Mental disorders - unhealthy states of mental activity - a phenomenon that has been encountered quite recently in recent times. Due to emotional instability, adolescents are mainly affected by such diseases: every fourth minor in Europe has deviations. Among adults, statistics are slightly more reassuring: according to WHO, 15% of the Old World population is diagnosed with a variety of mental disorders.
Common causes of mental health problems are severe shocks or constant stress due to chronic fatigue and other concomitant illnesses. If we consider schizophrenia, then the development of the disease can be traced quite clearly: in 33% of cases, the disease appears even in adolescence. As a rule, they do not pay attention to the first symptoms of a serious mental disorder , trying to lead a familiar lifestyle. At the same time, neurosis-like schizophrenia in some cases leads to suicide.
Further, it will be about this disease. Symptoms, differences between schizophrenia and neurosis, causes of pathology, treatment methods and prognosis will be considered.
What is neurosis-like schizophrenia?
As already mentioned, this disease is quite common and often proceeds secretly. Neurosis-like schizophrenia (a subspecies of sluggish) is a form of schizotypal mental disorder . The disease, due to persistent remissions, is considered the most favorable among many types of schizophrenia. In the absence of such periods of calm, patients often experience other mental defects that change the human mind even with appropriate therapy.
In addition, this subspecies of sluggish schizophrenia is transformed into other, much more severe forms of pathology, in very rare cases. Symptoms are largely similar to neurotic disorders, but the development of paranoia and other forms of schizophrenia in this disease is not observed.
At the same time, recognition of neurosis-like schizophrenia is associated with some difficulties. Manifestations of the disease are often confused with neurosis, hysteria or psychasthenia, and the symptoms are not always pronounced and are observed constantly. Remissions with this type of schizotypic disorder are very stable and long. Such periods can last for several months or even years. The problem of diagnosis, in general, really exists, so the main thing is to recognize the disease correctly in order to ensure timely treatment.
The essence of the disease is as follows: the patient is constantly worried about the shortcomings of his own body, complexes are formed, from which a person changes radically. Patients stubbornly repeat their own imperfection and focus on this issue. In addition, hallucinogenic sensations often arise - it seems to a person that there are voices in his head.
Most often, as indicated above, the disease appears in adolescence , which is facilitated by the emotional instability of older students. In adulthood, a sluggish neurosis-like schizophrenia equally affects both the stronger sex and women. The behavior is very different: women apply aggressive makeup and dress vulgarly, trying to compensate for the imaginary flaws with a bright appearance, while men have a gloomy isolation and a certain set of oddities like constant torsion in the hands of a ballpoint pen.
Neurosis and schizophrenia: similarities and differences
The most important difference between these mental disorders is the following: patients suffering from neurosis go to the doctors and seek help on their own. And people who develop neurosis-like schizophrenia either simply do not notice such a large-scale problem or do not realize the seriousness of the possible consequences, leaving this burden on the shoulders of their relatives.
The early symptoms of the disease are practically indistinguishable, which is why difficulties arise in diagnosing. Taking into account the age of the main risk group, when a teenager, growing up, changes before his eyes, other difficulties are added. Teenagers themselves are prone to both sensitivity and exaggeration, so it’s very difficult to accurately identify any mental disorder (including due to the frequent simulation of symptoms).
In addition, neurosis does not occur for no reason. Usually it is preceded by some kind of severe shock or a long series of routine stresses. Sometimes a pathological condition develops as a consequence of chronic fatigue and constant overstrain (for example, during hard work without alternating with rest). Sluggish neurosis-like schizophrenia develops quite differently: the difference from neurosis is precisely in the fact that sluggish schizotypal disorder can appear simply with a genetic predisposition. There were no other factors affecting the occurrence of this disease.
In the early stages, the symptoms of both diseases are similar, but later obvious differences begin to appear, the clinical picture is clearly differentiated. Neurosis does not deform the personality characteristic of the patient, the neurosis-like form of schizophrenia, even with all its softness, still leaves an imprint on the patient’s personal qualities. With schizophrenia, indifference, isolation in oneself, apathy and avoidance of society are characteristic, sometimes it comes to the fact that a person is assigned a disability - the patient simply cannot serve himself.
Another difference between these pathologies is the fact that neurosis can be overcome relatively quickly and without problems, which can not be said about neurosis-like schizophrenia. If treatment is not started on time, then personality deformation will continue continuously. And even with the suppression of symptoms with medications, it is almost impossible to completely rid a person of a mental disorder. In the best case, prolonged remissions will be observed.
Causes of neurosis-like schizophrenia
To date, the causes of neurosis-like schizophrenia are not exactly known. The underlying factor is considered to be unfavorable genetic heredity, but at the same time there are other possible causes that influence the appearance of this form of schizotypic disorder:
- psychological trauma from childhood;
- developmental disorders in the perinatal period;
- conflicts with others (especially long, sluggish);
- unfavorable conditions in the family, at school or at work;
- taking narcotic drugs;
- regular emotional overload, stressful situations.
