This is a collective concept denoting a group of pathological conditions that affect the nervous system and the entire complex of human behavioral reactions. Such disorders can develop as a result of disruptions in metabolic processes occurring in the brain. In a broad sense, this expression is usually understood as a state of the human psyche that differs from the generally accepted norm.

Mental disorders

An individual’s resistance to mental disorders depends on the general development of his psyche and a set of specific physical characteristics.

Many mental disorders (especially in the early stages of development) may be invisible to others, but at the same time, they significantly complicate the patient’s life.

Causes of mental disorders

The factors that provoke the occurrence of mental disorders are very diverse, but all of them can be divided into two large categories: exogenous (this includes external influences, for example, trauma, infectious diseases, intoxication) and endogenous (this group includes hereditary, genetic diseases, chromosomal mutations, mental development disorders).

The main causes of mental dysfunction:

Signs of a mental disorder

Such symptoms can cause a prolonged depressive state, interspersed with episodes of short-term bursts of affect.

Classification of mental illnesses

According to etiology (origin), all mental illnesses can be divided into two groups:

1. Endogenous- the causes of the disease in these cases are internal factors; This includes genetic diseases and diseases with a hereditary predisposition.
2. Exogenous- the causative factors of these diseases are poisons, alcohol, traumatic brain injuries, radiation, infections, stressful situations, psychological trauma. A type of exogenous diseases are psychogenic diseases that arise as a result of emotional stress, or may be associated with social or family problems.

The following types of mental disorders are distinguished:

Flow

Most often, mental illnesses arise and debut in childhood or adolescence. The main features of mental disorders in these cases:

Diagnostics

When diagnosing, it is imperative to examine the patient for the presence (absence) of somatic diseases. The presence of complaints characteristic of internal diseases in the absence of pathology from the internal organs will be one of the indirect signs of the presence of mental illness.

A significant difficulty in treatment is the fact that a person suffering from a mental disorder is either unaware of it or is inclined to deny his condition due to fear of treatment or due to stereotypes. Meanwhile, in the early stages of many mental disorders, treatment can provide significant improvement and cause stable, long-term remission.

It is advisable to conduct therapy in conditions that promote the patient’s psychological comfort.

1. Psychotherapy has the goal of stopping or at least softening the patient’s discomfort, which he feels in the form of unpleasant obsessive thoughts, fears, and anxiety; helps in getting rid of unpleasant character traits. Psychotherapy can be carried out either individually with the patient or in a group (with relatives, or with other patients who have similar problems).
2. Somatic therapy, especially, pharmacotherapy, aims to influence the well-being and behavioral characteristics of the patient, as well as eliminate unpleasant symptoms that cause him concern. Somatic therapy is now widely used in psychiatry, although the pathogenesis of some types of disorders is still not entirely clear.

Mental disorders are a heterogeneous group of pathological conditions that differ from the generally accepted norm. Mental disorders are characterized by changes in the areas of feelings and perceptions, thinking, drives and behavioral reactions. Many of them also cause somatic disorders.

Correction of most mental illnesses involves long, regularly repeated courses of basic therapy in combination with the elimination of symptoms of the disease.

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  Prevalence

  Experts have noticed that mental illnesses and disorders are somewhat more common in women (7%) than in men (3%).

  Clinicians associate this feature with the presence of a greater number of provoking factors in the fairer sex:

  • pregnancy and difficult childbirth;
  • perimenopausal period;
  • menopause, menopause.

  Classification of organic mental disorders

  The term “organic” refers to mental disorders, the occurrence of which is explained by independent cerebral or systemic diseases. The term “symptomatic” refers to disorders that occur secondary to systemic extracerebral disease.

  Organic mental disorders (including symptomatic mental disorders) are a group of conditions that are the consequences of organic brain lesions.

  When diagnosing the described disorders, three criteria play a role:

  • the fact of undergone exogenous pathogenic influence;
  • the presence of specific psychopathological symptoms characteristic of certain cerebral dysfunctions;
  • the possibility of objective diagnosis of cerebral pathomorphological substrate.

  The modern international classification of diseases describes the group of mental disorders as follows:

  Class according to ICD-10	Group of diseases
  F00-F09	Organic mental disorders, including symptomatic ones
  F10-F19	Mental and behavioral disorders associated with the use of psychotropic chemicals
  F20-F29	Schizophrenia, schizophrenia-like, schizotypal and delusional disorders
  F30-F39	Mood disorders (affective disorders)
  F40-F48	Disorders provoked by stress (neurotic, somatoform)
  F50-F59	Syndromes relating to behavioral disorders caused by physical factors and physiological disturbances
  1.7 F60-F69	Personality and behavioral disorders in adulthood
  1.8 F70-F79	Mental retardation
  1.9 F80-F89	Psychological development disorders
  1. 10 F90-F98	Behavioral and emotional disorders that debut in childhood and (or) adolescence
  1.11 F99	Mental disorders not otherwise specified

  

  Clinical

  The clinical classification identifies the following diseases in the group of organic mental disorders:

