Manifestations of neurotic states. How can you help a person in a state of neurosis? Neuroses: why they arise and how they manifest themselves

Neuroses are a group of broad neurological disorders that have some similar symptoms. The disease is characterized by many clinical signs, so it is difficult to determine.

Neurosis is a condition that gradually progresses. To prevent pathology, you should understand the difference between neurosis and a neurotic state. In the first nosological form, serious disorders occur that can only be eliminated with pharmaceutical drugs. Neurological conditions are only a symptom that may occur for a short time. If treated correctly, you can permanently get rid of the symptoms of the pathology without dangerous pharmaceuticals.

Neurosis - what is it: clinical classification

Neurosis is a dangerous disease that can be divided into 3 clinical forms:

  1. Neurasthenia;
  2. Hysterical neurosis (hysteria);
  3. Neurosis obsessive states.

In most cases, neuroses manifest as mixed clinical symptoms. The predominance of certain manifestations depends on the location of the lesion and the severity of its clinical signs. Feature modern clinic disease is that this nosological form is polymorphic. Statistics record a decrease in the frequency of classic clinical symptoms of the disease and the appearance of complex visceral disorders:

  • Changes in intestinal motility;
  • Pathology of cardiac activity;
  • Anorexia nervosa;
  • Headache;
  • Sexual disorders.

Neuroses and neurotic conditions are considered a multifactorial pathology. Their occurrence is caused by a large number of reasons that act together and trigger a large complex of pathogenetic reactions leading to pathology of the central and peripheral nervous system.

The main causes of neurosis:

  1. Pregnancy;
  2. Heredity;
  3. Psychotraumatic situations;
  4. Personality characteristics;
  5. Pathology of the blood supply to the brain;
  6. Inflammatory infections.

Modern research has shown that there is a genetic predisposition to the occurrence of nervous disorders.

Neurosis is a dangerous pathology, but neurotic conditions also cause major changes. In women over 30 years of age, they can even lead to disability.

Neuroses: why they arise and how they manifest themselves

Neuroses are an excellent breeding ground for the occurrence of diseases of internal organs. With a weakened nervous system, the likelihood of intoxication or infection increases.

What are neurotic conditions? Neurotic conditions, neuroses, are peculiar disorders of the human psyche. Usually this is the body’s reaction to a negative, traumatic life situation: death of loved ones, divorce, loss of a job or fear of losing it, betrayal of a spouse, serious disease.

The gradual accumulation of unresolved problems, lack of help and support, can also cause long-term neurotic states. Psychiatry deals with neurotic disorders (also called functional disorders).

When neurosis occurs, disturbances occur mainly in the emotional sphere and the autonomic system of a person, while maintaining control over one’s behavior, without losing a sense of responsibility for one’s actions.

It should be noted that a neurotic state does not physically destroy the body. However, it can negatively influence the inner world, shackles a person’s soul with fear, which prevents him from living, working, and taking any action.

Fear is exhausting, even when you are afraid of something, there is no reason. But for a person suffering from neurosis, his own fears sometimes mean more than the events of the world around him. But it must be said that mental illnesses, for example, schizophrenia, somatic and neurological diseases, cannot be classified as neurotic disorders.

Unfortunately, recently the number of people suffering from neuroses has increased significantly. According to statistics, approximately ¼ of all residents developed countries Have experienced a short-term or long-term disorder at least once in your life.

Symptoms of neurotic disorders

Problems in the emotional sphere are expressed in constant psychological and bodily tension. A man can't relax, he's being persecuted constant fears, concerns. Usually they relate to health or in constant anticipation of something bad, some event that must happen. Moreover, this fear is different from the usual fear that any person faces in life.

IN in this case, he does not leave the patient, paralyzes his will, does not give him the opportunity and strength to resist him. He is capable of turning even the most cheerful, active and strong people into dull, helpless creatures with a dull look.

The autonomic system, which is part of the nervous system, which is involved in the work of internal organs, blood vessels, and metabolic processes in the body, suffers from neuroses.

With neurosis, a malfunction of the autonomic system occurs. Most often it is expressed in the appearance general weakness, sleep disturbances, debilitating insomnia. Patients complain of sudden palpitations, a lump in the throat, shortness of breath when it is not possible to breathe in full force.

There is tremor of the fingers, spasms, tremors in the limbs, pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen. Possible nausea, vomiting, dizziness, itching, burning of the skin. Sometimes the temperature rises slightly, etc.

Moreover, the internal organs can be quite healthy. These negative manifestations are caused only by a malfunction of the autonomic system. If you take measures to treat neurosis, all symptoms disappear without a trace.

But people suffering from neuroses, feeling that something is wrong with them, begin to go to doctors, from one specialist to another. They undergo numerous examinations, take tests, spend their time and money. However, every time they hear from doctors that everything is fine with them. But not feeling healthy, they again look for the cause in physical ailments.

What do we have to do?

You need to understand that neurotic conditions are best treated with the help of a specialist. But since most patients are in no hurry to go to the doctor, and do not know what to do with their condition, try using these tips:

Never, under any circumstances, torment yourself with doubts and try not to think at all whether you did the right thing or not. You still can’t explain this to yourself.

Do not take typical medications on your own. Remember that you are not suffering from a physical illness. You can take infusions and decoctions of medicinal (soothing) herbs.

Stop blaming yourself for everything and everyone. Don't blame yourself for all your sins. It's not your fault, it's the circumstances.

Try not to pay attention to the bad thoughts that constantly visit you, they can lead you to unnecessary actions. Know that neurosis makes you dependent on own thoughts. Knowing this, drive them away. Also mentally drive away those words of strangers that hurt you. Do not reflect on what was said, send these words mentally in the opposite direction.

Free your brains from everything that interferes with your normal life. Which have not be avoided. So why think about it and worry about it in advance. Remember Scarlett's words - “I'll think about it tomorrow”

And further: Very often, when there is severe mental anguish, fear, and negative thoughts, actions that do not make any sense help. If you have this condition, take a piece of paper, a pen, sit at a table and draw circles and eights until you get tired. See for yourself that it will become easier.

And finally one more advice: Don’t isolate yourself, communicate with other people, be kind to them. Get outside more often and just walk. Well, if these tips turn out to be ineffective, then the case is serious and cannot be avoided without the help of a doctor. Take care of yourself and be healthy!

According to researchers, neurotic disorders are almost the most common chronic disease, characteristic of our time, and inextricably linked with the development of technology and civilization. Over the past few years, a large number of people have been experiencing neurotic symptoms. However, they existed in ancient times, albeit in a slightly different form, and were not considered as symptoms of a disease.

Neurosis is the collective name for a group of various functional psychogenic disorders that tend to last a long time. Neuroses (neurotic disorders) are characterized by hysterical or obsessive manifestations, a short-term decrease in physical and mental performance. The very concept of “neurosis” was introduced into medicine by the Scottish physician William Cullen in 1776.

Any person, even the most stable one, is capable of exhibiting certain neurotic symptoms in difficult life situations. Such life situations like an exam, the need to speak in front of an audience, or participation in any important event, are often accompanied by sweating, stuttering, antispasmodic pain in the intestines, diarrhea, a feeling of ringing or emptiness in the head. However, no one considers this a neurosis.

The main neurogenic factors that play a significant role in the development of neurosis are: constant haste, various negative emotions, prolonged mental experiences or internal struggle, failure to complete any task, the need to hide anger, the impact of infectious and endocrine diseases, a sense of competition, urbanization, noise, harmful chemicals and changes and crisis in the family, weakening of interpersonal contacts.

According to scientists, neurotic disorders make up 25% of the total number of mental illnesses. Neurotic disorders are often observed in children, which most often appear at school age and during puberty.

Common symptoms of neuroses include:

Feeling lethargic, tired even in the morning, increased fatigue;

Mood instability, irritability, impressionability;

Deterioration of memory and attention, inability to concentrate, rapid exhaustion and distractibility, pessimistic thoughts, and hearing loss;

Loss of appetite, decreased sexual dysfunction;

Sweating, nausea, unexplained vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, unsteadiness blood pressure and pulse.

Modern classification identifies three main types of neurasthenia and obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

Hysterical neurosis is characterized by the presence of the following symptoms: aphonia - inability to speak loudly, communication using an inexpressive whisper, paralysis, hysterical blindness, inability to stand, staggering.

The most common type of neurosis is neurasthenia, which is characterized by a state of increased excitability and irritability, a tendency to conflict, along with asthenic syndrome, a tendency to overestimate difficulties, a feeling of weakness and incapacity. In addition, this condition is often accompanied by neurotic sleep disorders, palpitations, and appetite disturbances.

A more severe condition is neurosis, which is characterized by violent recall of fears, the emergence of thoughts, aspirations, actions, and ideas. Also, patients have a tendency to observe various self-invented rituals, supposedly intended to prevent something.

Most people suffering from such illnesses as neurotic disorders never seek help. medical care, and symptoms when the environment changes are significantly reduced and/or gradually disappear after rest and thanks to the support of loved ones.

), which are based on pathological development personality. The clinical picture of this pathology is very diverse and is characterized by mental and physical ( bodily) symptoms.

Statistics on neuroses are very diverse and contradictory. The incidence of this disease depends on the socio-economic and cultural level of development of the country. Thus, 40 percent are registered in the UK, 30 in Italy, 25 in Spain. These numbers change every year. According to the World Health Organization, over the past 70 years the number of patients with neuroses has increased 25 times. At the same time, the number of mental illnesses has doubled. However, these statistics only include those who sought medical help. According to unofficial data, this figure is much higher. Experts in the field say that since the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of neuroses has increased 30-fold. This increase in numbers is also explained by more frequent appeal for help. One way or another, neurosis remains the most common mental illness.

Among the adult population, middle-aged individuals are most susceptible to neuroses. As for children, their neuroses predominate at a young age and in older preschool years. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the incidence of neuroses in men ranges from 5 to 80 cases per 1000 population, while in women it ranges from 4 to 160.

As a rule, neuroses are found in the structure of any disease. In the structure of borderline pathologies, neuroses occur in more than 50 percent. How independent disease neuroses are less common.

Interesting Facts
The term neurosis was coined by the Scottish physician William Cullen in the twentieth century. From that time to the present day, the term has undergone various interpretations and has not yet received an unambiguous interpretation.

And today, different authors put different content into the concept of neurosis. Some believe that neurosis is the result of chronic overstrain of nervous activity. Most experts generally believe that neurosis is a psychogenic pathology based on interpersonal contradiction. Neurosis reflects problems in human relationships, primarily problems of communication and the search for one’s “I.” This so-called psychoanalytic theory of neurosis was presented by Freud. He believed that neuroses are the result of contradictions between instinctual desires and the laws of morality and ethics.

According to international classification diseases synonymous with neurosis is the term “neurotic disorders”, which covers a wide range of diseases, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, conversion disorder ( the old name of which is hysteria) and neurasthenia.

