Mental illnesses. Primary prevention of mental, neurological and psychosocial disorders Neuropsychiatric disorders, their treatment and prevention

Mental disorders are a general concept that includes not only mental illnesses, but also mental states that are different from normal ones. Not every mental disorder is a medical problem, since its causes do not always lie in the presence of organic pathology. According to statistics, every fourth person on earth has (or has ever experienced in his life) one or another behavioral or mental disorder.

Causes

To date, the causes of some mental pathologies are not reliably known. However, depending on the type of disorder, there are certain factors that contribute to their development. Thus, biological, psychological and environmental factors are distinguished.

Some mental illnesses may be genetic in origin, that is, inherited. Thus, this is the first biological reason. There are also many pathologies and diseases that lead to damage to certain areas of the brain, which can provoke behavioral and mental changes.

Environmental factors greatly influence a person's mental health. Thus, it has been statistically found that mental illnesses and disorders are more common among low-income people. In addition, the endlessly increasing level of stress in society is, of course, often the cause of many mental disorders.

A psychological factor is a combination of unfavorable heredity (biological factor) and reaction to exogenous stimuli (environmental factors).

Symptoms

The symptoms of mental disorders vary depending on the type of disorder, as classified. However, it is possible to identify a list of signs characteristic of mental disorders. The main symptoms are disturbances in thinking, behavior and mood. People with mental disorders often may not adequately assess the situation and their position in it, experience emotions that are disproportionate to the situation that has occurred, that is, they are too upset or happy about something, and sometimes they do not show any feelings at all. Causal and logical relationships can be broken in such people, sharp and categorical judgments about something or anyone (even about themselves) can suddenly arise. Also, with many types of mental disorders, patients experience disturbances in habitual forms of behavior, sometimes beyond the scope of public morality. A person may spontaneously demonstrate excessive aggressiveness or, conversely, apathy.

There are also many symptoms that are characteristic of certain types of mental disorders, including hallucinations, obsessions, sleep disturbances, memory loss, depression, etc.

Diagnostics

A mental disorder can be diagnosed based on the occurrence of certain behavioral disorders and the presence (or absence) of certain physical diseases. The diagnosis can be made by a psychiatrist.

Types of disease

According to ICD-10, mental disorders are divided into the following groups:

organic, symptomatic disorders - disorders provoked by obvious disorders or brain injuries;
mental disorders caused by the use of psychoactive substances - as the name suggests, this category includes mental dysfunctions provoked by the use of psychoactive substances, including drugs, alcohol and medications;
schizotypal disorders - a category of delusional mental disorders, including schizophrenia and many acute mental disorders;
affective disorders - mood and behavior disorders;
neurotic - disorders associated with physical and environmental factors;
behavioral disorders associated with physiological disorders;
age-related behavioral and personality disorders;
mental retardation;
violation of psychological development;
emotional and behavioral disorders that began in childhood;
unspecified disorders.

Patient's actions

If you or your loved ones have any symptoms of a mental disorder (changes in behavior, thinking or emotional reactions), it is recommended to contact a psychiatrist for examination.

Treatment

Treatment for mental disorders depends on their type. Both medication and psychotherapeutic treatment are used. In severe mental disorders, hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic may be necessary. Treatment of mild disorders can take place on an outpatient basis and through visits to psychotherapy sessions.

Complications

It should be remembered that many mental disorders without proper therapy tend to progress and carry a potential danger both to the patient himself and to those around him.

Prevention

As a prevention of mental disorders, it is recommended not to succumb to stress, to allocate enough time for rest and to lead an active social life.

Mental illnesses, also called human mental disorders, occur in people of all ages, from infancy to old age. Contrary to popular belief, they do not always manifest themselves externally - for example, by aggressive behavior or other gross violations referred to as “madness” or “abnormality.”

The list and description of such diseases will not be able to provide comprehensive information, since each manifestation of any pathology is individual.