  Group of diseases	Diagnoses
  Dementia	Dementia due to Alzheimer's disease; vascular dementia; dementia in diseases specified in other headings; unspecified dementia
  Deficiency disorders	Organic amnestic syndrome; mild cognitive impairment; organic emotionally labile disorder; postencephalitic syndrome; post-concussion syndrome
  Organic psychotic disorders	Delirium not provoked by alcohol or other psychoactive substances; organic hallucinosis; organic catatonic disorder; organic delusional disorder
  Affective disorders	Organic mood disorders; organic anxiety disorder
  Organic personality disorders	Dissociative disorder; personality disorder of organic origin; other behavioral and personality disorders of an organic nature, provoked by damage, trauma or dysfunction of the brain (this group also includes personality changes in epilepsy of traumatic origin)

  

  Etiological

  Based on their origin, all mental disorders are usually divided into the following two types:

  • Exogenous - arising in connection with factors acting from the outside (intake of toxic substances, exposure to industrial poisons, drug addiction, radiation exposure, influence of infectious agents, traumatic brain and psychological injuries). A type of exogenous disorders are psychogenic diseases, the occurrence of which is associated with emotional stress, the impact of social or intrafamily problems.
  • Endogenous - actually mental disorders. The etiological factors in this case are internal causes. Examples are chromosomal disorders, diseases associated with gene mutations, diseases with a predisposition transmitted by inheritance, which develop if the patient has an inherited damaged gene. Hereditary forms of neuropsychiatric diseases manifest themselves in the event of exposure to a powerful provoking factor (trauma, surgery, serious illness).

  Functional disorders

  Functional disorders should be distinguished from organic mental disorders - disorders the occurrence of which is caused by the influence of psychosocial factors. These disorders develop in people who are predisposed to their occurrence. Researchers include in this group of illnesses, for example, postpartum psychosis with decreased appetite, anxiety, and a desire for isolation.

  Violations of this group are most typical for the following categories of people:

  • unbalanced, with a flexible psyche;
  • those in a state of chronic stress;
  • suffering from asthenic syndrome, which is a consequence of a weakening of the body by severe illness, injury, chronic fatigue, and systematic lack of sleep.

  The psychological characteristics of such people contain indications of emotional lability, excessive impressionability, and unhealthy ideas of a depressive nature.

  Prevention of disorders in people with unstable mental health can include:

  • healthy lifestyle;
  • specialized psychological trainings;
  • if necessary, individual sessions with a psychotherapist.

  Clinical manifestations

  Each type of mental illness is characterized by unique features of the clinical picture that determine the patient’s behavior, the severity of his condition and influence the choice of medical tactics.

  Clinical manifestations are superimposed on the personality characteristics of a person who has mental problems. Therefore, the description of symptoms of the same disease may vary among different patients. Collecting a family history and talking with the patient’s immediate circle helps to distinguish pathological manifestations from personality traits.

  Researchers have noticed some patterns in the formation of symptoms, depending on the gender of the patient. For example, phobic disorders, sleep disorders and decreased resistance to stress are more common in women.

  Dementia

  Dementia, or acquired dementia, in psychiatry is a disorder manifested by impoverishment of mental activity and the gradual loss of a number of higher cortical functions (cognitive and mental processes, emotional reactions, systems of behavior and motivation).

  The group of dementias is heterogeneous - that is, the disorder may have different etiologies and other features that are used in differential diagnosis. Dementia that arises against the background of various diseases has a different course: from chronic, with a gradual decline in the functions of the central nervous system, to fulminant.

  Patients with dementia are often prone to depression. In this case, a differential diagnosis with relevant pathologies is required.

  Features of the subtypes of pathology are described in the table:

  Etiology of dementia	Characteristic manifestations
  Alzheimer's dementia syndrome	Gradual and smooth start. No other reasons for developing dementia
  Vascular dementia	Availability of diagnostic data confirming insufficient blood supply to brain tissue. A history of transient ischemic episodes or cerebral infarctions. The predominance of disorders related to the intellectual-mnestic sphere (decreased memory, impoverished level of judgment, amnestic aphasia, emotional weakness). Duration of preservation of the personality core
  Dementia in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease	A triad of symptoms is typical: fulminant debilitating dementia; gross pyramidal and extrapyramidal disorders; triphasic electroencephalogram
  Dementia in Huntington's disease	Progressive dementia is accompanied by mental disorders (in the form of depression, dysphoria, paranoid phenomena), choreiform hyperkinesis and characteristic personality changes
  Dementia in Parkinson's disease	The course of dementia is characterized by disorders in the system of formation of emotions and motivation, emotional poverty, and a tendency to exhibit depressive and hypochondriacal reactions.