The risk group also includes children conceived by parents after reaching the age of thirty-five. The perinatal period during such a pregnancy can be complicated by various problems, therefore, for timely diagnosis of a possible disease, special attention should be paid to children from such families.
Patients with schizophrenia with neurosis-like disorders tend to acquire other diseases. One of the frequent disorders accompanying neurosis-like schizophrenia is anorexia, which affects predominantly young girls. Dysmorphophobia (obsessed with the thought of one's own ugliness) often leads patients to dystrophy. In addition, many of the sick blame others for their own imaginary flaws. Distinction is broken, neurosis-like schizophrenia deprives a person of the opportunity to normally contact with other people.
It is clearly seen how much more severe neurosis-like schizophrenia (unlike neurosis). In the first case, there is a complete denial of the presence of a problem and the need for therapy, in the second case, the patient tries to contact others in order to attract attention and seek help.
Symptoms of neurosis-like schizophrenia and neurosis
As mentioned above, the similarities between schizophrenia and neurosis at an early stage are very great. An obvious difference exists, for example, in the publicity of the anxieties of a patient suffering from pathological changes in the psyche. In case of neurosis, a person desperately hides his experiences, does not make contact in matters of feelings and carefully protects personal space. In this case, most often the patient seeks to find a specialist who can help cope with apathy. Neurosis-like schizophrenia, in turn, is characterized by the opposite behavior: the patient behaves defiantly, exposing resentment, feelings and anxiety, which is especially noticeable in adolescence.
Other symptoms of sluggish neurosis-like schizophrenia are as follows:
- constant complaints of anxiety in relation to themselves and their loved ones, fear of the future;
- talk about sexual relations is completely unsupported by the patient, leading him into a stupor;
- there is a complete lack of interest in the opposite sex;
- a person observes some rituals in almost all household activities (for example, before eating an apple, the patient thoroughly cleans it and cuts it into 8 slices, repeating this every time);
- constantly sorting out pens, belts from clothes or any other items in the hands.
For the most part, close and familiar to the patient do not pay attention to such actions (especially if they are inconspicuous). Such people are simply called eccentric, accepting everything as it is. Patients, as a rule, do not go to the doctor, do not take medicine.
The danger in a disease such as neurosis-like schizophrenia, the symptoms are also in the fact that a person who is obsessed with fictional ugliness can do something terrible with himself. Patients with schizophrenia with neurosis-like disorders often find themselves under the knife of a plastic surgeon because of a desire to change their appearance and hide imaginary flaws. Many such people literally kill themselves with strict diets, give injections of "quick beauty" and engage in physical exercises to exhaustion.
The absurdity of the actions committed by the patient, in most cases, is obvious to others. Sometimes even such a person shows aggression, forcing relatives and friends to also observe certain rituals. In addition, the symptoms of the disease include poor sleep, withdrawal (by the way, this is the most common sign of schizophrenia in general) and emotional detachment.
Who can help in this situation?
The first in the list of people who can solve the problem of both neurosis and neurosis-like schizophrenia are doctors. In particular, this is a therapist and psychiatrist, in addition, sometimes a consultation with a narcologist is required.
If the cause of the mental disorder was the use of narcotic drugs, then only a narcologist can draw up the correct picture of the disease and determine the treatment regimen. During the first visit to a specialist, the patient will need to answer several questions. The conversation will relate to drug and alcohol use, the situation in the family, at work or school. The data (subsequently analyzed by a psychiatrist) will help confirm or deny the presence of the disease and discover the cause if the pathology of the psyche still takes place. In addition, at the consultation the patient will be offered to undergo psychological tests and examination on special devices. Only after the final processing of the results will it be possible to prescribe treatment.
Relatives and friends of a person suffering from mental disorders are included in the group of "assistants". Sincere support will help to quickly reach the onset of a period of persistent remission and return to a more or less normal life. This is especially important if the patient is a teenager. Teenagers are much more impulsive than adults, so a state of overexcitation can provoke suicide. Relatives must constantly monitor the behavior of a person with neurosis-like schizophrenia, if only because of such a serious risk. Love and support contribute to the stabilization of the patient's condition, help him leave his closed world and establish contact with others.
It is important to understand that pseudo-neurotic (neurosis-like) schizophrenia is just as dangerous as the “classic” form of schizotypal disorder. The presence of hallucinations and “voices in the head” can provoke the patient to harm themselves or others.