The peculiarity of such ailments is that some of them are episodic in nature, that is, they appear from time to time, and are considered incurable. Also, many mental illnesses have not yet been fully studied by doctors, and no one can accurately explain the factors that cause them.

People who have been diagnosed with any illness are subject to certain restrictions and prohibitions - for example, they may not be given a driver's license or be refused employment. You can get rid of the problem not only on an outpatient basis - you need a strong desire from the patient himself.

Now there are different types of mental illnesses, depending on their characteristics, the average age of the patients and other characteristics.

Mental illnesses transmitted by inheritance

Their occurrence cannot always be predicted. A child whose parents had such disorders does not necessarily have to be born sick - he can only have a predisposition that will always remain so.

The list of hereditary mental illnesses is as follows:

depression - a person is constantly in a depressed mood, experiences despair, his self-esteem decreases, and he is not interested in the people around him, loses the ability to rejoice and experience happiness;
schizophrenia - deviations in behavior, thinking, movements, emotional and other areas;
autism - observed in young children (up to 3 years old) and is expressed in delays and disturbances in social development, monotonous behavior and abnormal reactions to the world around them;
epilepsy - characterized by seizures of a sudden nature.

The classification of such disorders also includes the most terrible and dangerous mental illnesses. These include those that can cause great harm to human health and life:

neurosis - based on hallucinations, delusions and inappropriate behavior;
psychosis is a temporary disorder that occurs as a reaction to stress when a person falls into a state of passion;
Psychopathy is a state of imbalance associated with a feeling of inferiority, mainly formed in childhood. The exact reasons are still unknown.
Addictions - alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, computer games and gambling. Their insidiousness is that patients are often unaware of the presence of a problem.

Endogenous diseases are those in the occurrence of which heredity plays a large role. This:

schizophrenia;
manic, depressive psychoses;
epilepsy.

A special place is occupied by mental illnesses in old and senile age:

hypochondria - the belief in the presence of severe physical abnormalities without confirmation of the existence of such from a doctor;
mania - increased mood, interspersed with sudden aggressiveness, uncritical of oneself;
delirium - the patient becomes suspicious, has strange thoughts, hallucinations, can hear voices or sounds;
dementia or dementia - impairment of memory and other functions;
Alzheimer's disease - forgetfulness and absent-mindedness, inactivity and other disorders.

There are also rare mental illnesses that many have never heard of.

Some of them got their name in honor of famous people or fairy tale heroes:

Alice in Wonderland syndrome - impaired perception of space;
Capgras syndrome - a person is sure that one of his friends has been replaced with a double;
depersonalization - characterized by a lack of sense of self and loss of control over oneself;
fear of the number 13;
sensation of body parts being cut off.

Mental illnesses in children:

speech and developmental delays;
hyperactivity;
mental retardation.

This list of mental disorders is incomplete; in fact, there are many, rare and unknown, or not yet identified by doctors, types.

The most common illnesses in our time are autism, speech and motor disorders in children, depression, various forms of psychosis and schizophrenia.

Mental illnesses are characterized by creating inconvenience for people around them, especially relatives and those living in the same apartment with the sick person. They don't always go to the hospital.

Some neuropsychiatric disorders are incurable, and there may be a need to keep the person in a special institution for life.

Symptoms of mental illness

Signs of this type of problem are varied and individual in nature:

If such symptoms of mental illness occur, consultation with a doctor is necessary. Perhaps the condition is temporary and can be eliminated.

In women, signs of mental illness can be associated with moments in their life (childbirth, pregnancy, menopause):

tendency to starvation, or vice versa, bouts of gluttony;
depressed state, feeling of worthlessness;
irritability;
postpartum depression;
sleep disturbances, decreased libido.

These problems are not always irremovable; in most cases, after consultations with a psychologist and adequate treatment, they can be overcome.

Causes of mental illness

They can be different, in some cases it is impossible to determine them. Scientists still don’t know exactly why autism or Alzheimer’s disease occurs.

The following factors can influence a person’s psychological state and change it:

Usually a combination of several causes leads to pathology.

