Mental condition, brain function and clarity of mind are the most important factors affecting the quality of life. If a person does not perceive reality, does not act consciously, then it is more difficult for him to adapt among people and society. Often a mental disorder and unusual behavior of a person is explained by a number of diseases. One of them is a disorder of consciousness. There are several types of such a state, one of which is called dullness. This is the predisposition of the human psyche to volatile states. It provokes a mental disorder that lasts from a few seconds to a dozen days.
Key features
- Detachment from the surrounding reality with manifestations of non-perception of time and reality.
- Failure to perceive location, temporary space, etc.
- Disruption of communication in thinking, lack of clarity of thoughts, untrue statements.
- Unconscious short-term attacks of impaired consciousness.
For a confident diagnosis, doctors are based on the manifestation of all of the above symptoms.
The five fundamental stages of the dullness of human consciousness
- Stun.
- Delirium.
- Oneyroid.
- Amationia.
- Twilight stupor.
Stun
Stunning is a pathology that has a distinctive feature - mental impoverishment. The patient in the behavior becomes more closed, with a slow coordination of movements, detached, in a state of prostration. He does not quite understand the speech in the dialogue, he answers inaccurately. But this stage of the disease does not have obvious mental disorders. A person does not experience aggression, there are no hallucinations, confusion to a high degree, insomnia. If untreated, this stage may become more complicated, as a result of which the person will stop talking, then move and become comatose. The initial stage of stunning is called nubulation.
Delirium
The delirium manifestation of changes in consciousness, the so-called delirious syndrome , is a direct contrast to the diagnosis of stunning. The disease is active, the patient has visions that are not related to the surrounding reality, he lives in his own world of hallucinations. Mania of persecution and greatness may appear. The patient sees non-existent persons, himself in the role of someone, participates in actions with fictional beings from his visions. The patient can actively move, sparks appear in the eyes, porridge in the head. He can talk about people and actions that are not really there, but the patient will insist: "I hear voices!" Auditory and visual hallucinations occur throughout the duration of the disease.
The patient understands who he is, but does not realize who surrounds him, the twilight stupor of consciousness does not allow him to determine his location. The disease progresses at the end of the day and at bedtime. Patients of this kind rarely have a clear consciousness. With an exacerbation of the disease, they go deep into their own consciousness, they speak little, speech is quiet, commenting on visions and actions outside of time and people nearby. With a long course of the disease, a person begins to make the same, sharp movements, experiences delusions and hallucinations, but less, does not come into contact with others, does not move much. After eliminating the causes and symptoms of the disease, he may not remember what happened to him.
Onyroid
Oneiric form of dullness is a disorder of human consciousness, manifested by a state of delirium and bearing the same symptoms: cereal in the head, sparks in the eyes, fantastic visions and picturesque dreams that are far from reality. The state of the psyche is changeable, goes from detachment to hyper-excitation. The patient does not see or hear people nearby, lives in his own fantasy world.
Such people rarely have high activity, can sit for hours or stand in the same place, not say anything. The expression on the face is stone, unemotional, sometimes frightening. After clarification of consciousness, such patients can talk about their travels and adventures, realizing their existence. Clarification of consciousness and a more real perception of reality comes to a person sometimes after a couple of weeks, but in some cases and after a couple of months.
Twilight stupefaction
This is the shortest type of change in consciousness. It can last a second, sometimes it is a few days. The patient leaves this state quickly, usually through a prolonged phase of sleep. Often such a patient does not cause suspicion among others. He acts aloof and does not understand what is happening in reality.
But sometimes the disease manifests itself more actively. A person is haunted by a feeling of fear, anxiety, he can begin to show anger. It is expressed in movements, speech and actions. The patient may be accompanied by fits of rage , during which he pounces on others, breaks furniture, destroys objects. He is under the influence of delirium and hallucinations. When the attacks subside, the person does not remember his actions.
Prophylaxis
There is such a thing as transient twilight stupefaction. This is a manifestation of the disease during a sharp awakening of the patient from a state of sleep. A violation of consciousness occurs. Symptoms: an attack of fear, the patient is afraid of others, makes the same movements. The active phase lasts about 10-20 minutes, after which the patient falls into a prolonged sleep. Rarely, a person may vaguely remember what happened to him.
