Diagnosis of mental illness. Complete list of mental illnesses

We suggest you familiarize yourself with the most unusual psychological syndromes. Many of them got their names thanks to our favorite fairy tales from childhood, films dear to our hearts, famous writers.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

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A person suffering from ADD is inattentive, impatient, it is very difficult for him to concentrate on anything.

Dealing with ADD is difficult, but not impossible. Read about how to do this.

Chris/Flicker.com

This syndrome is named after ducklings due to the fact that the duckling takes for the mother of anyone he sees immediately after birth. Even an inanimate object can be considered a mother duckling.

In people, the duckling syndrome manifests itself as follows: when a person sees something for the first time, a priori, a person begins to consider this something the best. And in fact, everything can be exactly the opposite.

In order to get rid of duckling syndrome, you should not take everything for granted. Develop critical thinking in yourself, analyze, do not be too self-confident and do not jump to conclusions.

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We all know that:

If you chase two hares, you won't catch one.

But despite this, most of us grab onto a lot of things at once and end up not being able to finish any of them properly. And if you think about how many nerves we spend on this and how many sleepless nights we spend trying to do everything at once, it becomes scary. You can find out how to deal with things normally and not immerse yourself in the abyss of multitasking.

Monk syndrome for three days

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The essence of this syndrome: you can not finish what you started. It doesn't matter what - training, foreign language courses, some kind of project or anything else. It doesn't even matter how much time you spent on this business before: days, weeks, months and even years - at one not at all perfect moment, all this flies to hell.

It will be very disappointing if you stop doing something important to you because of your laziness, your own disorganization, or simply because you are a master at making excuses, right? You will learn how to always finish what you started and stop being a “monk for three days”.

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It seems that they are not loafers and could live. They would take Mondays and cancel.

Andrey Mironov

Any adult person, even responsible and organized, has at least once encountered this syndrome. It turns out that to avoid the "Monday" syndrome, you need to set yourself the right pace at the beginning of the day. Read about how to do this.

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Another syndrome named after the work of Lewis Carroll. Scientifically, this syndrome is called "micropsia" and "macropsia". A person suffering from Alice in Wonderland syndrome perceives reality distortedly: the surrounding objects will seem to him much smaller or much larger than they really are.

Like the heroine Alice, people suffering from this syndrome will not understand where is reality and where is their distorted perception.

Most often, this syndrome can be accompanied by migraine, but can also occur under the influence of various psychotropic drugs.

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This is a mental disorder that is accompanied by palpitations, dizziness and hallucinations. This syndrome manifests itself when a person suffering from it finds himself in places of accumulation of works of fine art: in museums and art galleries. Also, Stendhal's syndrome can cause excessive beauty of nature.

Stendhal in his book "Naples and Florence: a journey from Milan to Reggio" described the first manifestation of this syndrome, which later received its name in honor of the famous French writer.

Florence, Venice, Rome and Istanbul are the cities in which Stendhal's syndrome is most often activated.

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People suffering from this syndrome tend to isolate themselves from society, neglect themselves, are incredibly stingy and gravitate towards collecting various rubbish.

A striking example is Plyushkin from Gogol's Dead Souls.

The syndrome is named after the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, who, according to legend, lived in a barrel. However, Diogenes did not collect any rubbish and did not avoid human communication, therefore a number of researchers consider it appropriate to rename this syndrome into Plyushkin's syndrome.

Amelie syndrome

Shot from the film "Amelie"

What is the essence of this syndrome, everyone who watched the picture of the French film director Jean-Pierre-Junet “Amelie” guesses.

People suffering from this syndrome periodically fall into childhood, like to watch strangers and make surprises for them, post various announcements and congratulations around the city - in general, you can list for a long time and still not list everything, so I just advise everyone to watch this film .

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Adele's syndrome, or love insanity - a passionate unrequited love feeling.

The syndrome got its name from Adele Hugo, daughter of the famous French writer Victor Hugo.

Adele was a very beautiful and gifted girl, but her mental health was greatly affected by the death of her older sister. Later, the girl met the English officer Albert and fell in love with him without memory. But she fell in love unrequitedly: Albert did not reciprocate the girl.

She pursued Albert, lied to everyone, first about the engagement, and then about marrying him. She upset an officer's engagement to another girl and spread rumors that she had given birth to a stillborn child from him. The end of the story is sad: Adele spent the rest of her life in a psychiatric hospital.

Despite the fact that all this seems incredible and greatly exaggerated, many girls and boys suffer from this syndrome.

It is hardly possible to identify specific ways that will help fight such a harmful feeling that sucks a person like a black hole. You should just always remember that "There is no unhappy love ...", and find the strength and pride in yourself to refuse a person who does not need you.

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This syndrome affects many young people who are able to throw all their strength, money and their own time in pursuit of external youth and beauty. This becomes their main goal in life.

This syndrome is familiar to readers from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

This syndrome often affects the human psyche in the most negative way and leads to other mental disorders.

Capgras syndrome

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This syndrome is also called "delusions of the negative twin." A person subject to this syndrome is sure that their double has moved into people close to him. A person does not exclude the possibility that a double has moved into him, and he attributes to the “second self” all the negative actions that he does on his own.

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...or morbid jealousy. A person suffering from this syndrome is constantly jealous of his beloved / his lover, even if he has no reason or reason at all.

People go crazy from this syndrome: people constantly watch the object of their love, their sleep is disturbed, they cannot eat normally, they are constantly nervous and cannot think about anything except that they are supposedly being cheated on.

Anhedonia

This is not a syndrome, but due to its importance, anhedonia should also be included in this list.

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Anhedonia is a diagnosis of lack of joy.
Anti-war army, anti-fire fire.
Yanka Diaghileva

Anhedonia is a decrease or loss of the ability to experience pleasure. A person suffering from anhedonia loses motivation for activities that can bring pleasure: sports, travel, favorite hobbies.

Anhedonia is treated with long sleep and a healthy diet, the rehabilitation process also includes visiting various institutions and events that should evoke positive emotions in a person. In severe cases, drug treatment is used.

