolonged heavy drinking. Delusional ideas alternate with obsessive thoughts, jealousy, and a worldwide conspiracy against them. Alcoholics think that some group of people is out to kill or rob. Confusion is accompanied by attacks of panic and anxiety.

Actions in this state are often impulsive: the patient, in a fit of fear, may jump out of a moving vehicle, start running, or call for help. Attacks of aggression that are directed at relatives and people simply surrounding them are justified by an imaginary conspiracy against the patient. Delirium may also be accompanied by illusions, visual hallucinations that resemble delirious symptoms. The course of alcoholic paranoid is short-lived - up to 7 days. Prolonged psychosis for more than a month is even less common.

A characteristic distinctive feature of this condition is the occurrence of primary delusions, which do not depend on the hallucinations that occur from time to time. The structure of its development follows a paranoid type (dependence on psychogenic circumstances). Symptoms with a certain paranoid structure are diagnosed less often (the reaction of an alcoholic depends on hallucinatory manifestations). Alcoholic paranoid is accumulated fears that the patient experiences again and again in a state of severe alcohol intoxication, or in the moment after a hangover.

Most often, relatives and friends who suffer from this disease are forced to endure aggression, jealousy and shouting at them. What to do in case of aggressive behavior of an alcohol addict? An ambulance and hospitalization in a psychiatric or drug treatment department is the best solution for both the patient and his family. Treatment at home is often impossible for a number of reasons. Among the main problems is the patient’s refusal to abstain from alcohol.

Alcohol psychosis: treatment and prevention

The toxic effect on the nervous system creates complex and life-threatening conditions. The clinical picture in some cases is accompanied by aggression towards others, psychosomatic manifestations and a violent reaction to outside help. An alcoholic at the moment of mental arousal is inadequate and dangerous to the environment. Crime reports are often accompanied by murders (suicides) due to alcohol intoxication. It is for this reason that it is important to call an ambulance at the first alarming clinical manifestations, accompanied by:

1. sudden change in mood;
2. apathy followed by aggression;
3. lack of appetite;
4. sleep disturbance or its complete absence;
5. obsessive ideas;
6. fantastic stories that could not have happened in the patient’s life;
7. aggression towards offers of any help from family and friends;
8. intoxication even from small doses of alcohol;
9. impulsiveness and unpredictability of behavior;
10. pathological jealousy, especially if this character trait has not manifested itself before.

Alcoholic psychosis, its symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of the disease, as well as on the patient’s concomitant chronic diseases. First aid in this case is to isolate the alcohol addict from his usual environment and carry out therapy aimed at removing toxins from the body. Naturally, it is impossible to carry out such events at home. The prognosis, in most cases, depends on the desire of the patient himself to recover and understand the cause of all his troubles.

Alcoholism is a factor that causes previously intelligent and purposeful people to degrade. A decrease in the level of material security also affects the increase in alcohol consumption. However, education and constant preventive educational measures will help raise a healthy nation without alcohol and drug addiction.

In the fight against a disease caused by addiction to alcoholic beverages, it is necessary use a range of activities and do not exclude the help of specialists. We invite you to find out what alcoholic psychosis is and what to do if specialists have made such a diagnosis? We have provided answers to these questions, as well as information about the causes of the problem, how to treat the disease and recognize it in time, further in our article.

The disease is mental health disorder in a person abusing alcoholic beverages. The peculiarity of the diagnosis is the gradual formation of changes with certain symptoms throughout the entire period of development of the disease.

Most often, the first signs of the condition begin to appear with gradual progression. Therefore, in psychiatry, the disease “alcoholic psychosis” is divided into several varieties, distinguished by certain symptoms.

Symptoms of the disease appear during the second stage and depend on the specific form of the disease. At the same time, in psychiatry, general symptoms are distinguished, which indicate the initial stages of the development of the problem.

In different people, depending on the psychological state and characteristics of the body, the problem may manifest itself:

• Changes mood;
• Increased mobility with nervous movements ;
• Overly expressive facial expressions;
• The appearance hallucinations auditory and visual, delirium, disorientation in space and time;
• Violations sleep;
• Tremors hands;
• Hyperemia skin;
• Promotion temperature bodies;
• Irregularly blood pressure;
• Headaches .

These signs are superficial and upon a deep examination of the state of the dependent person fade into the background. Depending on the specific type of psychosis, the patient will have more pronounced signs indicating the form of the disease.

Psychologist's advice! To avoid the development of such serious mental disorders, you should stop drinking alcohol. In the fight against alcoholism in the chronic stage, highly effective drugs can be used. These could be drugs for treating addiction without the person’s knowledge - drops and.

Without treatment, the problem will only get worse, so you need to consult a specialist.

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Be attentive to your loved ones. At the first signs of alcohol-induced psychosis, contact doctors . Only by working together can you return an addicted person to a full life.