The clinical picture that forms during mental disorder
The majority of patients are adolescents and young people whose age ranges from 13 to 20 years. The syndromes of dysmorphomania and dysmorphophobia are clearly expressed in patients with pathology: the patient convinces himself and others in his own ugliness, and a specific part of the body (arm, leg, nose, ear) is usually distinguished. The defect detected by the patient, as a rule, is imaginary, but in rare cases there really can be a small flaw, which is completely invisible.
Another feature of patients with neurosis-like schizophrenia is that such people can strike into philosophy and think for hours on the same topics. Frequent questions that people with mental disorders like to discuss are the reasons for the existence of a person on Earth, washed away the life of a particular person and of all mankind.
Thoughts "about the eternal", as a rule, remain just a set of sentences that do not imply specific actions. The patient does not pay any attention to outside criticism, preferring to delve deeper into thoughts and write down ideas in a diary. Usually it is impossible to make out a single line from what was written by such a person.
Excessive anxiety, which is manic in nature, is another fad of people with a diagnosis of neurosis-like schizophrenia (symptoms may also be characteristic of other mental disorders). The instinct of self-preservation, natural fear for their life and health is peculiar to them in a perverted form, sometimes patients are afraid of even the most ordinary things. To somehow protect themselves, people with schizophrenia perform small strange rituals. For example, go to bed in different socks and a hat.
In addition, such people are often visited by hypochondria. This condition is characterized by a constant search for symptoms of a serious and incurable disease that no one has ever had before. The patient inspires himself that he is very sick, as a rule, with a disease unknown to science, and will soon die. Similar behavior may also be characteristic of children with attention deficit disorder.
Treatments for neurosis-like schizophrenia
Since the disease is not considered a serious deviation and does not pose a direct threat to the life and health of both the person himself and others, the treatment of neurosis-like schizophrenia does not provide for an extensive list of special medicines. Most often, mild tranquilizers and antipsychotics are prescribed, which do not have a strong effect on processes throughout the body and in the brain in particular, but effectively relieve phobias and obsessive thoughts.
If the disease begins to turn into a latent form, then antidepressants are prescribed to get rid of the surging depression. But alone, even with the use of appropriate medicines, it is very difficult to get out of this state, so psychotherapists use group and individual methods of working with similar cases of diseases.
Before starting work (especially group work) with the patient, the doctor must be able to establish contact with him. There were cases that a sick person claimed that he was completely healthy and categorically denied the presence of schizophrenia, and after a week the patient was brought again. Therapy may be delayed, but over time, most patients re-adapt to society.
Disease prognosis
Mental disorder (neurosis-like schizophrenia) prognosis is positive in almost 100% of cases. Of course, there is a variant of the transition of the disease to another form, but such a scenario is unlikely.
Suicide appears in the medical history of a rather impressive number of patients, but completed attempts do not exceed 2% of the entire set of patients. Sad incidents are very rare due to close monitoring of patients with an already established diagnosis.
Disability is not often assigned to people with neurosis-like schizophrenia. After undergoing the course of treatment and the onset of the period of remission, a person remains a full member of society and can independently serve himself at the household level.
Case history example
To form a clear idea of the nature of the course of the disease, it is worth familiarizing yourself with documented information about patients who have had bouts of schizotypic disorder (neurosis-like schizophrenia). The medical history of the patient with this disease (conditional, of course, for a better understanding of the topic) is given below.
The reception was attended by a quite nice woman, whose appearance could suggest the presence of some mental disorder: excess makeup, frequent interruption of the conversation in order to look in the mirror, neat but tasteless clothes. A monotonous voice, mean facial expressions and gestures, and later on the anamnesis only confirmed the diagnosis.
The survey about the situation at home gave the following data: the father is a very strict person, the mother is a kind, but demanding woman, the older sister is psychiatrically registered, the grandmother was mentally ill. Thus, adverse heredity was identified.
The patient spoke about an early obsession with male sex, including the fact that after the onset of obvious symptoms of schizophrenia, young people stopped paying attention to her. Further, the woman told about the voices in her head that appeared after the restriction of communication with others. The voices were masculine, at first they spoke mostly compliments, and then they began to give orders, to urge to action. Sensations with neurosis-like schizophrenia are clearly identified.
The patient ceased to hide from others her “communication” with voices, and was soon placed in a hospital. After some time she was discharged. Over the next two years, the woman suffered several jumps of exacerbation, after which the condition relatively stabilized.
The patient underwent a course of individual conversations using some psychological techniques, and sedatives were prescribed. Each stage of therapy lasted an average of one and a half to two months. After the onset of a period of persistent remission, the woman retained legal capacity, and hallucinations and delirium stopped.
Finally
It is quite difficult to prevent hereditary diseases, but diagnosis and therapy in the early stages make it possible to prevent the development of all kinds of negative consequences. You should be more careful about relatives who are at risk, and do not leave without the support of adolescents. If you have any characteristic symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor, without waiting for confirmation of guesses.