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All children, except for the one and only child in the world, sooner or later grow up.
James Barry "Peter Pan"

People suffering from Peter Pan syndrome do not want to grow up in any way, and it does not matter at all how old they are - 20, 30, 40 ...

Such people are called kidalts (adult children).

exploding head syndrome

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Falling asleep or waking up, a person can hear a loud sound that can be compared with a shot or a cry of a wild beast. He will feel like his head is being torn apart.

The exploding head syndrome is very often the result of a frantic pace of life, permanent fatigue, heavy workload and worries. To cope with this syndrome, a person needs a good rest, ideally a rest for a couple of days or even weeks.

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Scientifically, this syndrome is called the Kleine-Levin syndrome. Those suffering from this syndrome are characterized by excessive sleepiness (18 hours of sleep, and sometimes even more), and if they are not allowed to sleep, they become irritable and aggressive.

Alexander Raths/Shutterstock.com

Subject to this syndrome constantly simulates various diseases, and then seeks medical help. Those suffering from this syndrome tend to be intelligent, resourceful, and resourceful, with extensive medical knowledge.

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Excessive infatuation with refined and usually expensive food. This syndrome is not dangerous for human life and health, but for the wallet it is quite deplorable.

What unusual syndromes are familiar to you? Share in the comments.

Mental diseases are characterized by changes in consciousness, thinking of the individual. At the same time, a person’s behavior, his perception of the world around him, and emotional reactions to what is happening are significantly violated. A list of common mental illnesses with a description highlights the possible causes of pathologies, their main clinical manifestations and methods of therapy.

Agoraphobia

The disease belongs to anxiety-phobic disorders. Characterized by fear of open space, public places, crowds of people. Often a phobia is accompanied by autonomic symptoms (tachycardia, sweating, shortness of breath, chest pain, tremor, etc.). Panic attacks are possible, which force the patient to abandon their usual way of life for fear of a recurrence of an attack. Agoraphobia is treated with psychotherapeutic methods and medication.

Alcoholic dementia

It is a complication of chronic alcoholism. At the last stage, without therapy, it can lead to the death of the patient. Pathology develops gradually with the progression of symptoms. There is a violation of memory, including its failures, isolation, loss of intellectual abilities, control of one's actions. Without medical care, personality disintegration, speech, thinking, and consciousness disorders are observed. Treatment is carried out in narcological hospitals. It is mandatory to refrain from alcohol.

Allotriophagy

A mental disorder in which a person tends to eat inedible things (chalk, dirt, paper, chemicals, and others). This phenomenon occurs in patients with various mental illnesses (psychopathies, schizophrenia, etc.), sometimes in healthy people (during pregnancy), in children (aged 1-6 years). The causes of pathology can be a lack of minerals in the body, cultural traditions, a desire to attract attention. Treatment is carried out using psychotherapy techniques.

Anorexia

A mental disorder resulting from a malfunction of the food center of the brain. Manifested by a pathological desire to lose weight (even at low weight), lack of appetite, fear of obesity. The patient refuses to eat, uses all sorts of ways to reduce body weight (diet, enemas, inducing vomiting, excessive exercise). Arrhythmias, menstrual irregularities, cramps, weakness and other symptoms are observed. In severe cases, irreversible changes in the body and death are possible.

Autism

Childhood mental illness. It is characterized by impaired social interaction, motor skills, and speech dysfunctions. Most scientists classify autism as a hereditary mental illness. The diagnosis is based on observation of the child's behavior. Manifestations of pathology: the patient's immunity to speech, instructions from other people, poor visual contact with them, lack of facial expressions, smiles, delay in speech skills, detachment. For treatment, methods of speech therapy, behavioral correction, drug therapy are used.

white fever

Alcoholic psychosis, manifested by a violation of behavior, anxiety of the patient, visual, auditory, tactile hallucinations, due to dysfunction of metabolic processes in the brain. The causes of delirium are a sharp interruption of a long binge, a large one-time volume of alcohol consumed, and poor-quality alcohol. The patient has a body tremor, high temperature, pallor of the skin. Treatment is carried out in a psychiatric hospital, includes detoxification therapy, taking psychotropic drugs, vitamins, and so on.

Alzheimer's disease

Refers to incurable mental illness, characterized by degeneration of the nervous system, the gradual loss of mental abilities. Pathology is one of the causes of dementia in the elderly (over 65 years). Manifested by progressive memory impairment, disorientation, apathy. In the later stages, hallucinations, loss of independent mental and motor abilities, and sometimes convulsions are observed. Perhaps the registration of disability for the mental illness of Alzheimer's for life.

Pick's disease

A rare mental illness with predominant localization in the frontotemporal lobes of the brain. Clinical manifestations of pathology go through 3 stages. On the first stage, antisocial behavior is noted (public realization of physiological needs, hypersexuality, and the like), a decrease in criticism and control of actions, repetition of words and phrases. The second stage is manifested by cognitive dysfunctions, loss of reading, writing, counting skills, sensorimotor aphasia. The third stage is deep dementia (immobility, disorientation), leading to the death of a person.

bulimia

A mental disorder characterized by uncontrolled excessive consumption of food. The patient is focused on food, diets (breakdowns are accompanied by gluttony and guilt), his weight, suffers from bouts of hunger, which he cannot satisfy. In severe form, there are significant weight jumps (5-10 kg up and down), swelling of the parotid gland, fatigue, loss of teeth, irritation in the throat. This mental illness is often found in adolescents, persons under 30 years old, mainly in women.

Hallucinosis

A mental disorder characterized by the presence in a person of various types of hallucinations without impaired consciousness. They can be verbal (the patient hears a monologue or dialogue), visual (visions), olfactory (smell), tactile (the feeling of insects, worms crawling under the skin or on it, etc.). The cause of the pathology are exogenous factors (infections, injuries, intoxications), organic brain damage, schizophrenia.

dementia

Severe mental illness characterized by progressive degradation of cognitive function. There is a gradual loss of memory (up to a complete loss), mental abilities, speech. Disorientation, loss of control over actions are noted. The occurrence of pathology is typical for the elderly, but is not a normal state of aging. The therapy is aimed at slowing down the process of personality decay, optimizing cognitive functions.