  Deficit violations

  The group of deficiency pathologies includes conditions characterized by a decrease or loss of any mental function. They are described in detail in the table:

  Disorder	Characteristics
  Amnestic syndrome	The predominance of loss of memory of recent events, anterograde and retrograde amnesia, consistent decay of memory. Sometimes there are confabulations. At the same time, automated knowledge must be retained for a long time
  Organic emotionally labile disorder (asthenic)	Cerebrostenia. Constant emotional incontinence. Rapid depletion. Hyperesthesia to various physical sensations. Autonomic disorders
  Mild cognitive impairment	Decreased productivity of mental activity due to memory impairment, difficulty concentrating, and situational mood disorders. Feelings of mental fatigue and subjective learning problems are typical
  Postencephalitic syndrome	Neurosis-like syndrome in the form of sleep and appetite disorders. High fatigue, mental exhaustion. Increased irritability, tendency to conflicts. Difficulties with learning and work. The fundamental difference from organic personality disorders is the reversibility of the process
  Post-concussion (post-concussion) syndrome	Vegetovascular disorders. Fatigue and irritability. Difficulty in solving mental problems and concentrating. Memory impairment. Reduced resistance to stress. Insomnia. Emotional excitement. Possible development of depression and phobia of unfavorable outcome

  Organic mental disorders

  Conditions classified in this category have the following characteristic features:

  • hallucinatory syndrome, characterized by confusion;
  • predominance of true hallucinations;
  • acute development of disorders;
  • figurative delirium;
  • motor excitement;
  • disruption of sleep structure and sleep-wake cycles;
  • disturbance of consciousness - from excitement to stupor.

  The clinical picture of organic hallucinosis is characterized by a combination of visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile hallucinosis, including Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome (an obsessive sensation of foreign influence from the outside and an acute desire to get rid of it).

  This mental disorder does not exclude the patient’s sanity. INIn some cases, such a person may be the first to realize that he is sick and deliberately hide the symptoms from loved ones. In this case, it is difficult for others to recognize the patient. The patient, as a rule, remains critical of his condition. Against the background of preserved consciousness, disturbances may well be perceived by the patient as hallucinations (not always).

  For catatonic disorder, the signs of catatonia accompanying hallucinosis (waxy flexibility, impulsivity) are typical. Polar psychomotor disorders (stupor and agitation) can alternate with any frequency.

  In medicine, it is still a debatable question whether the development of such a disorder against the background of clear consciousness is possible.

  Schizophrenia-like disorder has characteristic features in the form of dominance of persistent recurrent delusional ideas of various structures, accompanied by hallucinations and thinking disorders. When diagnosing, attention is paid to the absence of memory and consciousness impairment.

  Organic affective disorder

  Organic mood disorder has a wide range of manifestations, always accompanied by a change in the general level of activity.

  Affective disorders are usually divided into:

  • monopolar (depressive and manic);
  • bipolar (manic-depressive).

  Personality disorder

  The criterion for diagnosing a personality disorder is a violation of integration between memory of the past and awareness of oneself as an individual in the present day. Characterized by disturbances in direct sensations and control of body movement.

  Organic personality disorder is manifested by a significant disruption of the lifestyle and behavior habitual before the illness. This is especially clearly expressed in the sphere of emotions (severe emotional lability, euphoria, irritability, aggression). There is a violation of needs and motivations. In patients, cognitive activity decreases, the function of planning and foresight disappears. Sometimes the formation of extremely valuable ideas occurs.

  Treatment

  When providing medical care to patients with mental disorders, it is important to determine the place of treatment (whether hospitalization is necessary). The choice is made taking into account the patient's condition individually in each case. Sometimes the issue of hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital is resolved in court.

  Indications for hospitalization in a mental health facility are:

  • psychotic disorders of acute or subacute course;
  • disturbance of consciousness;
  • state of psychomotor agitation;
  • identification of suicidal tendencies and intentions;
  • any other mental disorders that cannot be treated on an outpatient basis (impulsions, violent acts, seizures).

  

  Relanium (diazepam) is a drug from the category of benzodiazepine derivatives

  The goal of therapy in a hospital setting is to relieve acute symptoms, normalize behavioral reactions, select effective therapy that the patient will receive in the future, as well as resolve social issues.

  

  The drug Velafax is a representative of the group of antidepressants

  Treatment of mental disorders is carried out comprehensively using all available therapeutic agents, which are described in the table:

  Syndrome	Pharmacotherapeutic group and list of drugs
  Depressive state	Antidepressants: Venlafaxine, Velafax, Lenuxin, Elicea, Venlaxor, Brintellix; Neroplant, Heparetta, Adepress, Amitriptyline, Framex, Paxil. Anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs): Grandaxin, Atarax, Alprox
  Anxiety, obsessive fears	Anxiolytic drugs
  Psychomotor agitation	Tranquilizers (anxiolytics). Benzodiazepine sedatives: Diazepam, Nozepam, Phenazepam. Neuroleptics: Sulpiride, Quentiax, Tiapride, Ketilept, Olanzapine, Ariprizole, Betamax
  Sleep disorders	Herbal sleeping pills. Benzodiazepine derivatives
  Delirium, hallucinatory syndrome	Neuroleptics. Tranquilizers
  Dementia	Nootropic drugs: Piracetam, Phenotropil, Noopept, Cereton, Bilobil, Combitropil. Cerebroprotectors: Celebrolysin. Antioxidants: Mexidol. Vasodilators; Cavinton, Vinpocetine
  Convulsive syndrome	Anticonvulsants: Carbamazepine, Convulsan, Convulex, Depakin. Benzodiazepine drugs

  The list of medications used to treat mental disorders is quite long. From all the variety, you should choose the drugs that have the fewest side effects and the minimum range of drug interactions. Another mandatory rule is to start therapy with minimal dosages - especially in cases where continuous treatment is required over a long period of time.

