Mental disorders, gradual disintegration of personality can accompany various somatic diseases. Often, mental disorders are noted in the presence of vascular diseases. How can they manifest? What should you pay attention to in order not to miss the beginning of the development of pathology?
Disorders in the work of the psyche are usually accompanied by:
- atherosclerosis of the brain;
- hypertension;
- hypotonic illness.
In view of what can develop a mental disorder against the background of vascular disease?
There may be several reasons. The factor of heredity plays an important role: if the closest relatives had any mental illness (even not in the context of a somatic illness), then there is a high probability that there will be problems with the work of the psyche. External influences - stress, constant fatigue and exhaustion of the nervous system, a long-term or severe traumatic situation - can also become the basis for the development of pathology. Among the reasons, doctors are also inclined to attribute various age-related changes, which often negatively affect the state of the psyche.
Has a mental disorder on the background of vascular diseases, three stages of development:
- period of initial manifestations;
- the stage of the flowering of symptoms;
- the final stage of the outcome.
Period of initial manifestations
In the context of this stage of development of mental illness, the following conditions are distinguished:
- neurosis-like disorders;
- increased fatigue, a feeling of exhaustion and apathy;
- various kinds of psychopathic disorders;
- there is a sharp, often unexpected, strong sharpening of any personality / character traits;
- phobic disorders begin to appear; a sick person suddenly begins to panic and fear cancer, AIDS, heart attack, bandits, earthquakes and so on.
Symptom flowering stage
During this period, hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome may begin to appear. As a rule, visual or auditory hallucinations are not typical for this state, but tactile hallucinations are very actively present. It may seem to the patient that he is constantly touched or bitten, tickled, that invisible bugs and spiders are running over him. Sometimes patients may complain that they feel touched not outside, but as if inside - under the skin.
Against the background of hallucinations, a delusional state begins to develop. It is usually paranoid. A sick person can rave - often absurdly - with the idea that everyone wants to harm him, cause any damage / damage, that everyone around him is hostile, and so on.
In some cases, there is a gradual loss of memory, impaired attention and perception, and thinking suffers.
The final stage of the exodus
At this point, the mental disorder against the background of vascular pathology reaches its peak. There is a rapid decrease in intelligence in a sick person. The malignant outcome is total dementia.
Mental disorder in atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is most often diagnosed in men aged 50-65 years. In women - over the age of 60. However, this disease sometimes occurs in young people (in their 20s and 30s).
For the development of mental pathology against the background of this disease, in addition to the above three stages, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- increased tearfulness;
- thinking gradually becomes "clumsy", not flexible;
- in conversations, a sick person very much focuses on small, sometimes insignificant, details.
During the development of atherosclerosis, a person can often / constantly see flies in front of the eyes, hear a noise / squeak or ringing in the ears.
Hypertension and mental disorders
Psychoses against a background of hypertension are common. They can be very pronounced or proceed as if in the background, gradually progressing.
Additional signs of a disorder in the work of the psyche against the background of hypertension include a condition such as amentia. It is characterized by complete disorientation of the patient in space.
It should be noted that hallucinations in this case almost never occur.
Hypotension and mental disorders
This form of vascular disease is not characterized by the onset of psychosis. However, as a rule, against the background of constantly low blood pressure, depressive syndrome gradually begins to develop. With the progression of the somatic disease, the state of mind also deteriorates. The danger in this case is represented by suicidal thoughts and attempts by the patient to commit suicide, but this is not often noted.
Additional signs of mental disorder in hypotonic illness are:
- passivity;
- increased anxiety, constant worry;
- panic attacks;
- development of phobias.
