It would seem that bad can be in a nervous person who began to freak out under the influence of certain problems of his life? But not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. Prolonged nerves lead to serious health problems that greatly complicate human life. And in some cases, they begin to progress, bringing their master to bed in a psychiatric clinic.
Neurosis
Neurosis is a specific state of mind that arose as a result of a serious psychological trauma or prolonged stay of a person in a stressful situation. Its symptoms exhaust the human body, causing malfunctions of the autonomic system (indigestion, accelerated heart rate, profuse sweating). They are accompanied by fatigue, irritation at the slightest occasion, anxiety for no particular reason, an aggressive state from any irritant, and so on. Despite all the troubling signs, the neurosis carrier clearly reflects and acts quite rationally. With a strong will, he is able to control himself and independently carry out the necessary treatment.
Causes of Neurosis
Most often, the onset of a neurosis is triggered by events that cause tremendous stress to the nervous system, or a prolonged state of tension. Less common are cases of hereditary predisposition, environmental influences, or the wrong way of life of a person. Loading himself with work on the shoulders, which also brings emotional shocks, he accidentally brings himself to a nervous breakdown. An additional influence is exerted by chronic diseases that exhaust the human body.
Psychosis
Psychosis is the pathology of the human psyche, which becomes the cause of original behavior that is not part of the generally accepted framework of society. The patient does not see the real world around him, but something ephemeral created by his own brain. He reacts inappropriately to any stimulus, further enhancing the strange impression of his behavior.
Depending on the reasons that contribute to its appearance, psychosis can be of several types:
- Psychoses of organic origin - arise as a result of poor functioning of the brain area. This is partly due to the deterioration of blood vessels and head injuries.
- Endogenous psychoses - they are provoked by failures in neurohumoral regulation.
- Exogenous psychoses are the consequences of severe stress or a pathological dependence on drugs and alcohol. Sometimes they cause infections that affect the central nervous system.
Symptoms of Psychosis
Symptoms of neurosis and psychosis are different. A patient with psychosis hallucinates and raves. He perceives the surrounding reality differently, sharply reacting to any sensations. His emotional background then heats up, then weakens, on a temporary basis acquiring the appearance of stability. The patientโs mood changes abruptly, falling from a broad smile to deep melancholy and back in a couple of seconds.
A person with a sick psyche moves randomly, sometimes talking in steep, barely understandable phrases. Such people after recovery say that their condition resembled a sleepy dope that lasts for days.
General differences
Despite the general similarities, these are completely different diseases. Experts highlight several significant points that make it possible to understand how to distinguish neurosis from psychosis. These include:
A serious stressful situation can provoke the development of both neurosis and psychosis. Neurosis begins immediately. Psychosis is gradually increasing.
- Neurosis appears along with other autonomic, somatic and affective pathologies. Psychosis is accompanied only by violations of the human psyche.
- Neurosis is not able to change the perception of reality, and a person soberly evaluates everything that happens around. In the case of psychosis, the patient sees another world created by his own head. Therefore, he does not admit that he is sick.
- Neurosis does not affect the human personality. Psychosis takes control of the patientโs brain.
- Neurosis can be cured, and quite simply. But itโs hard to get rid of psychosis. In theory, this is possible, but in practice it is not always possible.
Neurosis or psychosis?
Neurosis and psychosis are completely different diseases that have some similarities with each other. Therefore, certain techniques that can get rid of one pathology can be completely useless in the case of another. The patient is not recommended to conduct independent examinations and treatment, because there is a great chance of an error in the diagnosis. Psychiatrists use the differential method to diagnose an existing disease.
Patients with neurosis can quickly get tired for no particular reason. They are thrown from one extreme to another: they either constantly want to sleep, or they cannot fall asleep. It is difficult for a patient with a neurosis to control himself, and their mood changes dramatically from elevated to a state of world crying. Without appropriate treatment, physical symptoms occur: headaches, trembling legs and arms, fatigue in the muscles.
Psychosis is the most dangerous pathology. The patient until the last moment does not recognize that he is sick. But over time, he still begins to hallucinate and rave, perceiving these illusions as real reality. Without suitable therapy, the patient's condition worsens: erroneous perception of reality, loss of sensitivity, confused consciousness, speech becomes slurred, and movements become intermittent and incomplete.
Such diseases differ not only in the manifestation of symptoms, but also in the appropriate treatment. The difference between neurosis and psychosis is that the first is quite successfully treated with the help of psychotherapy. In the presence of psychosis, appropriate medications are necessary.
Disease treatment
When a patient is diagnosed with neurosis, the psychiatrist prescribes one of the most common treatment methods: gestalt therapy, antidepressants, cognitive-behavioral techniques, sedatives, or psychodrama. In this case, drugs are rarely used, and they can be remembered only if the disease has entered the stage of a neglected form.
Patients with neurosis lead a familiar lifestyle. When it is possible to notice the onset of the disease in time, the patient can do without the help of a specialist, only passing auto-training in time, controlling worrying thoughts and taking mild sedatives. Sometimes itโs enough to exclude from the field of view an object that causes a feeling of stress, improve nutrition and sleep patterns, communicate only with positive people and relax more in nature.
In the case of psychosis, a more serious approach is needed. Psychiatrists prescribe antipsychotics, anticholinergics, benzodiazepines, as well as normotimics. They help alleviate the symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, and so on. When they practically do not bother the patient, the following methods are included in the treatment process:
- adjustment of thinking to exclude factors provoking the appearance of psychosis;
- social interaction training;
- art therapy;
- family interaction in one therapy;
- homework;
- psycho-training;
- work on eliminating addiction;
- behavior-correcting therapy;
- psychoeduction;
- therapy of a group of patients.
The treatment process clearly shows the difference between neurosis and psychosis. The cure for neurosis takes a long time, but in some cases the symptoms disappear without any intervention. The patient can contribute to this, and do without the help of a specialist. Psychosis is treated much faster, with the participation of a psychiatrist, you can get rid of it within one year. But without it, this is unrealistic, since the patient cannot understand where reality is, and when delirium begins. In this case, close people play a huge role. The timely detection of the first symptoms of the disease and the subsequent monitoring of successful treatment depend on them.
Patients with psychosis throughout the treatment process are in the hospital, where they will be monitored by specialists. They will monitor the correct medication intake and dosage, and in which case they will replace the prescribed medications with others, depending on the change in the general condition of the patient. If necessary, they will explain how neurosis differs from psychosis in order to prevent patients from repeating such errors. Having received important information, patients will avoid provocative situations and turn to a specialist in time when the first symptoms of a possible pathology appear.