  The success of therapy for patients with mental disorders is due to the complexity of the approach. If possible, the impact is carried out simultaneously to eliminate the causes of the disease, the mechanisms of its development and eliminate the symptoms of the disorder:

  Focus of therapy

Content

Mental disorders are invisible to the naked eye, and therefore very insidious. They significantly complicate a person’s life when he does not even suspect there is a problem. Experts who study 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 treatment? How to understand that a person is truly sick and needs qualified help? You will receive answers to these and many other questions by reading the subsequent sections of the article.

What is a mental disorder

The concept of “mental disorder” covers a wide range of deviations of a person’s mental state from the norm. The problems with internal health in question should not be perceived 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

Characteristic manifestations of mental deviation include disturbances in behavior/mood/thinking that go beyond generally accepted cultural norms and beliefs. As a rule, all symptoms are dictated by a depressed state of mind. In this case, a person loses the ability to fully perform habitual 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 – sudden feeling of anxiety, sadness, fear;
• behavioral – unjustified aggression, inability to perform basic self-care activities, abuse of psychoactive drugs.

Main causes of diseases in women and men

The etiology aspect of this category of diseases has not been fully studied, so modern medicine cannot clearly describe the mechanisms that cause mental disorders. Nevertheless, a number of reasons can be identified, 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 that represent specific deviations, conditions or incidents against the background of 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 people’s mental health in the most unexpected situations.

Alcoholism

Systematic abuse of alcoholic beverages often leads to mental disorders in humans. The body of a person suffering from chronic alcoholism constantly contains a large amount of breakdown products of ethyl alcohol, which cause serious changes in thinking, behavior and mood. In this regard, dangerous mental disorders arise, including:

1. Psychosis. Mental disorder due to metabolic disorders in the brain. The toxic effect of ethyl alcohol overshadows the patient’s judgment, but the consequences appear only a few days after stopping use. A person is overcome by a feeling of fear or even a mania of persecution. In addition, the patient may have all sorts of obsessions related to 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 disturbances in metabolic processes in all organs and systems of the human body. Delirium tremens manifests itself in sleep disorders and seizures. The listed phenomena, as a rule, appear 70-90 hours after stopping alcohol consumption. The patient exhibits sudden mood swings from carefree fun to terrible anxiety.
3. Rave. A mental disorder, called delusion, is expressed in the patient’s appearance of unshakable judgments and conclusions 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, and the patient begins to confuse one with the other.
4. Hallucinations are vivid ideas, pathologically brought to the level of perception of real-life objects. The patient begins to feel as if the people and objects around him are swaying, rotating, or even falling. The sense of the passage of time is distorted.

Brain injuries

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

1. Twilight states. Celebrated, as a rule, in the evening hours. The victim becomes drowsy and becomes delirious. In some cases, a person may plunge into a state similar to 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 experiences visual hallucinations. 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 which the nerve centers of the brain are damaged. Expressed in immobility and slight drowsiness. For some time, the patient may become chaotically excited, and then freeze again without moving.

Somatic diseases

Against the background of somatic diseases, the human psyche suffers very, very seriously. Violations appear 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 state. A mental disorder in which a person exhibits hyperactivity and talkativeness. The patient systematically experiences phobic disorders and often falls into short-term depression. Fears, as a rule, have clear outlines and do not change.
2. Korsakov's syndrome. A disease that is a combination of memory impairment regarding current events, impaired orientation in space/terrain and the appearance of false memories. A serious mental disorder that cannot be treated with known medical methods. The patient constantly forgets about the events that just happened and often repeats the same questions.
3. Dementia. A terrible diagnosis that stands for acquired dementia. This mental disorder often occurs in people aged 50-70 years who have somatic problems. The diagnosis of dementia is given to people with reduced cognitive function. Somatic disorders lead to irreparable abnormalities in the brain. The mental sanity of a person does not suffer. Find out more about how treatment is carried out, what is the life expectancy with this diagnosis.

Epilepsy

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

1. Mental seizures. Medicine identifies several types of this disorder. All of them are expressed in sudden changes in the patient’s mood and behavior. A mental seizure in a person suffering from epilepsy is accompanied by aggressive movements and loud screams.
2. Transitory mental disorder. Long-term deviations of the patient's condition from normal. Transient mental disorder is a prolonged mental attack (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, melancholy, causeless fear and many other sensations.

Malignant tumors

The development of malignant tumors often leads to changes in a person’s psychological state. As the formations on the brain grow, the pressure increases, causing serious abnormalities. In this state, patients experience unreasonable fears, delusions, 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. Vegetovisceral disorders are often detected along with them.
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 melancholy develop. Emotions caused by a violation of the structure of the brain are displayed on the patient’s face: facial expression and skin color change, the pupils narrow and dilate.
3. Memory disorders. With the appearance of this deviation, signs of Korsakov's syndrome appear. The patient gets confused about the events that just happened, asks the same questions, loses the logic of events, etc. In addition, in this state a person’s mood often changes. Within a few seconds, the patient's emotions can switch from euphoric to dysphoric, and vice versa.

