A sufficiently large percentage of the population in our country suffers from mental illness. They can develop against the background of congenital pathologies or be acquired. The severity of such diseases can be different, from mild to cases in which isolation of the patient from others is required. In our article, we will try to figure out what a fur-like schizophrenia is. Symptoms, course, treatment and prognosis for this pathology will also be considered.
The essence of the disease
This type of disease is also called paroxysmal-progressive schizophrenia. It is characterized by the alternation of acute attacks with light gaps. The consequences of the attacks may not be observed, and in some cases some personality changes are noticeable.
With this disease, there are also such types of exacerbations, which are called fur coats, hence the name of the pathology. They necessarily have an impact on the human psyche, making a kind of “shift”. The result is the appearance of a pronounced mental defect.
Clinical manifestations of fur-like schizophrenia
For all types of schizophrenia, negative personality changes are characteristic, with this type of disease, they begin to appear gradually, after each attack everything grows. Fur- like schizophrenia symptoms may initially have the following:
- Obsessions come up.
- The patient begins to consider all his actions as if from the outside, he believes that he cannot control and control them.
- There are paranoid ideas that lead to the appearance of excessive suspicion, people everywhere are looking for their enemies, delusions of greatness appear.
The following symptoms occur as a qualitatively new manifestation of a mental disorder. Attacks of this disease have a different clinical picture. Most often it is:
- Depressive hallucinatory conditions.
- Acute paranoid.
- Catatonic-depressive.
- Depressive-obsessive conditions.
This is only a small part, in fact, the manifestations of the disease are much wider.
Fur-like schizophrenia can have a different degree of depth of emerging mental defects. They differ not only in variations, but also in the degree of progression.
In some cases, this form of the disease is close to malignant and may result in schizophrenic dementia. In other situations, progressive tendencies are weak, and the disease proceeds in a sluggish form, personality defects are insignificant.
Quite often it happens when a fur-shaped schizophrenia occupies an intermediate position between two variants of the course. If you ask a doctor about how often seizures occur in such patients, he will answer that almost a third of all patients with this disease can suffer an exacerbation only once, while in others the pathology reminds itself once every several years.
Changes in personality do not directly depend on the number of seizures. Even numerous exacerbations may not end with severe manifestations of mental defects.
Various forms of the manifestation of the disease
And yet, what is schizophrenia a fur coat? The form of the disease can be different. The following options are distinguished:
- Schizoaffective psychosis.
- A paroxysmal-progressive form that resembles a paranoid variety of pathology.
- Periodic.
- Malignant form.
Let's consider each a little more in detail.
Schizoaffective form of schizophrenia
In anticipation of the development of this form of pathology, periodic mood changes can be observed, which gradually manifest themselves more often and become more pronounced. Psychotic symptoms, mania, and depression develop.
In the intervals between such bursts, the appearance of obsessions, hypochondriacal and hysterical disorders is possible. If we talk about pronounced personality changes, then the fur-shaped schizophrenia of this form, as a rule, does not have such. A mental defect is more noticeable when during exacerbations there are not mood disorders, but psychotic symptoms.
Paroxysmal progressive form
The bright development of the clinical picture of this form is preceded by a visible change in the patient's character. A circle of interests has already become, emotional reactions to surrounding events are being flattened. A person becomes suspicious, can express paranoid ideas.
The disease may have a continuous course or paroxysmal. In the first scenario, in the intervals between attacks, the patient retains delirium and mental disorders. If the pathology proceeds paroxysmally, then during the period of remission psychotic symptoms are practically absent, and during exacerbations hallucinations and delusions can be observed.
Seizures can have a different duration, it can be a month, and in some patients they drag on for several years. Throughout life, such periods can be from three or more. During exacerbations, the symptoms are determined not only by the form of the disease, but also by the stage of its development.
You can observe the following:
- Pronounced hallucinations.
- Interpretative delirium.
- Kandinsky syndrome - Clerambo.
- Paraphrenia.
Even during the remission of the disease, one can observe residual mental disorders in the form of fragmentary hallucinations, delusions. Patients are not characterized by a critical attitude to seizures.
This form of schizophrenia is characterized by more or less pronounced personality disorders, starting with minor changes in character and ending with a complete inability of a person to exist in society.
Malignant form of the disease
Unfortunately, quite often this form of a terrible disease develops in adolescent children. How does schub-like schizophrenia occur in a teenager? The medical history, as a rule, contains information about exacerbations that can occur for a year or more. At this time, there is a pronounced psychotic symptomatology. During the life of such exacerbations, there may be 3 or 4, the duration of remission is gradually reduced, and the disease can acquire a continuous course.
Manifestations of this form of the disease are sometimes quite diverse and variable. The appearance of various symptoms is possible, from catatonia to senestopathy. In the period between attacks, a pronounced mental defect remains.
Periodic or circular form
It is characterized by single depressive and manic attacks. It happens that there are dual seizures, that is, one type of flow replaces another.
If there is schizophrenia, the fur-like course in this form resembles depressive psychosis. The very first attacks are practically indistinguishable from him. The following are already occurring with the following symptoms:
- The ideas of persecution are emerging.
- Fantastic nonsense.
- Catatonic disorders.
- A cheerful mood can be replaced by silly behavior and foolishness, and the desire for work - disinhibition.
Therapy of the disease may vary depending on the form of pathology, therefore, only a doctor should make any decision on this matter.
Reasons for the development of fur-like schizophrenia
At present, they still have not fully understood what causes the development of fur-like schizophrenia. The pathological genesis is not clear, but it is believed that development factors include:
- Genetic features.
- Features of the human constitution.