Causes of neurosis

The cause of neuroses is the action of a psychotraumatic factor or a psychotraumatic situation. In the first case, we are talking about a short-term but strong negative impact on a person, for example, the death of a loved one. In the second case, we talk about the long-term, chronic impact of a negative factor, for example, a family conflict situation. Speaking about the causes of neurosis, it is psychotraumatic situations and, above all, family conflicts that are of great importance.

However, both factors and situations will cause painful and painful experiences. The inability to find a productive way out of a conflict situation leads to mental and physiological disorganization of the individual, which is manifested by mental and physical symptoms.

Psychotraumatic factors and situations are:

  • family and household factors and situations;
  • interpersonal conflicts;
  • intrapersonal ( interpersonal) conflicts;
  • derived factors;
  • death of loved ones;

Family factors and situations

According to various studies, seminal problems are the main source of neuroses. In women, these problems are the source of neurotic disorders in 95 percent of cases, in men - in 35 percent. Also, an unhealthy family climate is a leading factor in the development of neuroses in children.

Family and household factors are:

  • separation, divorce or betrayal;
  • pathological jealousy;
  • constant conflicts, quarrels and unhealthy relationships in the family ( for example, leadership of one family member and suppression of another);
  • one-sided disharmonious upbringing of a child;
  • excessive severity or self-indulgence;
  • symbiotic relationship with one of the parents;
  • excessive ambitions of parents.
These factors and situations are based on a certain emotional state. Under the influence of these emotions, inadequate self-esteem develops ( increased or decreased), irritability, anxiety appears, fixation on something, sleep is disturbed. The degree of those mental disorders that develop in the context of neurosis depends not only on the strength of the traumatic factor, but also on the type of personality. Thus, people who are more stress-resistant are less susceptible to the development of neurosis; a hysterical personality type will be prone to the development of conversion disorder.

Interpersonal conflicts

Interpersonal conflicts affect as an aspect family life, and non-family. Conflicts can be between distant and close relatives, between subordinates and superiors, between parents and children. These conflicts in both men and women lead to the development of neurosis in 32–35 percent of cases.
Interpersonal conflict is the most common type of conflict. In it, the needs of one person conflict with the needs of another.

Many experts argue that neurosis is an integral part of life, because it characterizes real life and helps solve problems. It is the inability to resolve conflict or resist it that gives rise to neurotic disorder. If the conflict is not resolved, but is repeated again and again, it disorganizes mental activity, causing constant tension. Thus, conflict either increases stress resistance and strengthens a person, or has a destructive effect on the individual.

Intrapersonal ( interpersonal) conflicts

When there is an intrapersonal conflict, contradictions come into play own desires, emotions and needs. This is the most common reason ( 45 percent) development of neuroses in men. Freud and other psychoanalysts believed that this type of conflict was the main cause of neuroses. Thus, the conflict between “It” ( unconscious part of the psyche) and “super-ego” ( moral attitudes of a person) gives rise to the emotional distress that underlies neurosis.

Maslow's concept of intrapersonal conflict is also very popular. According to this concept, the need for self-realization is the pinnacle of human needs. However, not all people realize this need. Therefore, between the need for self-actualization and real result a gap arises, which is the cause of neurosis.

One type of conflict is the conflict between the individual and the environment. To protect yourself from the adverse effects of society, a person develops defense mechanisms.

Derived factors

Various unfavorable factors and situations at work are also a source of the development of neurosis. The extent to which a person is attached to work and how much time he spends on it is directly proportional to the significance of this problem. That is why the predominance of this factor in the structure of the causes of neurosis was identified in men. It also occurs in women and ranges from 20 to 30 percent, but they have a significant predominance of intra-family problems.

Production factors include an unfavorable work environment, lack of career growth, and low wages.

Death of loved ones

The loss of a loved one is the most powerful psychotraumatic factor. However, this factor in itself cannot lead to a neurotic state. It is only a trigger, under the influence of which previously dormant problems become aggravated.

The mechanism of neurosis

The main mechanism for the development of neurosis is the disorder brain activity, which normally ensures human adaptation. As a result, both somatic and mental disorders arise.

According to studies, patients with neurosis sometimes experience changes in the bioelectrical activity of the brain, which is recorded using an electroencephalogram. These changes may be in the form of slow waves or paroxysmal discharges.

Since the nervous and humoral mechanisms are closely related to each other, any change in the psyche is accompanied by a deviation in the functioning of the internal organs. Thus, tension and anger will be accompanied by an increase in adrenaline, which, in turn, will cause those bodily symptoms that are characteristic of neuroses. Together with adrenaline, the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary gland and insulin from the pancreas increases. This, in turn, activates the adrenal cortex, and further enhances the release of catecholamines. The release of these hormones is the main cause of panic attacks in neurotic disorders.

However, all the changes that are observed during neurosis are only temporary and functional in nature. No stable changes in the metabolism of a person with this pathology have been identified, which gives reason to lean more toward psychoanalytic theories.

Freud's psychoanalytic theory of neurosis

According to this theory, in early childhood, every person develops drives. These attractions are sexual in nature - sexual desire to family members, autoerotic attraction. To a small child they do not seem forbidden, while they go against social norms behavior. During upbringing, the child learns about their prohibitions and weans them. The thought of these drives becomes unacceptable and is repressed into the “unconscious”. What has been squeezed into the unconscious is called a “complex.” If in the future these complexes intensify, then neurosis develops. The repressed complex can move on to some kind of bodily symptom, and then a “conversion” develops. Hence the name conversion disorder ( hysteria).

As a method of treatment, Freud proposed a method of psychoanalysis based on the restoration of these complexes in memory.

Not all followers of Freudianism adhered to this mechanism of the emergence of neuroses. Freud's student Adler believed that the source of neurosis was the conflict between the desire to rule and one's own inferiority.

Horney's theory

Horney, representative of neo-Freudianism, great attention in personal development paid attention to the influence environment. In her opinion, neurosis arises as a defense against negative social factors ( humiliation, isolation, aggressive behavior of parents towards the child). In this case, methods of protection are formed in childhood.

The types of main methods of protection according to Horney are:

  • “movement towards people” - the need for submission, love, protection;
  • “against people” - the need for triumph over people, for success, for glory.
  • “from people” - the need for independence, for freedom.
Each individual has all three methods, but one dominates. Sometimes they can conflict. Thus, according to Horney, the core of neurosis is the contradictions between personality tendencies. Neurosis manifests itself when this conflict generates anxiety, and the person develops defense mechanisms to reduce it.

Symptoms of neurosis

Conventionally, there are three forms of neurosis, each of which is characterized by its own symptoms.

The forms of neurosis are:

  • neurasthenia;
  • conversion disorder;
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Neurasthenia

Neurasthenia or nervous weakness is the most common form of neurosis. The main manifestation of this neurosis is increased excitability and easy exhaustion.

Mental symptoms of neurasthenia are:

  • increased excitability;
  • fatigue;
  • hot temper;
  • irritability;
  • rapid change of emotions ( sadness and joy);
  • anxiety;
  • cognitive disorders in the form of decreased memory and attention.
At the same time, increased excitability is noted not only in the patient’s psyche, but also in his somatics ( bodily symptoms).

Physical symptoms of neurasthenia are:

  • heartbeat;
  • increased sweating;
  • hand trembling;
  • headache;
As a rule, neurasthenia develops slowly and gradually under the influence of prolonged trauma. This traumatic situation leads to constant tension and lack of sleep. Prolonged stress leads to exhaustion nervous system, which reflects the essence of the disease. Neurasthenia literally means “weakness of the nerves.”

As the nervous system becomes exhausted, the ability to adapt and exercise is reduced. Patients begin to get tired quickly and complain of constant physical and mental weakness. A decrease in adaptive abilities leads to increased irritability. Irritability occurs in response to light, slight noise, and the slightest obstacle.

Increased excitability and fatigue also affect emotions ( joy quickly gives way to sadness), appetite ( rapid appearance and satisfaction of hunger), dream ( constant drowsiness and rapid awakening). Under the influence of even minor stimuli, patients wake up. However, even if they sleep, their dreams are restless and, as a rule, accompanied by violent dreams. As a result of this, neurasthenics almost always wake up in a bad mood, without sleep, and with a feeling of weakness. By the middle of the day, their emotional background may improve slightly, they are even capable of certain types of activities. However, by the evening their mood decreases and headaches appear.

The symptoms of neurasthenia can be very variable, but various studies have identified the most common ones.

Common symptoms of neurasthenia are:

  • 95 percent – ​​asthenia or weakness;
  • 80 percent – ​​emotional instability;
  • 65 percent – ​​increased irritability;
  • 60 percent – ​​sleep disorders;
  • 50 percent – ​​headaches;
  • 48 percent – ​​other bodily symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating.
It is also customary to distinguish between hypersthenic and hyposthenic forms of neurasthenia. The first is characterized by increased excitability, short temper, emotional instability, and haste. The hyposthenic form of neurasthenia is characterized by fatigue, absent-mindedness, a feeling of weakness and lack of strength.

Neurasthenia is characterized by low electrical activity of the brain and irregularity of the alpha rhythm, which is recorded on the EEG ( electroencephalogram).

The neurasthenic complex can be observed in long-term infectious diseases, endocrine pathologies, tumors and brain injuries. However, in this case, neurasthenia has its own specific features.

Conversion disorder

Of all forms of neurosis, conversion disorder or hysteria has extremely diverse symptoms. Patients ( As a rule, these are women, but there are also men) with hysteria are highly suggestible ( self-hypnosis), and therefore their symptoms can change and vary from day to day.

Common symptoms of conversion disorder include:

  • seizures;
  • motor activity disorders;
  • sensitivity disorders;
  • autonomic disorders;
  • disorders of the senses and speech.
Seizures
In hysteria, the seizures are very varied and are often similar to epileptic ones. The difference between seizures during hysteria is that they always unfold in the presence of people ( "spectators"). The attack may begin with hysterical crying or laughter, and sometimes patients begin to tear out their hair. The crying or laughter that is observed is always violent.
Next begins the phase of convulsions, which can also be very diverse. Patients tremble, squirm, and make large sweeping movements ( clown phase). Seizures in conversion disorder are protracted and can last for hours. Also, the difference between hysterical seizures and seizures of other etiologies is that when falling, patients never injure themselves. They fall carefully, sometimes bending in the form of an arc ( hysterical arc).

At the same time, during a seizure, a number of autonomic disorders are observed ( redness or paleness, increased blood pressure), which may mislead the doctor.

Movement disorders
With hysteria, paresis, paralysis, and contractures can be observed. In this case, there is a decrease or complete absence of movements in the limbs. Tone during hysterical paresis and paralysis is preserved. Also very often there is a condition such as astasia-abasia, in which the patient can neither sit down nor stand up.