Vascular diseases of the brain

Disturbances in the functioning of the circulatory system and blood vessels instantly affect a person’s mental state. When diseases associated with high or low blood pressure occur, brain functions deviate from normal. Serious chronic disorders can lead to the development of extremely dangerous mental disorders, including:

1. Vascular dementia. This diagnosis means dementia. In their symptoms, vascular dementia resembles the consequences of some somatic disorders that manifest themselves in old age. Creative thought processes in this state almost completely fade away. The person withdraws into himself and loses the desire to maintain contact with anyone.
2. Cerebrovascular psychoses. The genesis of mental disorders of this type is not fully understood. At the same time, medicine confidently names two types of cerebrovascular psychosis: acute and prolonged. The acute form is expressed by episodes of confusion, twilight stupefaction, and delirium. A protracted form of psychosis is characterized by a state of stupefaction.

What are the types of mental disorders?

Mental disorders can occur in people 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 has been clearly established. Each age has its own common deviations.

In older people

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, the following mental disorders have often been recorded among young people:

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

Features of diseases in children

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

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

Which doctor should I contact for treatment?

Mental disorders cannot be treated on their own, therefore, if there is the slightest suspicion of mental disorders, an urgent visit to a psychotherapist is required. A conversation between the patient and a specialist will help quickly identify the diagnosis and choose effective treatment tactics. Almost all mental illnesses are treatable if treated early. Remember this and do not delay!

Video about mental health treatment

The video attached below contains a lot of information about modern methods of combating 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 destroy stereotypes about inadequate approaches to combating mental disorders and learn the real medical truth.

Types of mental disorders

Nowadays, mental disorders occur in hardly every second person. The disease does not always have clear clinical manifestations. However, some deviations cannot be neglected. The concept of normal has a wide range, but inaction when there are obvious signs of illness only aggravates the situation.

Mental illnesses in adults, children: list and description

Sometimes different ailments have the same symptoms, but in most cases, diseases can be divided and classified. Major mental illnesses - a list and description of deviations may attract the attention of loved ones, but the final diagnosis can only be established by an experienced psychiatrist. He will also prescribe treatment based on symptoms, coupled with clinical studies. The sooner a patient seeks help, the greater the chance of successful treatment. You need to discard stereotypes and not be afraid to face the truth. Nowadays, mental illness is not a death sentence, and most of them can be successfully treated if the patient turns to doctors for help in time. Most often, the patient himself is not aware of his condition, and his loved ones should take on this mission. The list and description of mental illnesses is created for informational purposes only. Perhaps your knowledge will save the lives of those you care about, or dispel your worries.

Agoraphobia with panic disorder

Agoraphobia, to one degree or another, accounts for about 50% of all anxiety disorders. If initially the disorder meant only a fear of open space, now fear of fear has been added to this. That’s right, a panic attack occurs in a situation where there is a high probability of falling, getting lost, getting lost, etc., and fear cannot cope with this. Agoraphobia expresses nonspecific symptoms, that is, increased heart rate and sweating can also occur with other disorders. All symptoms of agoraphobia are exclusively subjective, experienced by the patient himself.

Alcoholic dementia

Ethyl alcohol, when consumed regularly, acts as a toxin that destroys the brain functions responsible for human behavior and emotions. Unfortunately, only alcoholic dementia can be monitored and its symptoms identified, but treatment will not restore lost brain functions. You can slow down alcohol-induced dementia, but not completely cure the person. Symptoms of alcohol-induced dementia include slurred speech, memory loss, sensory loss, and lack of logic.

Allotriophagy

Some people are surprised when children or pregnant women combine incompatible foods, or, in general, eat something inedible. Most often, this is how a lack of certain microelements and vitamins in the body is expressed. This is not a disease, and is usually “treated” by taking a vitamin complex. With allotriophagy, people eat something that is basically not edible: glass, dirt, hair, iron, and this is a mental disorder, the causes of which are not only a lack of vitamins. Most often this is shock, plus vitamin deficiency, and, as a rule, treatment also needs to be approached comprehensively.

Anorexia

In our time of gloss craze, the mortality rate from anorexia is 20%. The obsessive fear of getting fat makes you refuse to eat, even to the point of complete exhaustion. If you recognize the first signs of anorexia, a difficult situation can be avoided and measures can be taken in time. The first symptoms of anorexia:

Setting the table turns into a ritual, with counting calories, fine cutting, and spreading/spreading food on a plate. My whole life and interests focus only on food, calories, and weighing myself five times a day.

Autism

Autism – what is this disease, and how treatable is it? Only half of children diagnosed with autism have functional brain disorders. Children with autism think differently than normal children. They understand everything, but cannot express their emotions due to impaired social interaction. Ordinary children grow up and copy the behavior of adults, their gestures, facial expressions, and thus learn to communicate, but with autism, non-verbal communication is impossible. Children with autism do not strive for loneliness; they simply do not know how to establish contact themselves. With due attention and special training, this can be somewhat corrected.