It must be understood that confusion in a person in the form of delirium, stunning, amenia is in most cases provoked by infectious diseases, poisoning due to intoxication with a chemical substance, encephalitis, etc.
Damage to blood vessels and the nervous system in the above diseases can lead to such forms of turbidity. Twilight stupor may be a concomitant manifestation of epilepsy attacks or a post-traumatic condition. Onyroid is one of the manifestations of schizophrenia.
Preconditions affecting sudden confusion
Clarity of consciousness can change dramatically and with high amplitude, from a complete lack of understanding of reality to mild disorders. This condition can occur in almost any person, regardless of existing diseases. The patient may suddenly say: “I hear voices,” and then withdraw into himself.
The main causes of clouding of consciousness
- Injuries to the head in certain circumstances.
- Disturbed cerebral circulation, limiting the access of oxygen to the brain.
- Stagnation of blood in the vessels of the brain.
- Pathological changes in brain tissue (for example, progressive Alzheimer's disease).
- High emotional stress.
- Increase or sharp decrease in blood sugar, diabetic coma.
- A sharp loss of fluid in the human body.
- In people of post-retirement age, progressive diseases of the genitourinary system.
- High body temperature.
- Infectious diseases of the brain - encephalitis, meningitis.
- Ethyl alcohol poisoning.
- Poisoning with drugs, including psychotropic.
The main signs of confusion
- Lack of orientation.
- Ignoring surrounding people and objects.
- Hallucinations.
- Overexcitation.
- Sharp changes in mood.
- Previously unusual actions.
- Abstraction, lack of interest in the usual activities.
- Untidiness, lack of order.
- Violation of speech, memory and hearing.
- Slow and confused thought process.
- Lack of concentration.
What to do with stupefaction?
It is necessary to promptly call for medical help. Especially when it comes to injuries, poisoning, epilepsy, infectious diseases. It is necessary to constantly contact the patient in order to maintain clarity of consciousness, to provide him with peace before the ambulance arrives.
Treatments for stupefaction
If signs of a form of the disease, such as twilight dizziness, are manifested, the person must be taken for a consultation with a psychiatrist or placed for treatment in a psychiatric medical institution. Do not do it yourself, it is better to call an ambulance so that the patient is delivered by medical personnel. In case of aggressive patient behavior, ambulance staff administer sedatives, and then transported to the clinic
You do not need to give the patient sedatives. Depending on the severity of the disease and the manifestation of its symptoms, treatment can take from 3 weeks to many months. In acute attacks of aggression, the patient can be placed in a closed psychiatric hospital. For people with minimal mental changes, there are borderline medical centers. After undergoing treatment, a person can return to their previous lifestyle. But with a combination of negative circumstances, the attacks of the disease can recur.
Basically, the patient is prescribed complex drug therapy with psychotropic drugs, antidepressants are prescribed. The patient is under the constant supervision of doctors in a medical institution. When the condition improves, they can let him go home and take breaks in treatment. With an exacerbation of the disease, a second course of therapy is prescribed. With the aggressive course of the disease, a person is isolated from society for a long time.
After discharge from a medical institution, it is recommended not to overload the patient's psyche, not to create situations provoking the disease, to protect him from emotional overload. Doctors advise to undergo rehabilitation at the end of the full course of treatment in order to adapt more easily after a period of isolation from society.
Unfortunately, stupefaction may not be fully cured. On the contrary, the disease can develop into more severe forms, for example, various types of schizophrenia. With such mental illnesses, some patients do not recognize the happiness of realizing reality. The deep disorientation of the patient for many years forces him to undergo treatment in closed hospitals. Sometimes treatment with short interruptions lasts a lifetime. Even being among people, such a patient behaves remotely. The disease does not manifest itself actively, there is no aggression. But a person still leads a separate lifestyle, has a detached behavior. The changes that have occurred in the psyche are irreversible, attacks of a bright manifestation of the disease are stopped temporarily.