Traditionally, it is believed that mental illness cannot be cured. And in most cases, this statement is really true, especially if we are not talking about borderline states of the psyche. However, in psychiatry, it is customary to distinguish four main outcomes of mental illness. What can they be?
How are somatic diseases treated? An examination is carried out, the root cause of the pathology is revealed, and therapy is prescribed. In the situation with mental illness, things are not so simple. Many conditions do not have a specific cause, for example, at the physiological level. Because of this, it is impossible to correct the condition and bring the patient into permanent remission or completely heal.
Most mental disorders either remain with a person for life or are "blocked", but still there are certain consequences.
It is customary to distinguish four options for the outcome of a mental disorder:
- complete recovery, which is extremely rare;
- partial recovery with a mental defect;
- the transition of the disease to a chronic state;
- fatal outcome.
Recovering from mental pathology
Such an outcome for a sick person is possible only if it is possible to establish for sure the reason due to which the disorder in the work of the psyche has arisen.
For example, complete recovery occurs in patients with reactive psychosis (a mental disorder caused by any strong shock, psychotrauma), in people who have suffered intoxication (for example, alcoholic), which caused a change in the work of the psyche. Patients who have shown mental symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) against the background of any physical illness are also subject to cure. As soon as the physical illness goes away, the state of the psyche gradually normalizes. So, for example, hallucinations can occur against the background of a high temperature, but after recovery they disappear, the consequences usually do not arise.
Partial recovery
In fact, a person is absolutely healthy after undergoing a course of appropriate therapy. However, under the influence of the disturbed work of the psyche, he develops persistent behavioral disturbances or, to some extent, his intellect suffers (becomes reduced). In other words, under the influence of a mental disorder, a person changes, often becomes completely different from himself in the past. And such defects remain with him for life.
Chronic course of mental disorder
Unfortunately, such a diagnosis is quite common. As a rule, it concerns any serious pathologies or disorders for which it was not possible to establish the root cause (or there is no way to cure it).
Such people are registered for life in a neuropsychiatric dispensary, or they can become permanent "residents" of neuropsychiatric boarding schools. Some patients may be diagnosed with a prolonged and persistent remission, but there is no guarantee that at one point, perhaps without a reason and external stimulus, the psychosis will not manifest again.
Fatal outcome
It is not uncommon for a mental disorder to lead to suicide. Suicide does not always accompany severe depression. To cause serious harm to oneself, when it is no longer possible to save, the patient may be under the influence of hallucinations (visual, auditory, tactile), due to a delusional state. When consciousness is clouded, for example, during complete disorientation in space, a person can step out of a window or throw himself under a car without realizing it at all.
Death against a background of mental pathology can occur due to exhaustion, failure of the immune system. Often, patients suffer from chronic, including serious, somatic diseases. Any infection may also join, which will lead to a sad outcome.