Depersonalization

According to medical reference books and the international classification of diseases, pathology is classified as a neurotic disorder. The condition is characterized by a violation of self-awareness, alienation of the individual. The patient perceives the world around him, his body, activity, thinking as unreal, existing independently of him. There may be violations of taste, hearing, pain sensitivity, and so on. Periodic similar sensations are not considered a pathology, however, treatment (medication and psychotherapy) is required for a protracted, persistent state of derealization.

Depression

Serious mental illness, which is characterized by a depressed mood, lack of joy, positive thinking. In addition to emotional signs of depression (anguish, despair, feelings of guilt, etc.), physiological symptoms (disturbed appetite, sleep, pain and other unpleasant sensations in the body, digestive dysfunction, fatigue) and behavioral manifestations (passivity, apathy, desire for solitude, alcoholism) are noted. And so on). Treatment includes medication and psychotherapy.

dissociative fugue

An acute mental disorder in which the patient, under the influence of traumatic incidents, suddenly abandons his personality (completely losing memories of it), inventing a new one for himself. The departure of the patient from home is necessarily present, while mental abilities, professional skills, and character are preserved. New life can be short (a few hours) or last a long time (months and years). Then there is a sudden (rarely - gradual) return to the former personality, while the memories of the new one are completely lost.

Stuttering

The performance of convulsive actions of the articulatory and laryngeal muscles during the pronunciation of speech, distorting it and making it difficult to pronounce words. Usually stuttering occurs at the very beginning of phrases, less often in the middle, while the patient lingers on one or a group of sounds. Pathology may rarely recur (paroxysmal) or be permanent. There are neurotic (in healthy children under stress) and neurosis-like (in diseases of the central nervous system) forms of the disease. In the treatment, psychotherapy, speech therapy corrections of stuttering, drug therapy are used.

gambling addiction

A mental disorder characterized by dependence on games, the desire for excitement. Among the types of gambling, there is a pathological commitment to gambling in casinos, computer, network games, slot machines, sweepstakes, lotteries, sales in the foreign exchange and stock markets. Manifestations of pathology are an irresistible constant desire to play, the patient becomes isolated, deceives loved ones, mental disorders, irritability are noted. Often this phenomenon leads to depression.

Idiocy

Congenital mental illness characterized by severe mental retardation. It is observed already from the first weeks of a newborn's life, manifested by a significant progressive lag in psychomotor development. Patients lack speech and its understanding, ability to think, emotional reactions. Children do not recognize their parents, they cannot master primitive skills, they grow up absolutely helpless. Often, pathology is combined with anomalies in the physical development of the child. Treatment is based on symptomatic therapy.

Imbecility

Significant mental retardation (moderately severe oligophrenia). Patients have weak learning abilities (primitive speech, however, it is possible to read by syllables and understand the account), poor memory, primitive thinking. There is an excessive manifestation of unconscious instincts (sexual, for food), antisocial behavior. It is possible to learn self-care skills (by repetition), but such patients are not able to live independently. Treatment is based on symptomatic therapy.

Hypochondria

A neuropsychiatric disorder based on the patient's excessive worries about his health. At the same time, manifestations of pathology can be sensory (exaggeration of sensations) or ideogenic (false ideas about sensations in the body that can cause changes in it: cough, stool disorders, and others). The disorder is based on self-hypnosis, its main cause is neurosis, sometimes organic pathologies. An effective method of treatment is psychotherapy with the use of medications.

Hysteria

Complex neurosis, which is characterized by states of affect, pronounced emotional reactions, somatovegetative manifestations. There is no organic lesion of the central nervous system, the disorders are considered reversible. The patient seeks to draw attention to himself, has an unstable mood, there may be violations of motor functions (paralysis, paresis, unsteadiness of gait, twitching of the head). A hysterical seizure is accompanied by a cascade of expressive movements (falling to the floor and rolling on it, tearing out hair, wiggling limbs, and the like).

Kleptomania

An irresistible urge to commit theft of another's property. At the same time, the crime is committed not for the purpose of material enrichment, but mechanically, with a momentary impulse. The patient is aware of the illegality and abnormality of addiction, sometimes tries to resist it, acts alone and does not develop plans, does not steal out of revenge or for similar motives. Before the theft, the patient experiences a feeling of tension and anticipation of pleasure; after the crime, the feeling of euphoria persists for some time.

Cretinism

The pathology that occurs with thyroid dysfunction is characterized by mental and physical retardation. All causes of cretinism are based on hypothyroidism. It can be congenital or acquired during the development of the child pathology. The disease is manifested by stunted growth of the body (dwarfism), teeth (and their change), disproportionate structure, underdevelopment of secondary sexual characteristics. There are violations of hearing, speech, intelligence of varying severity. Treatment consists of lifelong hormone therapy.

"cultural" shock

Negative emotional and physical reactions provoked by a change in the cultural environment of a person. At the same time, a collision with a different culture, an unfamiliar place causes discomfort and disorientation in a person. The condition develops gradually. First, a person positively and optimistically perceives the new conditions, then the stage of “cultural” shock begins with the realization of certain problems. Gradually, the person comes to terms with the situation, and depression recedes. The last stage is characterized by successful adaptation to a new culture.

Persecution mania

A mental disorder in which the patient feels that they are being watched and threatened with harm. The pursuers are people, animals, unreal beings, inanimate objects, and so on. Pathology goes through 3 stages of formation: initially, the patient is worried about anxiety, he becomes withdrawn. Further, the signs become more pronounced, the patient refuses to visit work, close circle. In the third stage, a severe disorder occurs, accompanied by aggression, depression, suicide attempts, and so on.

Misanthropy

Mental disorder associated with alienation from society, rejection, hatred of people. It is manifested by unsociableness, suspicion, distrust, anger, enjoyment of one's state of misanthropy. This psychophysiological property of a person can turn into antrophobia (human fear). People suffering from psychopathy, delusions of persecution, after suffering bouts of schizophrenia are prone to pathology.

Monomania

Excessive obsessive adherence to the idea, the subject. It is a one-subject insanity, a single mental disorder. At the same time, the mental health of patients is noted. In modern classifiers of diseases, this term is absent, since it is considered a relic of psychiatry. Sometimes used to refer to a psychosis characterized by a single disorder (hallucinations or delusions).