Delirium tremens

Delirium tremens refers to psychosis caused by prolonged drinking. Signs of delirium tremens are represented by a very wide range of symptoms. Hallucinations - visual, tactile and auditory, delusions, rapid mood swings from blissful to aggressive. To date, the mechanism of brain damage has not been fully understood, and there is no complete cure for this disorder.

Alzheimer's disease

Many types of mental disorders are incurable, and Alzheimer's disease is one of them. The first signs of Alzheimer's disease in men are nonspecific and are not immediately obvious. After all, all men forget birthdays and important dates, and this does not surprise anyone. In Alzheimer's disease, short-term memory is the first to suffer, and the person literally forgets the day. Aggression and irritability appear, and this is also attributed to a manifestation of character, thereby missing the moment when it was possible to slow down the course of the disease and prevent too rapid dementia.

Pick's disease

Niemann-Pick disease in children is exclusively hereditary, and is divided according to severity into several categories, based on mutations in a certain pair of chromosomes. Classic category “A” is a death sentence for a child, and death occurs by the age of five. Symptoms of Niemann Pick disease appear in the first two weeks of a child's life. Lack of appetite, vomiting, clouding of the cornea and enlarged internal organs, which causes the child’s belly to become disproportionately large. Damage to the central nervous system and metabolism leads to death. Categories “B”, “C”, and “D” are not so dangerous, since the central nervous system is not affected so quickly, this process can be slowed down.

Bulimia

What kind of disease is bulimia, and does it need to be treated? In fact, bulimia is not a simple mental disorder. A person does not control his feeling of hunger and eats literally everything. At the same time, the feeling of guilt forces the patient to take a lot of laxatives, emetics and miracle drugs for weight loss. Obsessing over your weight is just the tip of the iceberg. Bulimia occurs due to functional disorders of the central nervous system, pituitary disorders, brain tumors, the initial stage of diabetes, and bulimia is only a symptom of these diseases.

Hallucinosis

The causes of hallucinosis syndrome occur against the background of encephalitis, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, hemorrhage or tumors. With complete clear consciousness, the patient may experience visual, auditory, tactile or olfactory hallucinations. A person can see the world around him in a somewhat distorted form, and the faces of his interlocutors can be presented as cartoon characters or geometric shapes. The acute form of hallucinosis can last up to two weeks, but you should not relax if the hallucinations have passed. Without identifying the causes of hallucinations and appropriate treatment, the disease may return.

Dementia

Stuttering is a violation of the tempo-rhythmic organization of speech, expressed by spasms of the speech apparatus. As a rule, stuttering occurs in physically and psychologically weak people who are too dependent on the opinions of others. The area of ​​the brain responsible for speech is adjacent to the area responsible for emotions. Disturbances that occur in one area inevitably affect another.

Gambling addiction

This psychological disorder refers to a disorder of desires. The exact nature has not been studied, however, it has been noted that kleptomania is a comorbidity with other psychopathic disorders. Sometimes kleptomania manifests itself as a result of pregnancy or in adolescents, during hormonal changes in the body. The desire to steal with kleptomania does not have the goal of getting rich. The patient seeks only the thrill of the very fact of committing an illegal act.

Cretinism

Types of cretinism are divided into endemic and sporadic. As a rule, sporadic cretinism is caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones during embryonic development. Endemic cretinism is caused by a lack of iodine and selenium in the mother's diet during pregnancy. In the case of cretinism, early treatment is of great importance. If, for congenital cretinism, therapy is started at 2–4 weeks of a child’s life, the degree of his development will not lag behind the level of his peers.

"Culture" shock

Many people do not take culture shock and its consequences seriously, however, a person’s condition during culture shock should raise concerns. People often experience culture shock when moving to another country. At first a person is happy, he likes different food, different songs, but soon he is faced with the deepest differences in deeper layers. Everything that he is accustomed to consider normal and ordinary goes against his worldview in the new country. Depending on the characteristics of the person and the motives for moving, there are three ways to resolve the conflict:

1. Assimilation. Complete acceptance of a foreign culture and dissolution in it, sometimes in an exaggerated form. One’s own culture is belittled and criticized, and the new one is considered more developed and ideal.

2. Ghettoization. That is, creating your own world inside a foreign country. This is isolated living and limited external contact with the local population.

3. Moderate assimilation. In this case, the individual will retain in his home everything that was customary in his homeland, but at work and in society he tries to acquire a different culture and observes the customs generally accepted in this society.

Persecution mania

Persecution mania - in one word, a real disorder can be characterized as spy mania or stalking. Persecution mania can develop against the background of schizophrenia, and manifests itself in excessive suspicion. The patient is convinced that he is the object of surveillance by the special services, and suspects everyone, even his loved ones, of espionage. This schizophrenic disorder is difficult to treat, since it is impossible to convince the patient that the doctor is not an intelligence officer, and the pill is a medicine.