Hysterical contractures often affect the neck muscles ( hysterical torticollis) or limbs. Hysterical paralysis and paresis are selective in nature and in certain situations they can disappear and appear. If a neurological examination is performed, it does not reveal any abnormalities. Tendon and skin reflexes do not change, muscle tone remains normal. Sometimes, when a doctor examines a patient, he deliberately shudders, but at the same time he shudders with his whole body.

Sensitivity disorders
Sensory disturbances in conversion disorder are manifested in anesthesia ( decreased sensitivity), hyperesthesia ( increased sensitivity), and hysterical pain. The difference between sensitivity disorders in hysteria is that it does not correspond to the areas of innervation.

Hysterical pains have a very unusual localization. They can be localized in a certain area of ​​the head ( where there may have once been an injury), in the nails, in the stomach. Sometimes the patient has pain in the place where there was a previous injury or which was previously operated on. Moreover, injuries may relate to early childhood and not be recognized by the patient.
Patients with hysteria may react differently to painkillers. Sometimes the introduction is even narcotic drugs“does not improve” the patient’s condition.

Autonomic disorders
Autonomic disorders observed during hysteria include color changes skin patient ( paleness or redness), fluctuations in blood pressure, vomiting. Hysterical vomiting occurs once and, like all symptoms of hysteria, is observed in the presence of spectators.

From the outside respiratory system Forced inhalations and exhalations, increased breathing, like a “hound dog,” and shortness of breath may be observed. Sometimes patients can imitate attacks of bronchial asthma or hiccups. Hysterical constipation, diarrhea, and hysterical urinary retention may also occur.

Sensory and speech disorders
With hysterical visual disorders, a narrowing of the visual fields or hysterical blindness is often observed ( hysterical amaurosis). In parallel with visual impairment, color vision disturbances are noted. Hysterical amaurosis can occur in one eye or in both. At the same time, patients claim that they do not see anything, while an ophthalmological examination does not reveal any abnormalities. This is confirmed by the fact that patients with hysterical blindness never find themselves in dangerous situations.

Hysterical deafness is very often observed with hysterical muteness ( mutism). If you ask a patient: “Can you hear me?”, he will shake his head negatively, as if he does not hear ( which, at the same time, will prove that the question was heard by the patient). Hysterical muteness is very often combined with a sensation of a lump or hedgehog in the throat. Patients hold their necks, indicating that something is bothering them there. The difference between hysterical muteness and real muteness is that the cough in patients remains loud.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also called obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder). obsessive) states. This form of neurosis is the most difficult to cure. At the same time, images, thoughts and feelings arise in a person’s mind that he cannot get rid of. These images arise forcibly, that is, against his will. There are also obsessive fears ( phobias) and actions ( compulsions).

Obsessive thoughts and ideas
This could be a melody, individual phrases or some images. Often they are in the nature of memories and bring a certain atmosphere. They can also acquire a tactile character and be expressed in certain sensations. Obsessive thoughts are expressed as obsessive fears and doubts. These may be doubts about the correctness of the work performed or its completion. Thus, thoughts about whether the gas is turned off or not can force a person to check the stove dozens of times. Even after performing the ritual ( for example, check the switches on the stove seven times) after a certain time, painful doubt about what was done returns to the patient.

With intrusive memories, patients constantly try to remember something - works, first and last names, geographical names. With obsessive philosophizing, people constantly think about some things that “supposedly could happen.” For example, they think about what will happen if a person grows a tail or wings, if there is weightlessness on Earth, and so on. This type of obsessive thoughts is also called “mental chewing gum.” These thoughts constantly swirl in the patient’s head, forcing him to think. In addition to obsessive philosophies, obsessive comparisons may arise. The patient is overcome by doubts about which is better - summer or winter, a pencil or a pen, a book or a table, etc.

Obsessive fears ( phobias)
Obsessive fears are those fears that involuntarily arise in people’s minds and, as a rule, subsequently lead to their social maladjustment. The most common phobias are associated with the fear of dying, contracting some kind of disease, as well as the fear of open and enclosed spaces.

The following obsessive fears are clearly defined:

  • fear of heart disease – cardiophobia;
  • fear of getting cancer - cancerophobia;
  • fear of developing a mental illness – lissophobia;
  • fear closed premises– claustrophobia;
  • fear of open spaces – agoraphobia;
  • fear of germs – mysophobia.
Fear of something forces the patient to overcome his fear by performing various actions ( compulsions). For example, a patient with mysophobia has a constant need to wash his hands. Obsessive washing hands often leads to the appearance of ulcerations and wounds.

Obsessive actions ( compulsions)
Obsessive actions or compulsions most often have the nature of a ritual. For example, a patient must wash his hands 7 times or touch an object 3 times before eating. In this way, patients try to overcome their obsessive thoughts and fears. After completing these actions, they experience some relief.

Obsessive actions also occur in other diseases, such as schizophrenia. However, in this case they are extremely absurd.

Sexual dysfunction in neuroses

With neuroses observed different kinds sexual dysfunction.

Types of sexual dysfunction in neurosis are:

  • alibidemia – decreased libido;
  • erectile dysfunction – lack of erection;
  • dyserection syndrome – loss of erection during sexual intercourse;
  • disinhibition of sexual desire ( frequent erections);
  • anorgasmia – lack of orgasm;
  • psychogenic vaginismus is an involuntary contraction of the pelvic and vaginal muscles.
With neuroses, all types of sexual dysfunction are functional in nature, that is, there is no organic cause. Very often, sexual weakness is observed situationally, that is, in some selective situations. Very rarely, men experience psychogenic aspermatism, in which ejaculation does not occur, no matter how long the sexual intercourse lasts. At the same time, it can occur spontaneously ( spontaneous emissions) or as a result of masturbation.

In 40 percent of women with neuroses, anorgasmia is observed. Psychogenic vaginismus, which occurs due to fear of sexual intercourse, is observed in one in ten women.

Treatment of neurosis

How can you help a person in a state of neurosis?

A person experiencing neurosis needs help from loved ones. The patient needs support both during exacerbation of the disease and during remission.

First aid for an attack of neurosis
One of the most effective methods helping a patient during neurosis is verbal support. To alleviate suffering, a number of rules should be followed when talking with a sick person.

  • You should not try to start a conversation first. It is necessary to be close to the sick person and let him know that he is not alone. The desire to speak out may arise spontaneously in a patient with neurosis, and it is important not to miss this moment. Don’t ask cliched questions or say phrases like “Do you want to talk about this?” or “Trust me.” Sometimes help involves turning off the light, bringing a glass of water, or attending to other needs of the patient.
  • If the patient allows, you should stroke his arms and back. This will help establish closer contact with the person.
  • If neurotic ( person with a neurotic disorder) began to talk about his experiences, it is necessary to give him words of encouragement. You should try to make the patient talk more about his internal sensations, feelings and emotions that bother him.
  • Regardless of what the patient says, it is worth letting him know that his experiences are normal. Encouraging a neurotic person to not be ashamed of his tears and sincere emotions is the main task that his loved ones should set for themselves.
  • You should not clarify details or ask leading questions. But if a person with neurosis begins to talk about what worries him, you should listen to him carefully and show your participation in the conversation. A good way of support is a personal story in which a relative of the patient can talk about similar moments he experienced. You should avoid standard phrases like “I understand how hard it is for you now” or “the same thing happened to me.” All suffering and experiences are individual, and even the closest people cannot be aware of what a neurotic person is experiencing. The best option would be the phrase: “It’s not easy for you now, but I’ll be there and help you get through it.”
In addition to emotional support, a patient with neurosis can be helped by physical measures aimed at relieving physical stress and diverting attention from the stressor.

Relieving muscle tension during neurosis
During stress, various muscle groups tense, which provokes discomfort and increases the level of anxiety. Being close to the patient, a loved one can offer him help in carrying out exercises that will promote relaxation.

Muscle relaxation techniques include:

Breathing regulation
In stressful situations, the patient involuntarily begins to hold his breath, which increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. The result of such actions is an increased feeling of anxiety and a deterioration in physical well-being. To alleviate the condition of a neurotic person, during an attack you should help him normalize respiratory process.

Ways to regulate breathing are:

  • cross breathing;
  • belly breathing;
  • breathing into a paper bag.

Cross breathing
The stages of the cross-breathing procedure are:

  • close your right nostril with your fingers and make a left nostril deep breath;
  • close your left nostril with your fingers and exhale air with your right;
  • repeat the exercise 3 times;
  • Next, you should close your left nostril and draw in air with your right;
  • close your right nostril and exhale with your left;
  • repeat the exercise 3 times.
Belly breathing
To carry out this exercise, a person with a neurotic disorder should be asked to fold his arms so that one hand is on top and the other is on the bottom of the abdomen. Next, at counts 1,2,3, the patient needs to draw in air and inflate his stomach. On the count of 4.5 you need to hold your breath, and then exhale on the count of 6,7,8,9,10. The exhalation should be long and more extended than the inhalation. The person next to the neurotic person should recite the count out loud, making sure that the patient inhales through the nose and exhales through the mouth.

Breathing into a paper bag
Breathing with a paper bag will help reduce the amount of oxygen that enters the lungs and increase the volume carbon dioxide. This will allow the patient to normalize the respiratory process and return to normal. To start breathing, you need to put the bag to your face and press it tightly with your hands so that air does not enter inside. After this, you should ask the patient to start inhaling and exhaling into the bag until breathing returns to normal. An alternative to a paper bag can be cupped palms placed over the neurotic’s mouth and nose.

Massage for neurosis
Massaging specific muscle groups helps relieve physical and emotional stress. The muscles of the neck, shoulders, and head are the most vulnerable to stress. It is in these areas that patients feel tightness at the time of anxiety most strongly.

Before starting the massage, you should ask the patient to wash his face with cold water and take comfortable position in a chair or armchair. A person helping a neurotic person should begin the massage with the shoulders and neck. To do this, you can use gentle tapping and kneading movements. After the tension in your shoulders and neck has subsided, you need to start massaging your temples with light circular movements. All actions during the massage should be coordinated with the patient’s sensations. If he experiences discomfort, the session should be stopped. After the temporal zone, you need to proceed to the points that are located on inner corners eyebrows You need to massage with the tip of the index or middle finger of your right hand. In this case, it is necessary to support the patient’s head from behind with your left hand. When performing a massage, it should be taken into account that the duration of pressure on one point should not exceed 45 seconds. After the eyes, you should proceed to the scalp. You need to massage in a circular motion, moving from the hair growth area to the crown, then to the neck and back.

Muscle relaxation
One of the effective methods to get rid of muscle tightness during stress is progressive muscle relaxation. This method includes two stages - tension and subsequent relaxation of various muscle groups. The help of a loved one consists of sequentially indicating the parts of the body that need to be tensed and relaxed. The assistant can also turn on relaxing music, dim the lights, or fulfill the patient’s request, which will help him better concentrate on performing the exercises.