- Belonging to a specific gender and age.
It is difficult to recognize the main cause of schizophrenia, but most often it is:
- Anomalies in the development of the brain.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Depletion of the female body during pregnancy.
Whatever factor caused the development of this pathology, therapy should always be carried out. A competent specialist will help to improve the quality of life of the patient and return him to normal existence as much as possible.
Symptoms of the disease
The more often schizophrenia attacks occur, the more noticeable is endogenization. The patient's condition is aggravated by the following conditions:
- sadness
- motor inhibition;
- ideas of guilt.
If you do not start adequate therapy at this stage, then depression is aggravated, a person has illusions, the desire to attribute his thoughts to others. In manic conditions, expansive delirium prevails:
- transformations;
- greatness;
- inventions.
Exacerbations can last up to three years, negative symptoms are complicated by an emotional decline up to autism. But it should be noted that gross mental defects may not occur. In some cases, amid delusional attacks develop against the background of paranoid changes. In many patients, fur-shaped schizophrenia symptoms have the following:
- hallucinations;
- delirium of poisoning, intoxication;
- depressive states that are weighed down by the idea of persecution.
Between attacks, disorders can be present in a reduced form, mental personality changes are gradually becoming more noticeable. If the disease is not treated, it can acquire a continuous course.
If we mean children's fur-shaped schizophrenia, the medical history of such patients contains information that children become uninitiated, constantly irritated, alienated. They go into opposition to those around them, their mental activity is significantly reduced. Hallucinations are most often visual, and instead of delusional ideas, delusional fantasies appear. Such children often show dissatisfaction, they are capricious, motor disinhibition appears when the mood rises.
How does an attack of schizophrenia develop?
Most often, attacks with this form of the disease take place according to one scheme:
- The initial stage of the disease is characterized by emotional disturbances. Periods of high spirits are replaced by indifference and a negative attitude to everything around.
- The next stage is accompanied by delirium. It seems to the patient that he is a participant in the film, and around him are the actors who direct his actions. He also believes that thoughts do not belong to him, others put them in his head.
- Progressing, the disease is complicated by antagonistic delirium. The patient divides all people into two warring camps. Delusions and megalomania develop.
- The peak of the pathology is manifested by catanonic disorders. The patient may not respond to comments at all, freezes for a long time in one pose. In such cases, a clouding of consciousness occurs, a person begins to see fantastic visions that do not correspond to reality.
- With the onset of a regressive state, symptoms of emotional disturbances reappear.
It should be noted that attacks do not always occur in this order. Development may end in one of the stages, while others will appear in short intervals. The duration of an attack can range from several days to several months.
Features of schizophrenia
If we take into account many studies, we can conclude that in most patients who suffer from fur-like schizophrenia, even periods of remission are accompanied by chronic disorders that are only gradually developing. The degree of the disease and the depth of the damage to the psyche can vary.
A feature of the disease is mood swings, which are most often observed before the development of the first attack. Over time, such changes become more noticeable, the patient may become severely depressed, mania and psychotic symptoms appear.
In the period between seizures, a sick person is characterized by tantrums, obsession. If we compare this type of schizophrenia with others, it can be noted that changes in the psyche are most often insignificant.
Disease therapy
We found out what a fur-like schizophrenia is. Symptoms, the course of the disease are also considered. It's time to stop on treatment. It was previously believed that such a pathology is practically not amenable to therapy, but, given the current level of development of medicine, it can be argued that now it is quite possible to achieve a long remission and improve the patient's quality of life.
The basis of therapy is the use of antipsychotics. They eliminate not only the signs of psychosis, but also the characteristic clinical manifestations of the disease.
Most often, doctors prefer monotherapy, that is, the use of one drug, usually a new generation. This may include:
- "Solian."
- "Seroqual."
- "Respect".
These drugs slow down the growth of symptoms, prevent the appearance of hallucinations, delirium. A significant drawback of such drugs is their high cost, and treatment should be carried out for a long time and systematically.
Types of fur-like schizophrenia are different, so the choice of drugs is also not the same. For example, with a paranoid form, the following drugs are preferred:
- "Triftazine."
- "Respect".
- "Azaleptin."
Treatment of a malignant form is usually accompanied by the reception of:
- "Aminazine."
- Clopixol.
- "Resplepta."
In the presence of mild forms, Truxal, Sonapax, Neuleptil are prescribed.
Relatives of the patient should understand that the treatment of schub-shaped schizophrenia should be carried out only by a specialist, it is unacceptable to independently purchase drugs in a pharmacy - this can only aggravate a person’s condition.
Not only drugs are important in the treatment of schizophrenia, psychotherapy is also required. It is important that the patient is supported by doctors and relatives: irritability and skepticism lead only to the appearance of aggressiveness and detachment. Only with complex therapy will furious schizophrenia have a favorable prognosis.
Treatment can be carried out not only in a hospital setting, it all depends on the degree of the disease and the patient's condition. If the patient is not dangerous to himself and others, therapy is possible at home.
Which doctor is involved in therapy?
A neurologist and a psychiatrist can help overcome this disease. It is best if these two specialists work together. The task of doctors is as follows:
- To study how pathology manifests itself during attacks and between them.
- To analyze the history of the patient’s life.
- Talk with loved ones of the patient.
Only after the diagnosis is confirmed and the form of the disease is determined, the treatment tactics is chosen.
At the current level of medical development, even the most severe mental disorders are treatable. Maybe this will not be a 100% recovery, but the patient’s quality of life can improve significantly, remissions will have a longer period. At the slightest suspicion of a pathology of the psyche, be sure to visit a specialist, only this way you can prevent the aggravation of the disease.