Treatment of mental illness

Methods of treating neuropsychiatric pathologies provide an integrated approach and have an individual focus. They consist of:

medication regimen - taking antidepressants, psychotropic, stimulant drugs;
Hardware treatment - some types of disorders can be eliminated through the use of electric currents. For example, in autism, a brain micropolarization procedure is often used.
psychotherapy - techniques of suggestion or persuasion, hypnosis, conversations;
physiotherapy - acupuncture, electrosleep.

Modern techniques have become widespread - communication with animals, treatment through creative work, and others.

Learn about mental disorders that present with physical symptoms

Prevention of mental illness

It is possible to avoid mental problems if:

Preventive measures also include regular visits to the hospital for examinations. Disorders in the initial stages can be prevented if they are diagnosed in time and measures are taken.

More than half of mental disorders in people are detected before the age of 14 and cannot be cured. Such diseases significantly affect the statistics of overall morbidity in the world; for example, about 42-44% of mental disorders in the United States occur in young people aged 13 to 18 years. Corresponding diseases in adolescents are one of the main causes of suicide, but not only this fact indicates the extreme importance of such an issue as the prevention of mental disorders in children. This task is especially relevant because it indicates what kind of citizens will inhabit the planet in the future, and if we do not make the necessary efforts to correct the situation today, then in the near future we will receive a huge number of adults with various mental pathologies.

Today, the prevention of mental disorders does not include lifestyle changes in children and their parents, but generally accepted, conventional psychotherapeutic approaches. For the prevention of neuropsychiatric disorders in children, along with the role of neurologists and psychiatrists, the figure of a pediatrician is of great importance. This fact is due to the fact that it is this specialist who is one of the first to meet the baby after his birth and often continues to observe him for a long period. This time is usually enough to suspect that the child has any behavioral abnormalities or health problems; it is the pediatrician that children are brought to when they feel something is wrong with their psyche. Most often this happens due to the manifestation of such diseases by somatic symptoms, or in combination with them.

Very important in the development of a child and adolescent is his mental health, which is largely formed in childhood or even during intrauterine development. In our time, it is extremely difficult to give birth to a completely healthy child; it is even more difficult to raise him in such a way as not to affect the sensitive psyche, without causing irreparable harm to it. Often parents are too busy to pay special attention to these kinds of issues, and in most cases they are not at all aware of what it means to prevent the occurrence of mental disorders in young children and adolescents. Experts have long noted that a huge proportion of children approach adolescence with an extremely unstable psyche, and it often comes as a surprise to parents when their son or daughter shows signs of such ailments.

This may seem surprising, but it is the parents who must monitor the mental health of their child, since their behavior often causes nervous disorders in children. For example, one of the main factors in the emergence and further progression of mental illness in children is domestic violence. Ridicule, excessive reproaches, beating - all this can cause nervous disorders, the formation of an inferiority complex, and a decrease in self-esteem.

Opportunities for the prevention of behavioral and mental disorders in children and adolescents have expanded significantly in recent years. Preventive interventions can be either universal or selective, specific and are the basis for the primary prevention of mental disorders. Universal measures are designed for the entire high-risk group, selective for part of it or for individual individuals, among whom the risk of mental disorders is higher than average (this can be confirmed by various factors - social, psychological, biological). Finally, specific preventive measures are used to work with children at high risk, with minimal detected symptoms of the development of mental disorders.

In medicine, there is also secondary prevention, aimed at reducing already known cases of diseases among the population, and tertiary prevention, aimed at reducing the severity of disability, preventing exacerbations and relapses, and improving rehabilitation. For the prevention of behavioral and mental disorders in children, it is extremely important to create databases that will avoid uncertainty due to lack of information. Experts carefully study risk factors and protective measures against such diseases, and develop strategies aimed at reducing the incidence rate. However, all this does not mean that parents themselves should not make the necessary efforts to minimize the likelihood of developing abnormalities in their child. What can be done about this?