The parts of the body that need to be consistently tensed and relaxed are:

  • right foot ( if the patient is left-handed, he should start with the left foot);
  • left foot;
  • right shin;
  • left shin;
  • right thigh;
  • left thigh;
  • thighs, buttocks;
  • rib cage;
  • back;
  • right arm, including hand;
  • left hand along with the brush;
  • shoulders;
  • facial muscles.
To begin the session, it is necessary to help the patient get rid of shoes and clothes that hinder his movements. The body position can be either horizontal ( lying on the sofa or floor), and semi-vertical ( sitting in a chair or chair). The choice depends on the patient's personal preferences. Next you should strain right foot. The patient should be asked to squeeze the muscles as hard as he can. After 5 seconds, the foot should be relaxed and held in this state for several seconds. Such actions should be carried out with all parts of the body, taking into account the condition of a person with a neurotic disorder.

Water treatments
Water has a relaxing effect on the nervous system. You can increase the effectiveness of water procedures using essential oils of those plants that have a sedative or tonic effect.

Types of water procedures for neurosis are:

  • inhalation;
  • wraps;
  • baths.
Inhalations
To carry out this procedure, pour half a liter of hot water into a deep bowl made of glass, ceramic or steel and add 10 drops of essential oil. Cover the patient's head with a terry towel and ask him to inhale the steam for 5 to 7 minutes. After completing the procedure, the face of a person with neurosis must be wiped dry. After inhalation, you should lie down and refrain from going outside for an hour.

Wraps
This procedure has a gentle effect on the body and is widely practiced for neuroses. Add 10 drops of essential oil to a container of warm water in the amount of 2 liters. Soak a sheet made of natural fibers in the liquid, wring it out and wrap it around the patient’s body. The duration of stay in the sheet is no more than 15 – 20 minutes.

Baths
A bath with essential oil will help relieve muscle pain. Also, such procedures have a calming and relaxing effect on the nervous system. In order for the essential oil to be better distributed in water, you should mix it with table or sea ​​salt, honey, cream. The duration of the first bath should not exceed 10 minutes. Subsequently, the session can be increased to 15 minutes. The water temperature should be selected according to the patient's condition. At 30 degrees the bath has a tonic and invigorating effect, at 37 degrees it has a calming effect. To prevent the bath from causing a worsening of the condition, these procedures should not be performed after meals or at a body temperature above 37 degrees. Contraindications for baths with essential oils are skin lesions, epilepsy, diabetes, and cancer.

Essential oils for neurosis
Before carrying out any procedures using essential oils, you should conduct a test to identify the patient’s allergy to this product. To do this, apply a drop of oil to the crook of your elbow. Signs of intolerance to essential oils are shortness of breath, increased heart rate, redness of the skin, and headache.

Essential oils that can be used for water procedures for neurosis are :

  • anise oil – eliminates tearfulness, fights stress and reduces nervous system excitement;
  • orange oil – promotes healthy sleep, improves mood;
  • basil oil – normalizes the overall tone of the body;
  • clove oil – eliminates headaches, helps restore strength after physical and mental fatigue;
  • jasmine oil – promotes sound and healthy sleep;
  • lavender oil – fights depression, reduces nervous system excitement;
  • Rose oil – increases performance and causes a feeling of vigor.
Distraction from stress
A patient with a neurotic disorder tends to focus his attention on internal sensations, which aggravates his condition. A close environment can help the patient switch attention to other factors, which will make the fight against neurosis more effective.

Factors that can distract the patient during an attack are:

  • Concentration of attention on surrounding objects– The patient should be asked to take a verbal inventory of everything in the room. It is necessary to ask the patient to describe in detail the furniture, accessories, textiles, and toys. You can remember the stories associated with the purchase or use of each item.
  • Carrying out daily duties- If physical state the patient allows, you should try to involve him in cleaning, washing dishes or preparing food.
  • Hobby– Doing what you love will allow you to take your mind off internal stress.
  • Music– calm music will help you relax and take your mind off negative thoughts. Listening to music can be combined with doing household chores or other activities.
  • Check– Recounting the days remaining until a vacation or other event will allow you to take your mind off stress. The patient can also be asked to draw up an estimate for the planned repairs and other topics of interest to him that require concentration and a rational approach.
  • Games– board, logic and other types of games will help a neurotic person reduce their anxiety level.
Help in preventing neurosis
The participation of family members and loved ones in the prevention of neurotic disorders will help prevent relapses ( repeated exacerbations) of this disease.

Actions that relatives of a neurotic person can take for preventive purposes are:

  • a joint visit to a psychotherapist;
  • control of medication intake;
  • assistance in changing lifestyle.
Doctor's help for neurosis
In most cases, neuroses arise against the background of a large number of factors, which only a doctor can understand. The specialist will determine the causes of the disease and prescribe treatment. The difficulty is that many people are resistant and do not want to see a therapist. Close people should act without pressure, gently explaining to the patient that they are worried about his health. An impressive argument in favor of visiting a doctor will be the fact that the specialist works anonymously. If this is possible, relatives of the neurotic person can arrange the first meeting with the doctor on neutral territory or in a place where the patient will not feel constrained.

Taking medications
If a doctor prescribes medications, relatives should ensure that the medications are available at home and monitor their use by the patient. When prescribing serious psychotropic drugs, relatives should study contraindications and side effects to prevent trouble.

Lifestyle for neurotic disorders
An unhealthy lifestyle is a factor that aggravates neurosis. Therefore, the patient’s environment should help him change his habits and lifestyle.

The rules of life with neurosis are:

  • Balanced diet– the patient’s menu should include a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats so that the body is provided with energy. The condition of a neurotic person can be aggravated by alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, and caffeine. Also, you should not abuse fatty, salty, spicy and fried foods.
  • Physical activity– People suffering from neurosis benefit from physical activity. The effectiveness of classes increases if they are carried out in the fresh air. This could be roller skating, jogging or walking in the park, or cycling. The presence of a loved one nearby is an effective motivation to systematically play sports.
  • Timely and healthy rest– sleep has a great influence on the restoration of the nervous system, preventing overstrain and emotional breakdowns. The benefits of a good night's sleep cannot be offset by other means. Therefore, family members of a neurotic person should assist in normalizing his sleep. Ways to help ensure an effective night's rest include a relaxing bath before bed, a regularly ventilated bedroom, no caffeine, and tobacco products at least 6 hours before bedtime.
  • Having a hobby– doing something you love helps you take your mind off problems at work or other unpleasant factors. The close environment may interest the patient by inviting him to do some things together ( embroidery, fishing, cooking) or visiting a gym, dance studio, or weapons range.
  • Limiting the influence of external negative factors– in a family where a person with neurosis lives, watching horror films and listening to heavy music should be minimized.
General recommendations for relatives of patients who suffer from neurotic disorders
Patients with neurosis often feel lonely and abandoned. Such people rarely seek help because they experience self-doubt and confusion. Neurotics often get offended over trifles and make scandals for no reason. Being around such people can be very difficult. Relatives should understand what their relative is going through difficult period, and he needs support and care. At critical moments, those around the neurotic should stock up on endurance and patience. There is no need to provoke conflicts and focus attention on the mistakes made by the neurotic.

Psychotherapy for neurosis

Psychotherapy is the main method of treating neuroses, in which the patient is influenced not by medications, but by information. With this method of treatment, the main effect is on the patient’s psyche.
There are many methods of psychotherapy, which differ in the number of participants in it ( group and individual), by task ( search and corrective) and so on. At various forms neurosis, the psychotherapist chooses the technique that, in his opinion, is most effective in this case.

The most commonly used methods of psychotherapy for neuroses are:

Group therapy
With this type of therapy, classes take place in groups of 6–8 people, which are held 1–2 times a week. During the sessions, the features of various situations and conflicts that patients tell are analyzed, and ways to overcome neurosis are considered. Each participant talks about how he copes with the disease. The main focus is on the fact that neurosis is a completely curable disease.

One of the options group therapy is intrafamily therapy, in which the conversation is carried out among members of the entire family. The effectiveness of family psychotherapy is very high, since it establishes the source of mental trauma. Knowing the traumatic factor, it becomes easier to improve the climate in the family. It is not only the therapist who influences, but also all members of the discussion.

Art therapy
Treatment various methods arts ( visual, theatrical, musical) in order to reduce voltage. This achievement in art therapy is called sublimation. This means that the energy of internal tension, which the patient relieves himself, is redirected to achieving certain goals in art. At the same time, the abilities of self-expression and self-knowledge develop.

Autogenic training
This is a method of self-hypnosis in which relaxation is initially achieved, and then suggestions are made on various functions of the body.
Sessions are carried out lying or sitting, the arm muscles relax. Then follows a series of exercises aimed at reducing tension. For example, the patient lies down on the couch and repeats the phrase “The body is heavy” a certain number of times, then “I am completely calm.” When the patient is completely relaxed, self-hypnosis rhythms such as “calmness,” “heaviness,” and “warmth” are set. In order to master this technique, the patient sometimes needs several months. The advantage of this method is that it can be done at home using an audio recording.

Using this method, you can learn to control not only your mental processes, but also physiological ( for example, breathing). This therapy very effective for neurasthenia.

Psychodrama
This method uses dramatic improvisation to explore the patient's inner world in more detail. Psychodrama is used both in group therapy and in individual therapy ( monodrama).

The session initially begins with a warm-up, to achieve which various games and exercises are performed. Then there is a choice of a participant who will work on his problem in a psychodramatic action. This participant can choose a partner from the group to play out his situation. The drama lasts 30 minutes – 2 hours. In psychodrama, both real actions and actions from the past can be played out.

Psychoanalysis
There are more than 20 concepts modern psychoanalysis. Classical psychoanalysis is based on the verbalization of thoughts through various associations, narration of dreams and fantasies. At this time, the psychotherapist is trying to analyze the unconscious conflicts that are the cause of neurosis. Thus, an analysis of complexes, desires and experiences repressed into the unconscious takes place.

The stages of psychoanalysis are:

  • Stage 1 – accumulation of material by interpreting dreams and making associations;
  • Stage 2 – interpretation, by interpreting conflict situations;
  • Stage 3 – resistance analysis;
  • Stage 4 – development and restructuring of the psyche.
To analyze the received data ( for example, dreams) Freudian psychoanalytic symbolism is often used.

Freud's symbols are:

  • ring road - hopelessness of the situation;
  • wall is an obstacle;
  • snake, canes, skyscrapers ( straight, hard objects) – phallic symbols ( penis symbols);
  • hats, caves are symbols of female genital organs;
  • ladder - career path.
Opinions about the effectiveness of this method are mixed. Some experts say that psychoanalysis is more effective than other methods of psychotherapy. Others deny the “theory of the unconscious” and, as a consequence, the method of psychoanalysis itself.

Drug treatment of neurosis

Drug treatment is only an auxiliary remedy for neuroses. With the help of psychotropic drugs, tension, tremors, and insomnia are eliminated. Their appointment is permissible only for a short period of time.

For neuroses, the following groups of drugs are usually used:

  • tranquilizers – alprazolam, phenazepam.
  • antidepressants – fluoxetine, sertraline.
  • sleeping pills – zopiclone, zolpidem.