Obsessive states

Mental illness, which is characterized by the presence of persistent thoughts, fears, actions, regardless of the will of the patient. The patient is fully aware of the problem, but cannot overcome his condition. Pathology manifests itself in obsessive thoughts (absurd, terrible), counting (involuntary recounting), memories (usually unpleasant), fears, actions (their meaningless repetition), rituals, and so on. In the treatment, psychotherapy, medications, physiotherapy are used.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Excessive experience of the personality of its significance. It is combined with the requirement of increased attention to oneself, admiration. The disorder is based on the fear of failure, fear of being of little value, defenseless. The behavior of the individual is aimed at confirming one's own value, a person constantly talks about his merits, social, material status or mental, physical abilities, and so on. Long-term psychotherapy is required to correct the disorder.

Neurosis

A collective term that characterizes a group of psychogenic disorders of a reversible, usually not severe, course. The main cause of the condition is stress, excessive mental stress. Patients are aware of the abnormality of their condition. Clinical signs of pathology are emotional (mood swings, vulnerability, irritability, tearfulness, etc.) and physical (dysfunctions of cardiac activity, digestion, tremor, headache, difficulty breathing, and others) manifestations.

Oligophrenia

Congenital or acquired at an early age mental underdevelopment caused by organic damage to the brain. It is a common pathology, manifested by disorders of the intellect, speech, memory, will, emotional reactions, motor dysfunctions of varying severity, somatic disorders. Thinking in patients remains at the level of young children. Self-service abilities are present, but reduced.

Panic attacks

Panic attack, accompanied by severe fear, anxiety, autonomic symptoms. The causes of the pathology are stress, difficult life circumstances, chronic fatigue, the use of certain drugs, mental and somatic diseases or conditions (pregnancy, the postpartum period, menopause, adolescence). In addition to emotional manifestations (fear, panic), there are autonomic manifestations: arrhythmias, tremors, difficulty breathing, pain in various parts of the body (chest, abdomen), derealization, and so on.

Paranoia

A mental disorder characterized by excessive suspicion. Patients pathologically see a conspiracy, malicious intent directed against them. At the same time, in other areas of activity, thinking, the adequacy of the patient is fully preserved. Paranoia can be the result of some mental illness, brain degeneration, medication. Treatment is predominantly medical (neuroleptics with anti-delusional effect). Psychotherapy is ineffective, because the doctor is perceived as a participant in the conspiracy.

Pyromania

Violation of the psyche, which is characterized by an irresistible craving of the patient for arson. Arson is carried out impulsively, in the absence of full awareness of the act. The patient experiences pleasure from performing the action and observing the fire. At the same time, there is no material benefit from arson, it is done confidently, the pyromaniac is tense, obsessed with the topic of fires. When watching a flame, sexual arousal is possible. Treatment is complex, since pyromaniacs often have serious mental disorders.

psychoses

Severe mental disorder, accompanied by delusional states, mood swings, hallucinations (auditory, olfactory, visual, tactile, gustatory), agitation or apathy, depression, aggression. At the same time, the patient lacks control over his actions, criticism. The causes of pathology include infections, alcoholism and drug addiction, stress, psychotrauma, age-related changes (senile psychosis), dysfunction of the central nervous and endocrine systems.

Self-damaging behavior (Patomymia)

A mental disorder in which a person intentionally injures himself (wounds, cuts, bites, burns), but defines their traces as a skin disease. In this case, there may be a craving for injury to the skin, mucous membranes, damage to nails, hair, lips. Neurotic excoriation (scratching of the skin) is often encountered in psychiatric practice. Pathology is characterized by the systematic infliction of damage by the same method. For the treatment of pathology, psychotherapy with the use of medications is used.

seasonal depression

A mood disorder, its depression, a feature of which is the seasonal periodicity of the pathology. There are 2 forms of the disease: "winter" and "summer" depression. Pathology acquires the greatest prevalence in regions with a short duration of daylight hours. Manifestations include depressed mood, fatigue, anhedonia, pessimism, decreased sexual desire, thoughts of suicide, death, autonomic symptoms. Treatment includes psychotherapy and medication.

Sexual perversions

Pathological forms of sexual desire and distortion of its implementation. Sexual perversions include sadism, masochism, exhibitionism, pedo-, bestiality, homosexuality, and so on. With true perversions, the perverted way of realizing sexual desire becomes the only possible way for the patient to obtain satisfaction, completely replacing the normal sexual life. Pathology can be formed with psychopathy, oligophrenia, organic lesions of the central nervous system, and so on.

Senestopathy

Unpleasant sensations of different content and severity on the surface of the body or in the region of internal organs. The patient feels burning, twisting, throbbing, heat, cold, burning pain, drilling, and so on. Usually sensations are localized in the head, less often in the abdomen, chest, limbs. At the same time, there is no objective reason, a pathological process that could cause such feelings. The condition usually occurs against the background of mental disorders (neurosis, psychosis, depression). In therapy, treatment of the underlying disease is required.

Negative Twin Syndrome

A mental disorder in which the patient is convinced that he or someone close to him has been replaced by an absolute double. In the first variant, the patient claims that it is precisely a person who is exactly identical to him that is to blame for his bad actions. Delusions of a negative double are found autoscopic (the patient sees a double) and Capgras syndrome (the double is invisible). Pathology often accompanies mental illness (schizophrenia) and neurological diseases.

irritable bowel syndrome

Dysfunction of the large intestine, characterized by the presence of symptoms that bother the patient for a long period (more than six months). Pathology is manifested by pain in the abdomen (usually before defecation and disappearing after), stool disorder (constipation, diarrhea or their alternation), and sometimes autonomic disorders. A psycho-neurogenic mechanism of the formation of the disease is noted, and intestinal infections, hormonal fluctuations, and visceral hyperalgesia are also among the causes. Symptoms usually do not progress over time, and weight loss is not observed.