It is necessary to know what symptoms of nervous disorders may manifest themselves in a child. You can suspect something is wrong in the following cases:

1. The child is depressed for a long time

2. At the moment of depression, the child ceases to be active, becomes lethargic, irritable

3. A wall appears in relationships with others

4. External changes may occur: stooping, shuffling, tearfulness, memory impairment

5. Problems with studying begin

6. Having trouble sleeping

7. Self-esteem decreases

8. Possible occurrence of manias, phobias, even autism

It is very important to take measures to prevent such diseases that a mother can take during pregnancy; in particular, recent studies have shown that a certain diet for pregnant women helps prevent the risk of developing neuropsychiatric pathologies. A connection has been established between the mother’s nutrition and the development of the child’s immunity and central nervous system. Microelements included in the diet affect brain plasticity, the level of activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and the likelihood of developing hyperactivity syndrome.

Mental health is associated with the third purpose of human existence - the need for self-realization as an individual, i.e. it provides that sphere of life that we call social. A person realizes himself in society only if he has a sufficient level of mental energy that determines his performance, and at the same time (residual plasticity, harmony of the psyche, allowing him to adapt to society and be adequate to its requirements.

Stress- a protective-adaptive reaction of the body in response to extremely strong or long-acting stimuli.

Distress- a form of stress, “bad stress”, a negative nonspecific reaction of the body to any adverse external influence, a syndrome that acquires the role of a pathological factor.

Neurotic disorders is a group of psychogenically caused painful conditions, united by three main characteristics:

all of them belong to functional types of disorders, i.e. they are not accompanied by organic brain damage;
have a neurotic level of manifestation, i.e. the patient, regardless of the severity of the condition, does not lose contact with reality;
the disorder has a clear temporal connection with the factor that provokes it.

Prevention of mental stress

Increasing resistance to mental stress. It consists of psychologically preparing a person to face stressful situations, equipping him with the appropriate philosophy, as well as acquiring skills to manage his mental state.

Reacting negative emotions. It can be immediate or in a later simulated situation. Depending on the type of psychosomatic constitution, the forms of response can be different: aggression with motor excitement (more often in choleric people, people with an athletic constitution), verbal excitement with swearing (more often in sanguine people), tears (in people of a melancholic nature).

Psychocorrection. In case of acute short-term stress, they may include: a set of movements for internal utilization of adrenaline); relaxation in all possible ways; self-hypnosis; the use of external relaxing influences (music, smells, natural factors).

Pharmacological correction, which includes the use of drugs or herbs (adaptogens), mainly of a sedative nature.

It is necessary to use methods of relieving stress reactions, such as:

deep healthy sleep of sufficient duration;
increased physical activity as a result of sports training, general cleaning, jogging, hunting (during muscle activity, excess adrenaline, the chemical cause of stress, is burned);
various types of trainings conducted independently or with the help of specialists - a social worker or psychologist (meditation, autogenic training, group training);
doing a favorite or monotonous activity (knitting, watching fish, fingering rosaries, playing solitaire, fishing);
neuro-emotional release through laughter, crying, screaming (there is even a special treatment method - laughter therapy);
sex, etc.

There are effective interventions to improve mental health

Early childhood interventions (e.g. home visits for pregnant women, preschool psycho-social interventions, combination of nutritional and psycho-social interventions in disadvantaged populations);
Child support (e.g. skills programmes, child and youth development programmes);
Providing socio-economic opportunities for women (eg improved access to education, microcredit schemes);
Social support for older people's populations (eg befriending initiatives, day centers and community aged care centres);
Programs targeting vulnerable groups, including minorities, indigenous peoples, migrants and people affected by conflicts and natural disasters (eg post-disaster psycho-social interventions);
Activities to promote mental health in schools (eg programs supporting green change in schools, child-friendly schools);
Mental health interventions at work (eg stress prevention programmes);
Policies to solve housing problems (for example, improving housing conditions);
Violence prevention programs (e.g. community policing initiatives)
Community development programs (e.g. Communities that Caring initiatives, integrated rural development)

Psychoprophylaxis is a system of measures, the purpose of which is to study the causes that contribute to the occurrence of mental illnesses and disorders, their timely identification and elimination.