Medicines used for neuroses

Drug name Mechanism of action How to use

Alprazolam
(trade names – Xanax, Helex)


Eliminates anxious mood, has a sedative effect, and also relieves muscle tension.

0.25 mg three times a day; the dose can then be increased to 0.5 mg three times a day. Maximum dose 3mg.
Phenazepam Has a sedative-hypnotic effect. Also reduces emotional stress and relaxes the muscles.
For the treatment of neurotic disorders, the dose is 1 mg per day ( two tablets of 0.5 mg). After a week it is increased to 2–4 mg.
Diazepam
(trade names – Relanium, Sibazon)
Eliminates fear, anxiety and tension. Has a mild hypnotic effect.
The initial dose is one to two tablets ( 5 – 10 mg). The effective therapeutic dose is 10–20 mg, divided into 3–4 doses.
Fluoxetine
(trade names: Prozac, Magrilan)
Has an antidepressant effect. Effective for obsessive disorders.
Used in the first half of the day during meals. The initial dose is 20 mg. IN extreme cases the dose can be increased to 60–80 mg per day. In this case, the dose is divided into 2 doses.
Sertraline
(trade name – Zoloft, Stimuloton)

Blocks the reuptake of mediators, thereby increasing their concentration in the nervous tissue. Used for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Treatment begins with 50 mg per day. The tablet is used once a day, in the morning. If there is no result, the dose is increased to 200 mg.
Zopiclone
(trade name – somnol, relaxon)

It is used for insomnia, which is manifested by difficulty falling asleep and frequent awakenings.
One tablet each ( 7.5 mg) half an hour before bedtime. People over 65 years old take half a tablet ( 3.75 mg). The course of treatment is 4 weeks.

Zolpidem
(trade name – sanval)


It is used for chronic and transient disorders, with difficulty falling asleep.

Immediately before going to bed, take one tablet ( 10 mg). People over 65 years old take half a tablet ( 5 mg).
Zaleplon
(trade name – andante)
It has both a hypnotic and sedative effect. It is used for insomnia, which manifests itself as difficulty falling asleep.
15 minutes before bedtime, two hours after eating, one tablet ( 10 mg). Duration of treatment is 2 weeks.

Prevention of recurrences of neurosis

Prevention of neuroses includes a set of measures to create favorable living and working conditions, normalize sleep and eliminate factors that can provoke emotional stress. Helps prevent neurotic disorder proper nutrition and conducting maintenance therapy, including self-hypnosis and relaxation classes.

Measures that will help prevent neurosis are:

  • balanced diet enriched with vitamins;
  • eliminating factors that can provoke the disease;
  • developing a tolerant attitude towards stress.

Nutrition for neuroses

The diet of a person prone to neuroses should include foods rich in vitamins and microelements that will provide sufficient energy to fight the disease. It is necessary to follow a number of rules regarding the schedule, quantity and manner of eating. You should also avoid a number of foods that can trigger anxiety.

Substances that products should contain in a healthy diet are:

  • carbohydrates;
  • proteins;
  • fats;
  • vitamins.
Carbohydrates and their role in the prevention of neurosis
Carbohydrates are substances that provide the body with energy, so carbohydrate foods should make up half of the food consumed per day. These foods are high in fiber and water, which helps keep you full and helps you avoid overeating. Foods rich in carbohydrates have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract and help avoid a wide range of diseases digestive system.

Products with high content carbohydrates are:

  • legumes ( peas, beans, lentils);
  • vegetables ( broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, corn, Bell pepper );
  • fruits ( apricot, banana, pear, plum, melon);
  • nuts ( peanuts, almonds, cashews);
  • bran ( wheat, oat);
  • pasta from durum wheat;
  • bread ( rye, grain).
A large amount of carbohydrates are found in sugar, sweets and wheat flour. But these elements belong to the class of simple carbohydrates, which are quickly absorbed by the body and can cause excess weight. Therefore, the consumption of such products should be kept to a minimum.

Protein foods for the prevention of neurosis
Protein is a source of amino acids that maintain normal immune system body. Protein products should be about 20 percent of the daily food intake.

High protein foods include:

  • eggs;
  • cottage cheese, cheese;
  • liver;
  • meat ( chicken, beef);
  • fish ( tuna, sardine, salmon, mackerel);
  • soy products ( milk, cheese).
Fats
Lack of fats in food leads to a person’s endurance for exercise. various diseases and the activity of the nervous system is disrupted. Therefore, for preventive purposes, a person with neurosis should include in their diet foods containing fats of both animal and plant origin. According to the mechanism of action and composition, fats are divided into beneficial and harmful.

Harmful fats and products containing them include:

  • saturated fatsfatty varieties meat, dairy products, rendered fat, lard, egg yolk, butter;
  • transported ( artificial) fats– confectionery, frozen meat and fish semi-finished products, spread, margarine, chips;
  • cholesterol– margarine, egg yolk, canned fish and meat, liver.
Healthy fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, which have a complex beneficial effect on the body. Such fats promote better absorption of vitamins and support the normal functionality of the nervous system.

For products that contain healthy fats, relate:

  • salmon and other types of fatty fish;
  • oil ( olive, nut, sesame, corn, rapeseed);
  • nuts ( cashews, almonds);
  • seeds ( flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame).
Vitamins in the fight against neurosis
When under stress, the body produces large quantities of free radicals ( particles that have a detrimental effect on the nervous system). Vitamins actively fight free radicals and contribute to the development of resistance to the effects of adverse internal and external factors.

Foods that cause nervous tension
There are a number of foods, excessive consumption of which can provoke the development or return of neurosis. In addition, some foods and drinks reduce the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients.

Products that should be avoided when preventing neurotic disorders are:

  • Alcohol– alcoholic drinks stimulate the production of adrenaline, which causes insomnia, irritability and tension.
  • Caffeine– coffee, cola, strong tea disrupt the natural process of rest and wakefulness, which causes exhaustion of the nervous system.
  • Sugar– an excess of this product in the body can provoke anxiety and depression.
  • Fatty food- A study was conducted at Ohio State University that proved the fact that stress reduces metabolic rate. Eating high-calorie foods can cause excess weight, which will cause stress to return.
  • White bread and others flour products – such foods are poor in vitamins, and the body spends a large amount of energy to absorb them.
  • Flavor enhancers, food additives, dyes, preservatives, spices– have a stimulating effect on the nervous system.
Recommendations for the nutritional system for neurosis
Meals must be appropriate biological rhythms person. The most active interval is between 10 and 14 hours, so at this time the feeling of hunger is most intense. For the proper functioning of all body systems during this period, it is recommended to take several meals.

Breakfast should not contain meat and coarse fiber, as such products can cause drowsiness, laziness, and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. Also, in the early and late hours it is necessary to avoid fatty and heavy foods. Preference should be given to dairy and fermented milk products, fruits and vegetables. In order for foods to have time to digest, the pause between meals should be at least two hours. You need to have dinner 2-3 hours before going to bed. This will avoid the accumulation of toxins in the body and ensure sound and healthy sleep.

During neuroses, many people experience a false feeling of hunger, as a result of which they begin to overeat and gain extra pounds. Excess weight can be a reason that slows down the healing process. You should not use strict diets or severely limit the amount of food you eat, as this can cause neurosis. People prone to this disease should divide the amount of food consumed per day into 4 to 6 meals. This will avoid overeating and also provide the required amount of nutrients and useful elements with minimal energy consumption. An adult should eat about 2 kilograms of food per day.

The rules for distributing the daily allowance of products are:

  • breakfast – 30 percent;
  • second breakfast – 5 percent;
  • lunch – 40 percent;
  • afternoon snack – 5 percent;
  • dinner – 20 percent.

Situations that provoke anxiety and working with them

In order to prevent neurosis, a person should, if possible, correct or eliminate the causes that contribute to the emergence of emotional imbalance.

Factors that often cause nervous exhaustion include:

  • life goals;
  • Job;
  • relationships with loved ones.
Goals and their impact on mental health
Life planning for many people is a factor that provokes dissatisfaction with oneself, which can serve as a prerequisite for the development of neurosis.

Situations in which feelings of dissatisfaction arise when setting goals are:

  • the goal is set, but the person experiences a feeling of anxiety at the thought that he should begin to take action to achieve it;
  • stress can arise in cases where a person makes efforts, but the goal remains unattainable;
  • A common situation is when a goal is achieved, but this fact does not bring satisfaction to a person.
To avoid stress, you should define realistic and achievable goals, the implementation of which will bring pleasure, not anxiety.

The rules for setting goals are:

  • The implementation of the plan should not depend on the environment or circumstances. A properly set goal should be effortlessly formulated in one simple sentence without additional phrases.
  • When defining a task, you need to focus not only on the end result, but also on the process of achieving it, which should bring pleasure.
  • When setting goals, you should use specific language. So, the phrase “I want to earn more money” should be replaced with the expression “I want an increase in wages by 10 percent” or “I want to find a source of additional income in the amount of $100 per month.” This will allow a person to later more easily determine at what stage of goal realization he is.
  • When setting goals, a person must know exactly why he needs their implementation. IN otherwise There is a high probability of being disappointed when achieving this goal.
Work on the prevention of neuroses
According to Japanese statistics, 355 severe nervous disorders were reported in 2006 ( 137 cases ended fatal ), the cause of which was overload in the workplace. In order to prevent neuroses, you should control the level of stress and take measures to reduce its effect on the body.
  • timely identification of symptoms of excessive stress;
  • maintaining a healthy lifestyle;
  • correct definition priorities at work;
  • getting rid of factors that slow down the work process.
Signs of overwork in the workplace
The causes of overstrain may be factors such as fear of dismissal, a large amount of extracurricular work, pressure from management, and lack of interest in the duties performed. Ignoring the symptoms of work stress can lead to the development of neurosis.

Signs nervous exhaustion in the workplace are:

  • poor concentration;
  • sleep problems;
  • disruptions in the digestive system;
  • muscle tension and headaches;
  • loss of sexual desire;
  • excessive craving for alcohol.

Timely measures taken to combat work stress will help prevent neurotic disorder.

Self-care in the workplace
The rules that must be followed at work are:

  • Physical activity– To reduce stress levels, you should spend 30 minutes doing aerobic exercise. If classes are difficult to fit into your work schedule, you need to divide the training into several short sessions.
  • Meal schedule– hunger at work can cause irritability, and an excessive feeling of fullness provokes lethargy. Therefore, during the day it is necessary to eat in small portions, doing this in calm atmosphere.
  • Bad habits– Nicotine abuse in the workplace contributes to increased anxiety. You should also control the desire to reduce stress with alcohol, as this can cause alcohol addiction.
  • Rest– lack of sleep makes a person vulnerable to stress. To maintain emotional calm, you need to sleep at least 7 to 8 hours a day.
Planning your working day
Correct prioritization will help you maintain composure even in critical situations.