Syndrome of chronic fatigue

Permanent, long-lasting (more than six months) physical and mental fatigue, which persists after sleep and even several days of rest. Usually begins with an infectious disease, but is also observed after recovery. Manifestations include weakness, recurrent headaches, insomnia (often), impaired performance, possibly weight loss, hypochondria, and depression. Treatment includes stress reduction, psychotherapy, relaxation techniques.

Emotional burnout syndrome

A state of mental, moral and physical exhaustion. The main reasons for the phenomenon are regular stressful situations, the monotony of actions, a tense rhythm, a feeling of underestimation, and undeserved criticism. Chronic fatigue, irritability, weakness, migraines, dizziness, insomnia are considered manifestations of the condition. Treatment consists in observing the regime of work and rest, it is recommended to take a vacation, take breaks from work.

Vascular dementia

Progressive decline in intelligence and impaired adaptation in society. The reason is damage to parts of the brain in vascular pathologies: hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, and so on. Pathology is manifested by a violation of cognitive abilities, memory, control over actions, deterioration of thinking, understanding of addressed speech. In vascular dementia, there is a combination of cognitive and neurological disorders. The prognosis of the disease depends on the severity of brain lesions.

Stress and maladjustment

Stress is the reaction of the human body to excessively strong stimuli. Moreover, this condition can be physiological and psychological. It should be noted that in the latter variant, stress is caused by both negative and positive emotions of a strong degree of severity. Violation of adaptation is observed during the period of adaptation to changing living conditions under the influence of various factors (loss of loved ones, serious illness, etc.). At the same time, there is a connection between stress and adjustment disorder (no more than 3 months).

Suicidal behavior

A way of thinking or acting toward self-destruction in order to escape life's problems. Suicidal behavior includes 3 forms: completed suicide (ending in death), suicide attempt (not completed for various reasons), suicidal action (committing actions with a low probability of lethality). The last 2 options often become a request for help, and not a real way to die. Patients should be under constant control, treatment is carried out in a psychiatric hospital.

Madness

The term means severe mental illness (madness). It is rarely used in psychiatry, usually used in colloquial speech. By the nature of the impact on the environment, madness can be useful (the gift of foresight, inspiration, ecstasy, etc.) and dangerous (rage, aggression, mania, hysteria). According to the form of the pathology, melancholy (depression, apathy, emotional experiences), mania (hyperexcitability, unjustified euphoria, excessive mobility), hysteria (reactions of increased excitability, aggressiveness) are distinguished.

Tapophilia

An attraction disorder characterized by a pathological interest in the cemetery, its paraphernalia and everything connected with it: tombstones, epitaphs, stories of death, funerals, and so on. There are varying degrees of cravings: from mild interest to obsession, manifested in the constant search for information, frequent visits to cemeteries, funerals, and so on. Unlike thanatophilia and necrophilia, with this pathology there are no addictions to a dead body, sexual arousal. Funeral rites and their paraphernalia are of primary interest in tapophilia.

Anxiety

The emotional reaction of the body, which is expressed by concern, anticipation of trouble, fear of them. Pathological anxiety can occur against the background of complete well-being, can be short in time or be a stable personality trait. It is manifested by tension, expressed anxiety, a feeling of helplessness, loneliness. Physically, tachycardia, increased respiration, increased blood pressure, hyperexcitability, sleep disturbances can be observed. Psychotherapeutic methods are effective in treatment.

Trichotillomania

A mental disorder that refers to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is manifested by a craving for pulling out one's own hair, in some cases for their subsequent eating. Usually appears on the background of idleness, sometimes with stress, more common in women and children (2-6 years). Pulling out hair is accompanied by tension, which is then replaced by satisfaction. The act of pulling is usually done unconsciously. In the vast majority of cases, pulling out is carried out from the scalp, less often - in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eyelashes, eyebrows and other hard-to-reach places.

hikikomori

A pathological condition in which a person renounces social life, resorting to complete self-isolation (in an apartment, room) for a period of more than six months. Such people refuse to work, communicate with friends, relatives, are usually dependent on relatives or receive unemployment benefits. This phenomenon is a common symptom of depressive, obsessive-compulsive, autistic disorder. Self-isolation develops gradually, if necessary, people still go out into the outside world.

Phobia

Pathological irrational fear, the reactions to which are exacerbated by the influence of provoking factors. Phobias are characterized by an obsessive persistent flow, while a person avoids frightening objects, activities, and so on. Pathology can be of varying severity and is observed both in minor neurotic disorders and in serious mental illness (schizophrenia). Treatment includes psychotherapy with the use of medications (tranquilizers, antidepressants, etc.).

schizoid disorder

A mental disorder characterized by lack of sociability, isolation, low need for social life, autistic personality traits. Such people are emotionally cold, have a weak ability to empathize, trusting relationships. The disorder manifests itself in early childhood and is observed throughout life. This person is characterized by the presence of unusual hobbies (scientific research, philosophy, yoga, individual sports, etc.). Treatment includes psychotherapy and social adaptation.

schizotypal disorder

A mental disorder characterized by abnormal behavior, impaired thinking, similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia, but mild and unclear. There is a genetic predisposition to the disease. Pathology is manifested by emotional (detachment, indifference), behavioral (inadequate reactions) disorders, social maladjustment, the presence of obsessions, strange beliefs, depersonalization, disorientation, hallucinations. Treatment is complex, including psychotherapy and medication.

Schizophrenia

A severe mental illness of a chronic course with a violation of thought processes, emotional reactions, leading to the disintegration of the personality. The most common signs of the disease include auditory hallucinations, paranoid or fantastic delusions, speech and thinking disorders, accompanied by social dysfunction. The violent nature of auditory hallucinations (suggestion), the secrecy of the patient (devotes only loved ones), chosenness (the patient is convinced that he was chosen for the mission) are noted. For treatment, drug therapy (antipsychotic drugs) is indicated to correct the symptoms.

Elective (selective) mutism

A condition when a child has a lack of speech in certain situations with the proper functioning of the speech apparatus. In other circumstances and conditions, children retain the ability to speak and understand addressed speech. In rare cases, the disorder occurs in adults. Usually, the onset of pathology is characterized by a period of adaptation to kindergarten and school. With the normal development of the child, the disorder resolves spontaneously by the age of 10 years. The most effective treatments are family, individual and behavioral therapy.