Misanthropy

A form of personality disorder characterized by dislike of people, even hatred. , and how to recognize a misanthrope? The misanthrope opposes himself to society, its weaknesses and imperfections. To justify his hatred, a misanthrope often elevates his philosophy into a kind of cult. A stereotype has been created that a misanthrope is an absolutely closed hermit, but this is not always the case. The misanthrope carefully selects who to let into his personal space and who, perhaps, is his equal. In severe form, the misanthrope hates all of humanity as a whole and can call for mass murders and wars.

Monomania

Monomania is a psychosis expressed in concentration on one thought, with complete preservation of reason. In current psychiatry, the term “monomania” is considered outdated and too general. Currently, they distinguish “pyromania”, “kleptomania” and so on. Each of these psychoses has its own roots, and treatment is prescribed based on the severity of the disorder.

Obsessive states

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is characterized by the inability to get rid of intrusive thoughts or actions. As a rule, individuals with a high level of intelligence and a high level of social responsibility suffer from OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder manifests itself in endless thinking about unnecessary things. How many checks are on the jacket of a fellow traveler, how old is the tree, why does the bus have round headlights, etc.

The second variant of the disorder is obsessive actions or double-checking of actions. The most common impact is related to cleanliness and order. The patient endlessly washes everything, folds it and washes it again, to the point of exhaustion. The syndrome of persistent states is difficult to treat, even with the use of complex therapy.

Narcissistic personality disorder

The signs of narcissistic personality disorder are not difficult to recognize. prone to inflated self-esteem, confident in their own ideality and perceive any criticism as envy. This is a behavioral personality disorder, and it is not as harmless as it may seem. Narcissistic individuals are confident in their own permissiveness and have the right to something more than everyone else. Without a twinge of conscience, they can destroy other people's dreams and plans, because it doesn't matter to them.

Neurosis

Is obsessive-compulsive disorder a mental illness or not, and how difficult is it to diagnose the disorder? Most often, the disease is diagnosed based on patient complaints, psychological testing, MRI and CT scans of the brain. Neuroses are often a symptom of a brain tumor, aneurysm, or previous infections.

Mental retardation

Negative twin delusion syndrome is also called Capgras syndrome. Psychiatry has not decided whether to consider this an independent disease or a symptom. A patient with negative twin syndrome is sure that one of his loved ones, or himself, has been replaced. All negative actions (crashed a car, stole a candy bar in a supermarket), all this is attributed to the double. Possible causes of this syndrome include the destruction of the connection between visual perception and emotional perception, due to defects in the fusiform gyrus.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation is expressed in bloating, flatulence, and impaired bowel movements. The most common cause of IBS is stress. Approximately 2/3 of all sufferers of IBS are women, and more than half of them suffer from mental disorders. Treatment for IBS is systemic and includes medications to relieve constipation, flatulence, or diarrhea, as well as antidepressants to relieve anxiety or depression.

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Taphophilia manifests itself in an attraction to cemeteries and funeral rituals. The reasons for taphophilia mainly lie in cultural and aesthetic interest in monuments, rites and rituals. Some old necropolises are more like museums, and the atmosphere of the cemetery is peaceful and reconciles with life. Taphophiles are not interested in dead bodies or thoughts about death, and only have a cultural and historical interest. As a rule, taphophilia does not require treatment unless visiting cemeteries develops into obsessive OCD behavior.

Anxiety

Anxiety in psychology is unmotivated fear or fear for minor reasons. In a person’s life, there is “useful anxiety”, which is a defense mechanism. Anxiety is the result of an analysis of the situation and a forecast of the consequences, how real the danger is. In the case of neurotic anxiety, a person cannot explain the reasons for his fear.

Trichotillomania

What is trichotillomania, and is it a mental disorder? Of course, trichotillomania belongs to the group of OCD and is aimed at tearing out one’s hair. Sometimes hair is pulled out unconsciously, and the patient may eat personal hair, which leads to gastrointestinal problems. Typically, trichotillomania is a reaction to stress. The patient feels a burning sensation in the hair follicle on the head, face, body and after pulling it out, the patient feels peace. Sometimes patients with trichotillomania become recluses because they are embarrassed by their appearance and ashamed of their behavior. Recent studies have revealed that patients with trichotillomania have damage in a certain gene. If these studies are confirmed, treatment for trichotillomania will be more successful.

Hikikomori

It is quite difficult to fully study the phenomenon of hikikomori. Basically, hikikomori deliberately isolate themselves from the outside world, and even from their family members. They do not work and do not leave their room unless absolutely necessary. They maintain contact with the world via the Internet, and can even work remotely, but they exclude communication and meetings in real life. Often hikikomori suffer from mental disorders of the autism spectrum, social phobia, and anxiety personality disorder. In countries with undeveloped economies, hikikomori practically does not occur.

Phobia

Phobia in psychiatry is fear, or excessive anxiety. As a rule, phobias are classified as mental disorders that do not require clinical research, and psychocorrection will cope better. The exception is already ingrained phobias that get out of a person’s control, disrupting his normal functioning.