The rules for organizing the work process are:

  • Balanced schedule– proper planning of work tasks will help avoid overwork.
  • Arriving at work on time– being late represents an additional source of stress.
  • Regular breaks– during the working day it is necessary to take breaks in order to restore strength. When completing a large project, you need to break it down into several small parts. This will allow you to control the process and save strength.
  • Determining importance– when planning your workday, high-priority tasks should be put first. Also, those tasks whose implementation is difficult or unpleasant for the employee should be placed at the top of the list.
  • Delegation of Responsibility– you should not try to do everything yourself and control every step of your work colleagues.
  • Willingness to compromise– working in a team, it is necessary to take into account and agree with the opinions of other team members.
Habits that increase stress at work
Very often the reason nervous tension at work are not external, but internal factors. Following certain rules and habits increases the level of stress, so in order to prevent neurosis, they should be abandoned.

Factors that make it difficult to manage stress at work include:

  • Perfectionism– the belief that an imperfect result is not acceptable and the desire to achieve the impossible provoke a feeling of dissatisfaction with oneself.
  • Mess– chaos in the workplace makes it difficult to concentrate, which causes tension.
  • Negative thoughts– negative judgments are a source of stress. In addition, searching for and discussing the shortcomings of his work, a person wastes time, which prevents him from coping with his responsibilities and entails emotional problems.
Stress in relationships with loved ones
The cause of disagreements in the family may be factors such as different perceptions of the world around them, conflicting interests, and lack of desire to compromise. To prevent neurosis, you should develop skills that will help resolve conflicts with loved ones with minimal negative consequences.
  • The problem should be driven by the desire to correct the situation, and not to prove that one is right.
  • Arguments and arguments should relate only to the conflict that has arisen. There is no need to remember past grievances.
  • In some cases, a dispute may end before it even begins. To do this, you need to decide that the problem is not worth spending time and energy on.
  • When discussing a conflict, you should try to accept the position of the opposite side and see the situation through the eyes of another person.
  • You should respond to arguments calmly and respectfully. It is worth making it clear to the interlocutor that the purpose of the conversation is the desire to resolve the issue constructively.
  • Punishing the culprit rarely helps compensate for the emotional losses. Sincere forgiveness of the offender will quickly bring a feeling of satisfaction.
  • There are situations when you should take your opponent's side in a dispute, even if there are arguments against his opinion.

Developing resistance to stress

There are negative situations in a person’s life that cannot be prevented or avoided. In such cases, you should try to reduce the effects of stress on the body by calming down and changing your attitude towards what is happening.

Ways to cope with stressful situations are:

  • physical exercise;
  • stress analysis;
  • relaxation;
  • looking at the situation from a different angle.
Physical activity
Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of neurosis. Muscle work eliminates stress hormones that maintain emotional tension. As a result of active physical activity, blood pressure is normalized and nervous excitement is reduced. Also, playing sports helps fight stress factors such as apathy, lethargy, and lack of interest.

Groups of physical exercises aimed at preventing neurotic disorders are:

  • dynamic loads (squats, race walking, running, jumping, aerobic exercise) – help increase the excitability of the nervous system and are recommended when the overall tone of the body decreases;
  • muscle relaxation, breathing exercises– reduce tension in case of excessive emotional excitability;
  • exercises for neck and head muscles, deep breathing– normalize cerebral and peripheral blood circulation. Performed at the time of alarm in order to prevent the situation from worsening.
Study of stress
Stress is the body's reaction to current events. Analysis of stressful situations will help you learn to control and reduce their impact on a person.

One of the effective ways to analyze personal stress is a diary, which does not provide any difficulties, but requires time and patience. The principle of this method is to compile notes containing information about where and under what circumstances anxiety, worry and other symptoms of stress were identified. It is better to record observations in the evening after the end of the working day. Both external circumstances and internal sensations should be indicated in detail. After some time, you need to return to the notes. In most cases, such actions lead to the conclusion that the initial reaction was excessive and did not correspond to the level of the event that occurred. This allows you to control your stress level if similar circumstances arise.

Relaxation
Timely rest, physical and mental relaxation are an effective way to prevent neurosis. One of the effective ways to get rid of anxiety and normalize the emotional background is baths with the addition of medicinal plants. Such procedures will help reduce the negative impact of events that happened during the day, relieve fatigue and normalize sleep. In order for baths to bring maximum benefits, a number of rules should be followed.

  • You should take baths before going to bed;
  • the water temperature should be 36 - 37 degrees;
  • Procedures should be carried out every other day for a duration of no more than 20 minutes;
  • the water in the bath should not exceed the area of ​​the heart;
  • aromatic candles, dim lighting, meditation - all this will allow you to relax faster and enhance the effect of the bath.
To prepare a herbal decoction, you should steam 100 grams of dry raw materials with a liter of boiling water. You can also use essential oils plants, which should be added to the water in an amount of 15 - 20 drops.

Plants that have a sedative effect are:

  • chamomile;
  • lavender;
  • Linden ( flowers);
  • sage;
  • valerian;
  • spruce ( needles).
Changing your attitude towards stressful situations
When stressed, a person loses the ability to think rationally and control the situation. Subjective perception of the events that occurred makes it difficult to cope with negative emotions and increases the duration of anxiety. In order to prevent neurosis, one should develop skills in objectively assessing the circumstances that provoke stress. One way to look at negative event from the outside and change your attitude towards it, is the “photography” exercise.

The stages of performing the photography technique are:

  • First, you need to quickly scroll through all the moments of the event in your thoughts.
  • Next, you need to select a frame that most fully reflects the essence of the situation and present it in the form of a photograph.
  • For a few seconds, you should look closely at the image, paying attention small details. If there are people in an imaginary photo, you need to look intently at their facial expressions and body postures.
  • Then the photograph must be framed and hung on the wall. To do this, you should mentally select a photo frame ( choose material, shape, size) and find a place on the wall. After placing the image, you need to imagine that spotlights and other lighting elements are shining on the picture.
  • The next step is to imagine that several years have passed. It is necessary to look at the photo through the eyes of a person for whom this event is far in the past.
  • Returning to the present, you need to rethink the event and compare sensations. If the difference between the reactions is small, you should continue to work mentally with the picture. You can imagine how a children's artist, caricaturist or impressionist would depict this frame.

What can contribute to the occurrence of neurosis?

Both internal and external factors can contribute to the occurrence of a neurotic disorder.

The reasons that contribute to the development of neurosis are:

  1. Job:
  • improper planning of the working day;
  • no breaks in work;
  • the desire to always be on top and live up to your idols;
  • unwillingness to share responsibility or lack of such opportunity;
  • painful perception of criticism;
  • moral dissatisfaction from the duties performed.
  1. Family:
  • unresolved conflicts;
  • feeling of resentment towards loved ones;
  • lack of people with whom you can share your own experiences;
  • desire to control all family members;
  • inability to assess a situation through the eyes of another person;
  • dependence on spouse spouses), parents;
  • unrealized feeling of love, care;
  • unwillingness to compromise.
  1. Habits and lifestyle:
  • lack of a favorite activity or hobby;
  • setting wrong life goals;
  • lack of physical activity;
  • prolonged lack of sleep;
  • pessimistic outlook on life;
  • inability to cope with negative emotions;
  • inability to express and realize your true needs;
  • smoking, alcoholism and other bad habits;
  • excessive passion for sweet, fatty foods;
  • inability to look at a situation with humor.

Neurosis is a set of psychogenic, functional, reversible disorders that tend to have a long course. For clinical picture neurosis is characterized by obsessive, asthenic or hysterical manifestations, as well as a temporary weakening of physical and mental performance. Neurosis is also called psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder.

The cause of neurosis in adults in most cases is conflicts (internal or external), stress, circumstances that cause psychological trauma, long-term overstrain of the emotional or intellectual spheres of the psyche.

IP Pavlov defined neurosis as a protracted, chronic disorder of higher nervous activity, provoked in the cerebral cortex by overstrain of nervous processes and exposure to external stimuli of inadequate duration and strength. At the beginning of the 20th century, the use of the clinical term “neurosis” in relation not only to humans, but also to animals led to many disputes among scientists. Basically, psychoanalytic theories present neurosis and its symptoms as a consequence of a psychological, hidden conflict.

Causes of neurosis

The occurrence of this condition depends on many physical and psychological factors. Most often, specialists in clinical practice one has to deal with the following etiopathogenetic influences:

- prolonged emotional distress or mental overload. For example, a high academic load can lead to the development of neuroses in children, and in young and mature people these factors include job loss, divorce, dissatisfaction with their lives;

- inability to solve personal problems. For example, a situation with an overdue loan. Long-term psychological pressure from the bank may well lead to neurotic disorders;

- absent-mindedness that led to a negative consequence. For example, a person left an electrical appliance on and a fire occurred. In such cases, obsessive-compulsive neurosis may develop, in which a person is constantly in doubt about the fact that he forgot to do something significant;

- intoxication and diseases leading to depletion of the body. For example, neuroses can arise as a result of infectious diseases that do not go away for a long time (influenza, tuberculosis). Also, neuroses often develop in people who are addicted to drinking alcohol or tobacco;

— pathology of the development of the central nervous system, which is accompanied by an inability to perform long-term physical and mental work (congenital asthenia);

— disorders of a neurotic nature can develop for no apparent reason, acting as a consequence of the morbidity of the inner world and the patient’s self-hypnosis. This form of the disease often occurs in women with a hysteroid type of character.

Symptoms of neurosis

The clinical picture of neuroses is conventionally divided into two large groups: symptoms of a somatic and mental nature. Both are found in all types of neuropathic disorders, but each type of neurosis has its own characteristics that allow for differential diagnosis.

Symptoms of neurosis of a psychopathic nature include the following manifestations:

- lack of self-confidence, chronic anxiety, indecision, fatigue. The patient, being in this state, does not set life goals for himself, does not believe in himself, and is confident in the lack of success. Patients often develop inferiority complexes regarding the lack of communication abilities and dissatisfaction with their own appearance;

- the patient, experiencing constant fatigue, does not want to do any active actions in studies and for advancement at work, his performance is significantly reduced, and frequent sleep disturbances (drowsiness or insomnia) are noted.

In addition to the above, signs of neurosis include inadequate, which can be either overestimated or underestimated.

Symptoms of somatic neurosis include the following manifestations:

- episodic heart pain that occurs at rest or during physical activity;

- signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia, sweating, tremors of the limbs, severe anxiety, which are accompanied by hypotonic syndrome.

At moments of critical decrease in blood pressure, the patient may lose consciousness or faint.

Signs of neurosis in adults can manifest themselves in the appearance of psychalgia, which is characterized by the expression pain without organic pathology.

Pain in such cases acts as a panic reaction of the psyche to the patient’s expectation of this. Often a person has a situation where exactly what he subconsciously cannot let out of his thoughts and what he is afraid of happens to him.