Encoprese

A disease characterized by dysfunction, uncontrolled defecation, fecal incontinence. It is usually observed in children, in adults it is more often of an organic nature. Encopresis is often combined with stool retention, constipation. The condition can be caused not only by mental, but also by somatic pathologies. The causes of the disease are the immaturity of the control of the act of defecation, the anamnesis often contains intrauterine hypoxia, infection, and birth trauma. More often, pathology occurs in children from socially disadvantaged families.

Enuresis

Syndrome of uncontrolled, involuntary urination, mainly at night. Urinary incontinence is more common in children of preschool and early school age, usually there is a history of neurological pathology. The syndrome contributes to the emergence of psychotrauma in a child, the development of isolation, indecision, neuroses, conflicts with peers, which further complicates the course of the disease. The purpose of diagnosis and treatment is to eliminate the cause of the pathology, psychological correction of the condition.

Sometimes it seems that a loved one has gone crazy.

Or starts to go. How to determine that "the roof has gone" and it didn't seem to you?

In this article, you will learn about the 10 main symptoms of mental disorders.

There is a joke among the people: "There are no mentally healthy people, there are underexamined." This means that individual signs of mental disorders can be found in the behavior of any person, and the main thing is not to fall into a manic search for the corresponding symptoms in others.

And it's not even that a person can become a danger to society or himself. Some mental disorders occur as a result of organic damage to the brain, which requires immediate treatment. Delay can cost a person not only mental health, but also life.

Some symptoms, on the contrary, are sometimes regarded by others as manifestations of bad character, promiscuity or laziness, while in fact they are manifestations of the disease.

In particular, depression is not considered by many to be a disease requiring serious treatment. "Pull yourself together! Stop whining! You're weak, you should be ashamed! Stop delving into yourself and everything will pass!” - this is how relatives and friends exhort the patient. And he needs the help of a specialist and long-term treatment, otherwise he will not get out.

The onset of senile dementia or early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can also be mistaken for age-related decline in intelligence or a bad temper, but in fact it's time to start looking for a nurse to look after the sick.

How to determine whether it is worth worrying about a relative, colleague, friend?

Signs of a mental disorder

This condition can accompany any mental disorder and many of the somatic diseases. Asthenia is expressed in weakness, low efficiency, mood swings, hypersensitivity. A person easily begins to cry, instantly irritated and loses self-control. Often, asthenia is accompanied by sleep disturbances.

obsessive states

A wide range of obsessions includes many manifestations: from constant doubts, fears that a person is not able to cope with, to an irresistible desire for cleanliness or certain actions.

Under the power of an obsessive state, a person can return home several times to check whether he turned off the iron, gas, water, whether he closed the door with a key. An obsessive fear of an accident may force the patient to perform some rituals that, according to the sufferer, can avert trouble. If you notice that your friend or relative washes his hands for hours, has become overly squeamish and is always afraid of getting infected with something - this is also an obsession. The desire not to step on cracks in the pavement, tile joints, avoidance of certain types of transport or people in clothes of a certain color or type is also an obsessive state.

Mood changes

Longing, depression, the desire for self-accusation, talk about one's own worthlessness or sinfulness, about death can also be symptoms of the disease. Pay attention to other manifestations of inadequacy:

• Unnatural frivolity, carelessness.
• Folly, not characteristic of age and character.
• Euphoric state, optimism, which has no basis.
• Fussiness, talkativeness, inability to concentrate, confused thinking.
• Heightened self-esteem.
• Projection.
• Strengthening of sexuality, extinction of natural modesty, inability to restrain sexual desires.

You have cause for concern if your loved one begins to complain about the appearance of unusual sensations in the body. They can be extremely unpleasant or just annoying. These are sensations of squeezing, burning, stirring “something inside”, “rustling in the head”. Sometimes such sensations can be the result of very real somatic diseases, but often senestopathies indicate the presence of a hypochondriacal syndrome.

Hypochondria

It is expressed in a manic concern about the state of one's own health. Examinations and test results may indicate the absence of diseases, but the patient does not believe and requires more and more examinations and serious treatment. A person speaks almost exclusively about his well-being, does not get out of clinics and demands to be treated like a patient. Hypochondria often goes hand in hand with depression.

Illusions

Do not confuse illusions and hallucinations. Illusions make a person perceive real objects and phenomena in a distorted form, while with hallucinations a person feels something that does not really exist.

Examples of illusions:

• the pattern on the wallpaper seems to be a plexus of snakes or worms;
• the dimensions of objects are perceived in a distorted form;
• the sound of raindrops on the windowsill seems to be the cautious steps of someone terrible;
• the shadows of the trees turn into terrible creatures crawling up with frightening intentions, etc.

If outsiders may not be aware of the presence of illusions, then the susceptibility to hallucinations may manifest itself more noticeably.

Hallucinations can affect all the senses, that is, be visual and auditory, tactile and gustatory, olfactory and general, and also be combined in any combination. To the patient, everything he sees, hears and feels seems completely real. He may not believe that others do not feel, hear, or see all this. He can perceive their bewilderment as a conspiracy, deceit, mockery, and get annoyed at the fact that they do not understand him.

With auditory hallucinations, a person hears all sorts of noise, snippets of words, or coherent phrases. "Voices" can give commands or comment on every action of the patient, laugh at him or discuss his thoughts.

Taste and olfactory hallucinations often cause a sensation of an unpleasant quality: a disgusting taste or smell.

With tactile hallucinations, it seems to the patient that someone is biting, touching, strangling him, that insects are crawling over him, that certain creatures are being introduced into his body and moving there or eating the body from the inside.

Outwardly, susceptibility to hallucinations is expressed in conversations with an invisible interlocutor, sudden laughter or constant intense listening to something. The patient may shake something off himself all the time, scream, examine himself with a preoccupied look, or ask others if they see something on his body or in the surrounding space.

Rave

Delusional states often accompany psychoses. Delusions are based on erroneous judgments, and the patient stubbornly maintains his false conviction, even if there are obvious contradictions with reality. Crazy ideas acquire supervalue, significance that determines all behavior.