Schizoid personality disorder

The diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder is made on the basis of symptoms characteristic of this disorder. With schizoid personality disorder, the individual is characterized by emotional coldness, indifference, reluctance to socialize and a tendency to solitude.

Such people prefer to contemplate their inner world and do not share their experiences with loved ones, and are also indifferent to their appearance and how society reacts to it.

Schizophrenia

Sometimes parents ask the question: “Encopresis – what is it, and is it a mental disorder?” With encopresis, the child cannot control his stool. He can “big-time” shit his pants and not even understand what’s wrong. If this phenomenon occurs more than once a month and lasts at least six months, the child needs a comprehensive examination, including from a psychiatrist. When potty training a child, parents expect the child to get used to it the first time, and scold the child when he forgets about it. Then the child develops a fear of both the potty and defecation, which can result in mental encopresis and a host of gastrointestinal diseases.

Enuresis

As a rule, it goes away by the age of five, and no special treatment is required. You just need to follow a daily routine, don’t drink a lot of fluids at night, and be sure to empty your bladder before going to bed. Enuresis can also be caused by neurosis due to stressful situations, and traumatic factors for the child should be excluded.

Bedwetting is a major concern in adolescents and adults. Sometimes in such cases there is an anomaly in the development of the bladder, and, alas, there is no treatment for this, except for the use of an enuresis alarm.

Often mental disorders are perceived as a person’s character and they are blamed for things of which, in fact, they are innocent. The inability to live in society, the inability to adapt to everyone is condemned, and the person turns out to be alone with his misfortune. The list of the most common ailments does not cover even a hundredth part of mental disorders, and in each specific case, symptoms and behavior may vary. If you are concerned about the condition of a loved one, you should not let the situation take its course. If a problem interferes with your life, then it needs to be solved together with a specialist.

The first signs of a mental disorder are changes in behavior and disturbances in thinking that go beyond existing norms and traditions. Basically, these signs are associated with the complete or partial insanity of a person and make a person incapable of performing social functions.

Such disorders can occur in men and women, regardless of age and nationality.

The pathogenesis of many mental disorders is not completely clear, but scientists have come to the conclusion that their formation is influenced by a combination of social, psychological and biological factors.

How do you know if you have a mental disorder? To do this, you should undergo an examination by a professional psychotherapist and answer questions as honestly and frankly as possible.

As the disease progresses, symptoms appear that are noticeable, if not to the patient himself, then to his loved ones. The main signs of a mental disorder are:

• emotional symptoms();
• physical symptoms (pain, );
• behavioral symptoms (medication abuse, aggression);
• perceptual symptoms (hallucinations);
• cognitive symptoms (memory loss, inability to formulate thoughts).

If the first symptoms of the disease are persistent and interfere with normal activities, it is recommended to undergo diagnostics. There are borderline mental states of the individual, which are present in many mental and somatic diseases or ordinary fatigue.

Asthenia

Asthenic syndrome is manifested by nervous exhaustion, fatigue, and low performance. The female psyche is more vulnerable and therefore such disorders are more typical for the weaker sex. They experience increased emotionality, tearfulness and

The male psyche reacts to asthenic syndrome with outbursts of irritation and loss of self-control over trifles. With asthenia, severe headaches, lethargy and disturbances in night sleep are also possible.

Obsessions

This is a condition in which an adult persistently has various fears or doubts. He cannot get rid of these thoughts, despite recognizing the problem. A patient with mental pathology can spend hours checking and counting something, and if he is distracted at the time of the ritual, start counting again. This category also includes claustrophobia, agoraphobia, fear of heights and others.

Depression

This painful condition for any person is characterized by a persistent decrease in mood, depression, depression. The disease can be detected at an early stage, in which case the condition can be quickly normalized.

Severe cases of depression are often accompanied by suicidal thoughts and require hospital treatment.

Often the appearance of delusional ideas is preceded by depersonalization and derealization.

Catatonic syndromes

These are conditions in which motor disorders come to the fore: complete or partial inhibition or, conversely, excitation. With catatonic stupor, the patient is completely immobilized, silent, and the muscles are toned. The patient freezes in an unusual, often awkward and uncomfortable position.

For catatonic excitement, repetition of any movements with exclamations is typical. Catatonic syndromes are observed both with darkened and clear consciousness. In the first case, this indicates a possible favorable outcome of the disease, and in the second, the severity of the patient’s condition.

Blackout

In an unconscious state, the perception of reality is distorted, interaction with society is disrupted.

There are several types of this condition. They are united by common symptoms:

• Disorientation in space and time, depersonalization.
• Detachment from the environment.
• Loss of ability to logically comprehend a situation. Sometimes incoherent thoughts.
• Memory loss.

Each of these signs sometimes occurs in an adult, but their combination may indicate confusion. They usually go away when clarity of consciousness is restored.

Dementia

With this disorder, the ability to learn and apply knowledge is reduced or lost, and adaptation to the outside world is disrupted. There are congenital (oligophrenia) and acquired forms of decreased intelligence, which occur in older people or patients with progressive forms of mental disorders.