Signs of neurosis

The following signs may indicate the presence of this disorder in a person:

- emotional distress for no apparent reason;

- communication problems;

- frequent experiences of feelings, anxiety, anxious expectation of something;

- indecision;

- instability of mood, sharp or frequent variability;

— inconsistency and uncertainty of the system of values, life preferences and desires, cynicism;

— inadequate self-esteem: overestimation or underestimation;

- tearfulness;

- high sensitivity to stress in the form of despair or;

- anxiety, vulnerability, touchiness;

- fixation on a traumatic situation;

— attempts to work quickly end in fatigue, decreased attention and thinking ability;

- a person experiences increased sensitivity to temperature changes, bright light, loud sounds;

— sleep disorders: restless, superficial sleep that does not bring relief, drowsiness is noted in the morning;

- heart pain and headaches;

- increased fatigue, feeling tired, general decrease in performance;

— darkening in the eyes from pressure changes, dizziness;

- pain in the abdomen;

- difficulty maintaining balance, disorders of the vestibular apparatus;

- loss of appetite (malnutrition, hunger, overeating, rapid satiety when eating);

- sleep disturbances (insomnia), early awakening, difficulty falling asleep, lack of a full feeling of rest after sleep, night awakenings, nightmares;

- psychological fear of physical pain, increased concern for one’s health;

— vegetative disorders: increased sweating, palpitations, disruption of the stomach, surges in blood pressure, increased urge to urinate, cough, loose stools;

- decreased potency and libido.

Forms of neurosis

Currently, the following forms of neurosis have become widespread:

The term “cognitive therapy” means reproducing a situation that caused anxiety and anxiety in a patient in a safe environment. This allows patients to intelligently assess what happened and draw the necessary conclusions. Cognitive therapy is often carried out during a hypnotic trance.
After removing the patient from a neurotic state, a conversation is held with him regarding his future lifestyle, finding his place in the world around him and normalizing his state of health. The patient is advised to distract himself and find ways to relax from the surrounding reality, to acquire any hobby or hobby.

In cases where psychotherapy methods in the treatment of neuroses do not bring the expected result, then there is a need to carry out drug therapy.

Several groups of drugs are used for this:

- tranquilizers;

- neuroleptics;

- antidepressants;

- nootropic drugs and psychostimulants.

Tranquilizers are similar in their pharmacological effect to antipsychotics, but have a different mechanism of action, stimulating the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid. They have a pronounced sedative and relaxing effect. Prescribed in short courses for obsessive-compulsive neuroses.

Tranquilizers reduce feelings of fear, anxiety, and emotional tension. This makes the patient more accessible to psychotherapy.
Tranquilizers in large doses at first can cause a feeling of lethargy, drowsiness, mild nausea, and weakness. In the future, these phenomena disappear, and these drugs do not affect the ability to work. Since tranquilizers slow reaction time and reduce attention, they must be prescribed to transport drivers with great caution.
IN medical practice The most commonly prescribed tranquilizers are benzodiazepine derivatives - chlordiazepoxide (Librium, Elenium), Diazepam (Valium, Seduxen), Tazepam (Oxazepam), Eunoctin (Nitrazepam, Radedorm). They have anti-convulsant, anti-anxiety, vegetative-normalizing and mild hypnotic effects.

Also widely used are tranquilizers such as Andaxin (Meprotan, Meprobamate) and Trioxazin. Each drug has its own psychopharmacological characteristics.

When choosing tranquilizers, the psychotherapist takes into account not only the symptoms of the disorder, but also the patient’s individual reaction to it. For example, some patients tolerate Trioxazine well and Seduxen (Diazepam) poorly, while others do the opposite.
Doses of the drug are selected individually, starting with one tablet of Seduxen (5 mg) or Librium (10 mg). Every day the dose of the medicine is increased by 1-2 tablets and an average of 10-30 mg of Seduxen or 20-60 mg of Librium is given.

Neuroleptics (Aminazine, etc.) have an antipsychotic effect, have a hypnotic and sedative effect, eliminate hallucinations, but with long-term therapy they can cause depression. Prescribed for the hysteroid form of neurosis.

Antidepressants (Amitriptyline, etc.) have a pronounced sedative effect. Used for neuroses accompanied by fear and anxiety. Can be used parenterally or in tablet form.

Nootropic drugs (Nootropil, etc.) and psychostimulants have an exciting effect, improve the emotional state, increase mental performance, reduce the feeling of fatigue, cause a feeling of strength and vigor, and temporarily prevent the onset of sleep. Prescribed for depressive forms of neurosis.

These drugs should be prescribed with caution, since they activate the body’s “reserve” capabilities without eliminating the need for normal sleep and rest. In unstable psychopathic individuals, addiction may occur.

The physiological effect of psychostimulants is in many ways similar, in part, to the action of adrenaline and caffeine, which also have stimulating properties.

Of the stimulants, Benzedrine (Phenamine, Amphetamine) is most often used, 5-10 mg 1-2 r. per day, Sidnocarb 5-10 mg 1-2 r. in the first half of the day.

In addition to general tonics, for asthenic conditions, experts prescribe the following tonic drugs:

- ginseng root 0.15 g, 1 t. 3 r. Per day or 25 drops 3 r. per day 1 hour before meals;

— Schisandra tincture 20 drops 2 r. in a day;

- Eleutherococcus extract, half a teaspoon, 3 rubles. a day half an hour before meals;

— Leuzea extract 20 drops 2 r. a day before meals;

- sterculia tincture 20 drops 2-3 r. in a day;

— tincture of bait, 30 drops, 2-3 r. in a day;

- Aralia tincture 30 drops 2-3 r. in a day;

— Saparal 0.05 g, 1 t. 3 r. a day after meals;

— Pantocrine 30 drops 2-3 r. a day before meals.

To improve the quality of sleep and reduce effective tension, patients with neuroses are prescribed small doses of sleeping pills.

How to treat neurosis

For neuroses, soothing music, which affects the psycho-emotional state, is very effective in treating. Scientists have already proven that correctly selected music can influence the most important physiological reactions: heart rate, gas exchange processes, blood pressure, depth of breathing, and activity of the nervous system.
From the point of view, music can change the energy inside the individual's body, achieving harmony on all levels - emotional, physical, spiritual.

Musical works can oppositely change a person's mood. In this regard, everything musical compositions divided into activating and calming. Psychotherapists use music as a method that promotes the production of endorphins and allows the patient to experience the most desired emotions, helping in overcoming depressive states.
Music therapy was officially recognized in European countries back in the 19th century. Currently, music is used for stuttering, as well as mental, neurotic, and psychosomatic diseases. Musical rhythms and sounds have a selective effect on a person. Classic studies can relieve anxiety and tension, even out breathing, and relax muscles.

Internal conflicts and stress force people to find peace by turning to specialists, mastering effective relaxation methods to restore the nervous system. Such techniques are accompanied by special melodies that serve as a background for them and have a relaxing effect.

A new direction “meditative music” has appeared in music, including ethnic songs and folk music. The construction of such a melody occurs on repeating elements, a combination of viscous enveloping rhythms and ethnic patterns.

Prevention of neuroses

As a rule, the prognosis for neuroses is favorable, but in order to cure them completely, a lot of effort, time, and sometimes financial costs are required. That's why great importance has the prevention of neuroses.

It is very important in preventing states of neurosis to normalize the work and rest schedule, have some kind of hobby, and take regular walks in the fresh air. To relieve mental stress, you need to find a suitable opportunity, which can be keeping a diary. It is necessary to accurately monitor a person’s personal condition, and if the first symptoms of psychological overload occur, you should contact a specialized specialist.

If the state of neurosis was caused seasonal depression, then for its prevention and treatment use light therapy or walks on sunny days.

Primary prevention of neuroses includes:

— prevention of traumatic situations at home and at work;

Secondary prevention of neuroses includes:

— prevention of relapses;

- changing the attitude of patients through conversations towards traumatic situations (persuasion treatment), suggestion and; if they are detected, timely treatment;

— helping to increase brightness in the room;

- diet therapy (balanced diet, avoidance of alcoholic drinks and coffee);

- vitamin therapy, sufficient sleep;

- adequate and timely treatment of other diseases: cardiovascular, endocrine, cerebral atherosclerosis, iron and vitamin B12 deficiency anemia;

- exclusion of substance abuse, alcoholism.

Have a nice day. I ask you to explain that I am not going crazy with me and that there is no schizophrenia in me. After the death of my grandmother on the third day at the evening, I stood in front of the mirror and marveled at something new, but it seemed to me that nothing had changed in me, but it seemed like this appeared, I guess that day, standing in front of the mirror, I asked myself who I am. Tsei the camp was written off as I am strong about this after the funeral. I woke up and woke up, but I started to feel confused in my head. I went to the line to school there, almost losing my guilt (before which I had gone to three grandmothers and steadily lost my guilt at the funeral), they brought me to the doctor’s office with pressure. The next day, everything repeated itself and it continued like this for two weeks, but it added to the confusion in my head and the constant vomiting, as if I was dying or going crazy, with a strong heartbeat and a lump in my throat. The doctor diagnosed astheno-neurotic syndrome. After 3 weeks of treatment, a new symptom was added, and in the evening I started crying for no reason. They sent me to a psychiatric hospital until they separated neuroses and diagnosed F 48.0 and F 50.0-? . After lying there for two weeks, they wrote me off, but my head had not gotten better. It’s gradually clear that I’m in a fog and that I’m not lost, I come to my office at my work place as soon as I know what has changed, because I don’t remember all my speeches and me It seems that the stinks appeared until an hour passed and I understand that’s all Because it was so bad and lost, I stared at the computer screen and squinted my eyes tightly. I have a strong fear of going crazy lest I develop schizophrenia. Please help me please

  • Hello, Vova. Worrying and obsessing over new diagnoses will be unnecessary in your case. You have reactive neurasthenia (F48.0), resulting from exposure to traumatic factors. You need to slowly get out of your state, think about the good, avoid stressful situations, worries, since the course of neurasthenia may be delayed due to the addition of other neurotic symptoms (individual obsessive doubts, fears, etc.).

      • Vladimir, everything will depend on your speedy desire to get well. A psychologist does not provide treatment; only a psychotherapist will help you get out of this state. Adaptol will help ease anxiety, anxiety, fear, and internal emotional tension. The drug does not reduce mental and motor activity, so it can be used during the working day.
        We recommend that you read:

Hello. I am writing here with the hope of finding help with my condition. Recently, one fine day, I began to have a headache, I took Citramon, Fanigan, trivially. Then it started to bother me in the area of ​​my heart, or in the left side of my chest. I started taking Valilol and Corvalol. I noticed that I take these medications very often. I turned to a surgeon I knew, he examined me and decided that my pain was not related to my heart, and referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist did an ECG and said that there was no pathology in the heart. Next, the surgeon gave me a back massage and said that there was probably a pinching in the area of ​​the left shoulder blade and gave me a blockade. It all started after the blockade, or rather my condition. I started to feel dizzy when walking and lack coordination. Everything inside the body is tense, hand tremors, chills. In the evenings, as soon as the sun sets, the face becomes hot, but there is no temperature, the face under the eyes becomes red. Anxious state. It seems to me that I am sick with something incurable. I did an MRI of the brain, the result was normal, there were no pathologies. The state is sluggish. It's more stressful to be on the street. Irritability towards everything, impatience in everything. I myself am essentially suspicious. But this condition and lack of coordination ruined my usual life. I passed the tests, the result was normal. I constantly think about my condition, I can’t get distracted. My brain only thinks about my condition. Sudden movements and the sounds irritate me so much that I twitch from it. Libido is impaired, there is no interest in sex at all.
Tell me please, what's wrong with me? I am very grateful in advance for your attention.