Delusional disorders can be expressed in an erotic form, or in a belief in one's great mission, in descent from a noble family or aliens. It may seem to the patient that someone is trying to kill or poison him, rob him or kidnap him. Sometimes the development of a delusional state is preceded by a feeling of unreality of the surrounding world or one's own personality.

Gathering or excessive generosity

Yes, any collector can be suspect. Especially in those cases when collecting becomes an obsession, subjugates the whole life of a person. This may be expressed in the desire to drag things found in garbage dumps into the house, accumulate food without paying attention to expiration dates, or pick up stray animals in quantities that exceed the ability to provide them with normal care and proper maintenance.

The desire to give away all your property, immoderate squandering can also be regarded as a suspicious symptom. Especially in the case when a person was not previously distinguished by generosity or altruism.

There are people who are unsociable and unsociable due to their nature. This is normal and should not raise suspicions of schizophrenia and other mental disorders. But if a born merry fellow, the soul of the company, a family man and a good friend suddenly begins to destroy social ties, becomes unsociable, shows coldness towards those who were dear to him until recently, this is a reason to worry about his mental health.

A person becomes sloppy, ceases to take care of himself, in society he can begin to behave shockingly - to commit acts that are considered indecent and unacceptable.

What to do?

It is very difficult to make the right decision in the case when there are suspicions of a mental disorder in someone close. Perhaps a person is just having a difficult period in his life, and his behavior has changed for this reason. Things will get better - and everything will return to normal.

But it may turn out that the symptoms you noticed are a manifestation of a serious disease that needs to be treated. In particular, oncological diseases of the brain in most cases lead to one or another mental disorder. Delay in starting treatment can be fatal in this case.

Other diseases need to be treated in time, but the patient himself may not notice the changes taking place with him, and only relatives will be able to influence the state of affairs.

However, there is another option: the tendency to see in everyone around you potential patients of a psychiatric clinic can also turn out to be a mental disorder. Before calling psychiatric emergency for a neighbor or relative, try to analyze your own condition. Suddenly you have to start with yourself? Remember the joke about the under-examined?

"In every joke there is a share of a joke" ©

Mental disorders are invisible to the naked eye, and therefore very insidious. They significantly complicate the life of a person when he is unaware of the presence of a problem. Experts studying this aspect of the boundless human essence claim that many of us have mental disorders, but does this mean that every second inhabitant of our planet needs to be treated? How to understand that a person is really sick and needs qualified help? You will receive answers to these and many other questions by reading the following sections of the article.

What is a mental disorder

The concept of "mental disorder" covers a wide range of deviations of a person's state of mind from the norm. The problems with internal health in question should not be taken as a negative manifestation of the negative side of the human personality. Like any physical illness, a mental disorder is a violation of the processes and mechanisms of perception of reality, which creates certain difficulties. People faced with such problems do not adapt well to real life conditions and do not always correctly interpret what is happening.

Symptoms and signs of mental disorders

The characteristic manifestations of a mental disorder include behavioral/mood/thinking disorders that go beyond generally accepted cultural norms and beliefs. As a rule, all the symptoms are dictated by an oppressed state of mind. At the same time, a person loses the ability to fully perform the usual social functions. The general spectrum of symptoms can be divided into several groups:

• physical - pain in various parts of the body, insomnia;
• cognitive - difficulties in clear thinking, memory impairment, unjustified pathological beliefs;
• perceptual - states in which the patient notices phenomena that other people do not notice (sounds, movement of objects, etc.);
• emotional - a sudden feeling of anxiety, sadness, fear;
• behavioral - unjustified aggression, inability to perform elementary self-service activities, abuse of mentally active drugs.

The main causes of diseases in women and men

The aspect of the etiology of this category of diseases is not fully understood, so modern medicine cannot clearly describe the mechanisms that cause mental disorders. Nevertheless, a number of reasons can be distinguished, the connection of which with mental disorders has been scientifically proven:

• stressful life conditions;
• difficult family circumstances;
• brain diseases;
• hereditary factors;
• genetic predisposition;
• medical problems.

In addition, experts identify a number of special cases, which are specific deviations, conditions or incidents against which serious mental disorders develop. The factors that will be discussed are often encountered in everyday life, and therefore can lead to a deterioration in the mental health of people in the most unforeseen situations.

Alcoholism

The systematic abuse of alcohol often leads to disorders of the human psyche. The body of a person suffering from chronic alcoholism constantly contains a large amount of decay products of ethyl alcohol, which cause serious changes in thinking, behavior and mood. In this regard, there are dangerous mental disorders, including:

1. Psychosis. A mental disorder due to a violation of metabolic processes in the brain. The toxic effect of ethyl alcohol overshadows the mind of the patient, but the consequences appear only a few days after the cessation of use. A person is seized by a feeling of fear or even a persecution mania. In addition, the patient may have all sorts of obsessions associated with the fact that someone wants to cause him physical or moral harm.
2. Delirium tremens. A common post-alcohol mental disorder that occurs due to deep metabolic disorders in all organs and systems of the human body. Delirium tremens manifests itself in sleep disorders and convulsive seizures. The listed phenomena, as a rule, appear in 70-90 hours after the termination of the use of alcohol. The patient shows sudden mood swings from carefree fun to terrible anxiety.
3. Rave. A mental disorder called delirium is expressed in the appearance of unshakable judgments and conclusions in a patient that do not correspond to objective reality. In a state of delirium, a person's sleep is disturbed and photophobia appears. The boundaries between sleep and reality become blurred, the patient begins to confuse one with the other.
4. Hallucinations are vivid representations, pathologically brought to the level of perception of real-life objects. The patient begins to feel that the people and objects around him are swaying, rotating or even falling. The sense of the passage of time is distorted.

brain injury

When receiving mechanical injuries of the brain, a person can develop a whole range of serious mental disorders. As a result of damage to the nerve centers, complex processes are triggered that lead to clouding of consciousness. After such cases, the following disorders / conditions / diseases often occur:

1. Twilight states. As a rule, they are celebrated in the evening hours. The victim becomes drowsy, delirium appears. In some cases, a person can sink into a state similar to a stupor. The patient's consciousness is filled with all sorts of pictures of excitement, which can cause appropriate reactions: from psychomotor disorder to brutal affect.
2. Delirium. A serious mental disorder in which a person has visual hallucinations. So, for example, a person injured in a car accident can see moving vehicles, groups of people and other objects associated with the roadway. Mental disorders plunge the patient into a state of fear or anxiety.
3. Oneiroid. A rare form of mental disorder in violation of the nerve centers of the brain. It is expressed in immobility and slight drowsiness. For some time, the patient may be chaotically excited, and then freeze again without movement.