In any field of medicine, be it surgery, therapy, infectious or other diseases, Russian healthcare pays great attention to issues of prevention. When addressing issues of preventing various mental disorders and diseases, preventive measures should be promptly introduced into life and healthcare practice.

Methods of psychoprophylaxis include, in particular, the prevention of exacerbations of mental illness. Therefore, it may be necessary to study the dynamics of a person’s neuropsychic state during, as well as in everyday conditions.

Using a number of psychological and physiological methods, scientists study the influence of various occupational hazards in certain branches of labor (intoxication factors, vibration, the significance of overexertion at work, character itself, etc.).

Psychoprophylaxis is a section of general prevention, which includes activities aimed at preventing mental illness.

There is a close connection between the human psyche and his somatic state. The stability of the mental state can influence the somatic state. It is known that with a great emotional upsurge, somatic diseases rarely occur (an example is the war years).

The state of physical health can also influence, lead to or prevent certain disorders.

V.A. Gilyarovsky wrote that the role of nervous uplift in overcoming difficulties for the body and, in particular, harm to the nervous system should be used in planning work of a psychoprophylactic nature.

The objectives of prevention are: 1) preventing the action of a pathogenic cause on the body, 2) preventing the development of the disease through its early diagnosis and treatment, 3) preventive treatment and measures to prevent relapses of the disease and their transition to chronic forms.

In the prevention of mental illnesses, general preventive measures play an important role, such as the elimination of infectious diseases, intoxications and other harmful influences of the external environment.

Mental prevention (primary) is usually understood as a system of measures aimed at studying the mental effects on a person, the properties of his psyche and the possibilities of prevention, etc.

All activities related to mental prevention are aimed at increasing mental endurance to harmful influences. These include: a child, the fight against early infections and psychogenic influences that can cause mental retardation, developmental asynchrony, mental infantilism, which make the human psyche unstable to external influences.

Primary prevention also includes several subsections: provisional prevention, its goal is to protect the health of future generations; genetic prevention - the study and prediction of possible hereditary diseases, which is also aimed at improving the health of future generations; embryonic prevention, aimed at improving a woman’s health, hygiene of marriage and conception, protecting the mother from possible harmful effects on the fetus and organizing obstetric care; postnatal prevention, consisting of early detection of developmental defects in newborns, timely application of methods of therapeutic and pedagogical correction at all stages of development.

Secondary prevention. It is understood as a system of measures aimed at preventing a life-threatening or unfavorable course of an already onset mental or other disease. Secondary prevention includes early diagnosis, prognosis and prevention of life-threatening conditions for the patient, early initiation of treatment and the use of adequate correction methods to achieve the most complete remission, long-term maintenance therapy, eliminating the possibility of relapse of the disease.

Tertiary prevention is a system of measures aimed at preventing the occurrence of disability due to chronic diseases. The correct use of medications and other drugs, the use of therapeutic and pedagogical correction methods play a big role in this.

All sections of psychoprophylaxis are especially closely related in cases of prevention of mental illnesses, in which we are talking about disorders such as, in the occurrence of which not only psychogenic factors play a role, but also somatic disorders.

As already mentioned, diseases caused by mental trauma are usually called psychogenics. The term “psychogenic diseases” belongs to Sommer and was initially used only for.

V.A. Gilyarovsky used the term “borderline conditions” to designate these conditions, emphasizing that these disorders seem to occupy a borderline position between mental illness and mental health or somatic and mental illnesses.

According to many experts, it is necessary to wage the same intensive fight against neuropsychic disorders and diseases as against infections.

Methods of psychoprophylaxis and mental hygiene include work within the framework of advisory centers, “helplines” and other organizations focused on psychological assistance to healthy people. This may include mass surveys to identify so-called risk groups and preventive work with them, information from the population, etc.