Somatic diseases

Against the background of somatic diseases, the human psyche suffers very, very seriously. There are violations that are almost impossible to get rid of. Below is a list of mental disorders that medicine considers the most common in somatic disorders:

1. Asthenic neurosis-like condition. A mental disorder in which a person exhibits hyperactivity and talkativeness. The patient systematically experiences phobic disorders, often falls into a short-term depression. Fears, as a rule, have clear outlines and do not change.
2. Korsakovsky syndrome. A disease that is a combination of a memory disorder regarding ongoing events, a violation of orientation in space / locality and the appearance of false memories. A serious mental disorder that cannot be treated with methods known to medicine. The patient constantly forgets about the events that have just happened, often repeats the same questions.
3. Dementia. A terrible diagnosis, deciphered as acquired dementia. This mental disorder is often found in people aged 50-70 who have somatic problems. Dementia is a diagnosis for people with cognitive impairment. Somatic disorders lead to irreparable abnormalities in the brain. The mental sanity of a person does not suffer. Learn more about how treatment is carried out, what is the life expectancy with this diagnosis.

Epilepsy

Almost all people with epilepsy have mental disorders. Disorders that occur against the background of this disease can be paroxysmal (single) and permanent (permanent). The following cases of mental abnormalities are found in medical practice more often than others:

1. Mental seizures. Medicine distinguishes several varieties of this disorder. All of them are expressed in sharp changes in the mood and behavior of the patient. A mental seizure in a person suffering from epilepsy is accompanied by aggressive movements and loud screams.
2. Transient (transient) mental disorder. Prolonged deviations of the patient's condition from normal. A transient mental disorder is a prolonged mental seizure (described above), aggravated by a state of delirium. It can last from two to three hours to a whole day.
3. Epileptic mood disorders. As a rule, such mental disorders are expressed in the form of dysphoria, which is characterized by a simultaneous combination of anger, longing, causeless fear and many other sensations.

Malignant tumors

The development of malignant tumors often leads to changes in the psychological state of a person. With the growth of formations on the brain, pressure increases, which causes serious deviations. In this state, patients experience causeless fears, delusional phenomena, melancholy, and many other focal symptoms. All this may indicate the presence of the following psychological disorders:

1. hallucinations. They can be tactile, olfactory, auditory and gustatory. Such abnormalities are usually found in the presence of tumors in the temporal lobes of the brain. Often, along with them, vegetative-visceral disorders are detected.
2. affective disorders. Such mental disorders in most cases are observed with tumors localized in the right hemisphere. In this regard, attacks of horror, fear and longing develop. Emotions caused by a violation of the structure of the brain are displayed on the face of the patient: the facial expression and skin color change, the pupils narrow and expand.
3. Memory disorders. With the advent of this deviation, signs of Korsakov's syndrome appear. The patient gets confused in the events that just happened, asks the same questions, loses the logic of events, etc. In addition, in this state, a person often changes mood. Within a few seconds, the patient's emotions can switch from euphoric to dysphoric, and vice versa.

Vascular diseases of the brain

Violations of the circulatory system and blood vessels instantly affect the mental state of a person. With the appearance of diseases associated with an increase or decrease in blood pressure, brain functions deviate from the norm. Serious chronic disorders can lead to the development of extremely dangerous mental disorders, including:

1. Vascular dementias. This diagnosis means dementia. In their symptoms, vascular dementias resemble the consequences of some somatic disorders that manifest themselves in old age. Creative thought processes in this state are almost completely extinguished. The person withdraws into himself and loses the desire to maintain contact with anyone.
2. Cerebral-vascular psychoses. The genesis of mental disorders of this type is not fully understood. At the same time, medicine confidently names two varieties of cerebrovascular psychosis: acute and protracted. The acute form is expressed by episodes of confusion, twilight clouding of consciousness, delirium. For a protracted form of psychosis, a state of stupor is characteristic.

What are mental disorders

Mental disorders in people can occur regardless of gender, age and ethnicity. The mechanisms of development of mental illness are not fully understood, so medicine refrains from making specific statements. However, at the moment, the relationship between some mental illnesses and age limits is clearly established. Each age has its own common deviations.

In the elderly

In old age, against the background of diseases such as diabetes mellitus, heart / kidney failure and bronchial asthma, many mental disorders develop. Senile mental illnesses include:

• paranoia
• dementia;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• marasmus;
• Pick's disease.

Types of mental disorders in adolescents

Adolescent mental illness is often associated with adverse circumstances in the past. Over the past 10 years, young people often have the following mental disorders:

• prolonged depression;
• bulimia nervosa;
• anorexia nervosa;
• drancorexia.

Features of diseases in children

In childhood, serious mental disorders can also occur. The reason for this, as a rule, are problems in the family, incorrect methods of education and conflicts with peers. The list below lists mental disorders that are most often recorded in children:

• autism;
• Down syndrome;
• attention deficit disorder;
• mental retardation;
• developmental delays.

Which doctor to contact for treatment

Mental disorders are not treated on their own, therefore, if there is the slightest suspicion of mental disorders, an urgent appeal to a psychotherapist is required. A conversation between a patient and a specialist will help to quickly identify the diagnosis and choose an effective treatment strategy. Almost all mental illnesses are curable if treated early. Remember this and don't delay!

Video about the treatment of mental illness

The video attached below contains a lot of information about modern methods of dealing with mental disorders. The information received will be useful for everyone who is ready to take care of the mental health of their loved ones. Listen to the words of experts to break stereotypes about inadequate approaches to the fight against mental disorders and find out the real medical truth.

Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give recommendations for treatment based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

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