Hello! My name is Anastasia! 24 years old, two children! Since childhood, I was distinguished by high suspiciousness and empathy; after giving birth, panic attacks began! I learned to fight and perceive them normally, thanks to books and videos!
But the anxiety and neurosis remained, and over trifles, that someone would get sick all the time, I was out of balance, everything stopped making me happy, complete pessimism! ((((
I saw a psychotherapist and prescribed gidozepam and Simone, there were terrible side effects after which I simply stopped taking them! Please help me, in which direction to work, and how exactly?

  • Hello, Anastasia. In any case, medications are necessary (others should be selected) to maintain a normal psycho-emotional state. We recommend additional consultation and examination by an endocrinologist; perhaps hormonal imbalance is the cause of anxiety.

Hello! I’m 38, husband, two children, everything in life is good. Against the background of ordinary life, in March there was an attack (sympatho-adrenal crisis), since then it began... The attacks themselves occurred 3 times, in principle, I learned to fight them (or Corvalol, or 1/4 of Phenazepam - the doctor prescribed). But a condition that lasts for weeks completely unsettles you, prevents you from living and enjoying life, because you don’t know when it will strike: unpleasant sensations in the stomach, as if you were very frightened, your heart is pounding, your blood pressure rises a little. I became nervous, a “tight string” state. I take anaprilin, but the symptoms do not go away. The spine was treated, an osteopath and a chiropractor corrected everything. My heart is healthy, my thyroid, adrenal glands and hormones are normal... I saw a neurologist, cardiologist and psychoendocrinologist. PAND believes that I have a genetic deficiency of neurotransmitters. She suggested taking antidepressants. But outside of exacerbations, I have a great mood, a surge of energy, and it’s summer now - sun, walks, long daylight hours. There would be no reason for depression; my only experience is this incomprehensible state for no reason!
A lot of money has already been spent, but there is no result. Doctors don’t see any special problems, but how can I live?? Does this look like a neurosis (I’m very emotional, like my mother, but I haven’t suffered from depression, I’ll quickly flare up, cry and everything is ok)? Is it possible that this delayed stress manifested itself in this way (the youngest had colic for 5 months, it was very emotionally difficult to carry a baby screaming until he was blue in the face for several hours; waking up at night, his nerves were “on edge” all the time)? Which specialist should I go to? Will hypnosis help (but I don’t have a psychological trauma that causes PA)?
So, help me get back to normal life! I'm tired…

  • If a doctor prescribes antidepressants, it’s for a reason. They treat not only depression but also panic attacks that you have. It's strange that the doctor didn't tell you this. And if your panic attacks go away, you shouldn’t stop taking antidepressants until you take the medication for the time prescribed by the doctor, otherwise the panic attacks may return because the effect needs to be consolidated. If the drug is not Valdoxan, before you stop drinking you need to gradually reduce the dosage to avoid withdrawal syndrome.

Hello. Girl, 25 years old. I had a long period of stress, after which when I fell asleep, tremors in my chest began, as if I were being thrown out of sleep. After several such shocks, sleep came and everything was fine, it didn’t bother me too much. But then I had a severe nervous breakdown, and I didn’t sleep at all that night (I lay there, thoughts swarming in my head like hallucinations, a terrible state, but I couldn’t fall asleep). After that I started having problems sleeping. The first few days I felt like I couldn’t sleep at all, I was ready to throw myself out the window, out of horror. Then my mother tried to convince me for a long time, saying that it was okay, everything would pass. And my friends said the same thing. A week has passed. I sleep, I haven’t used sleeping pills and don’t plan to, I drink sedative collection No. 2, motherwort, Magnerot and Valoserdin before bed. Previously, I spent the whole working day only thinking about my problem, it seemed to me that I would never get out of this and would not be able to sleep normally (I am a terrible hypochondriac, I am generally afraid of diseases). I tried to contact a neurologist, but he said that he would prescribe blood pressure for me and that’s all... but damn, the problem here is different, in the head, in anxiety, and I understand that. I end up going to bed at 9:30 p.m., sleeping with earplugs and a headband, only listening to cartoons, which has only gotten worse lately, it wakes me up. Every morning I analyze my sleep and try to figure out how to improve it, and make this terrible state go away once and for all. You see, I'm not afraid that I won't fall asleep at all. I'm lying and waiting, well, when will it be, damn it. I did different techniques, contrast showers, etc. Previously, before all this, I would go to bed and just fall asleep, even at three in the morning, even at one o’clock. And today I woke up at one in the morning (I also wake up all the time), and went on to fall asleep and again these stupid hallucinations-thoughts from which only drowsiness. I’m already lying down, specially concentrating on breathing, just to get them out of my head. This lasts for almost two weeks. My life seemed to be divided into before and after. I have eliminated all external conflicts, I try to react to everything calmly. I think about my sleep problem less often. But it’s extremely difficult for me to fall asleep; the comparison comes as if I had to seep through a concrete wall. Now I have a vacation soon and I will go to my parents. Tell me, will this pass? Are these difficulties falling asleep? And how can you make your brain understand that sleep is not scary and stop getting so worked up? I beg you, help me!

  • Hello Anna. Considering that you have a vacation soon, you should take advantage of this correctly: stay in the fresh air as much as possible, sunbathe, swim in ponds. Active rest normalizes sleep.

    • Hello again. Me again, Anna. In general, I didn’t feel much better in 2 months. At first I woke up every 1.5 hours, then it went away. Now I just wake up at night or in the morning at 4-5 o'clock and can't fall back to sleep. Sometimes out of desperation I started taking Donormil and Melaxen. I'm very tired of this, it feels like it will never end. I drank motherwort, valerian, glycine and magnesium and B vitamins - nothing helped. I have become calmer, the acute stress has passed, and now there is just some kind of despair. I'm afraid of getting depressed. Because of this fucking dream, nothing makes me happy. Help me, or is it already too late to see a psychotherapist?

  • V. Sinelnikov’s meditations helped me. I don't remember the name, it's on YouTube. I listened and fell asleep with headphones on. I woke up every 2 hours at night. I listened for a long time.

    In fact, antidepressants treat the head and treat not only depression, but also the nerves that cause sleep problems. A doctor wouldn't just prescribe them. Most likely, your doctor wanted to prescribe you antidepressants with a hypnotic effect.

Good evening. At the end of 2017, I got sick. In January 2018, for the first time I was struck by PA, tachycardia. Then I completely collapsed and felt like I was dying. I didn't understand what was happening. I was constantly crying, thinking in my head that something was wrong with my brain. And then a nightmare began, which I began to go through in some places: doctors, tests, ultrasounds, endless conversations that something was wrong, I could not correctly and clearly explain what was happening to me. The doctors didn't understand either. I was constantly shaking, I was losing weight, my hair began to fall out, my heart was constantly beating wildly, even at rest; I couldn’t sleep or eat. I stopped perceiving and feeling the world correctly. It seemed to me that I had lost the feelings that I had before. Everything around me became wrong... It was my brain that began to perceive everything incorrectly. This is still the case today. I'm afraid of him because I invent some kind of disease in my brain. I'm scared. Really scary. I went through agorophobia without leaving the house for almost 3 months. Then I forced myself to go to my parents, I thought it would become easier, but no. It hit me even more. At the moment, nothing has changed, I have overcome some of my fears, such as agorophobia, but everything else is still beyond my control. Sometimes I am afraid that something is really wrong with me and that I am seriously ill, although the test results are good. I'm tired of being alienated. Tell me, is this neurosis or something else? Thanks for the answer.

Hello. My name is Katerina. I'm 23. I work with children at school. For 7 years I have been trying to get used to the idea that I will never have a chance to work in my profession (Main). Disease of the musculoskeletal system (knees, and then back). At the age of 16, doctors stated that I would not be an artist-dancer, but it was not advisable to become a choreographer either. She left the profession (she was studying at a choreographic school at that moment) and completely changed her activities. For a year I lay at home in the dark with breaks for my unloved studies. Then I realized that this was no longer possible. I was looking for interests, hobbies. But the choreography haunted me. They invited me to work. She worked. At least a few hours a week in this area. She cried and agreed to take the groups again. I decided to change everything and moved to another city. Changed profession. 2 educational institutions with honors. It didn't get any easier. I was invited to join a dance project as a teacher at a summer camp. I set the numbers, and in the evening, with tears and a cigarette, I try to pull myself together and live another day. Throughout this time I tried to close these doors for myself forever. But no way. There is less and less meaning in this existence. I had surgery on my knee. 2 times. Doctors do not console, “If you want to walk at 40, stop.” The spine is crumbling. You try to live with physical pain. It turns out. I'm almost used to it. There is no goal. I also don’t know why I wake up in the morning. Nightmares at night. The state that I haven’t slept and would rather not go to bed, because I wake up in tears and sometimes from my own scream. I closed myself off from everyone, pretending that everything was fine. A year ago, it got to the point where 3 was lying down and couldn’t get up. I didn't have the strength to go to the restroom. Little by little I forced myself to continue living. I don't talk about this with my friends. Do not understand. Closed. I pretend that everything is fine. Any situation that is uncomfortable brings tears to your eyes. Irritated by everything. And one question, will it always be like this? No strength. I go to work and realize that all this is pointless. This mortgage, work, vacation. And then children, family. And all this is for nothing. The joy is long gone. About 3 years ago. I didn't ask for help. I don't know who. Please tell me. It's embarrassing to talk about this to anyone. I’m young, what problems can I have? (That’s what they once said.) Then the thought arose that maybe I had imagined everything for myself? Or is this really a problem and already the beginning of some kind of illness?
Thank you.

  • Karina, don't give up! You are young, you need to move on with your life, I’m not a doctor, my joints also hurt, I take various supplements, sometimes the pain bothers me, but I don’t give up. Good luck, health, strength, patience.

    So this is... You have a direct route to a psychotherapist, I myself go probably once a year, being a cheerful, kind, smart young man, we communicate 4 hours per hour a week and everything falls into place. Therefore, my advice is only to see a psychologist or psychotherapist; in 2 months you won’t recognize yourself. I noticed a lot of people are “driven”, either they are not handsome, they are sick, or they come up with something else for themselves. but the problem is in the “sick” head.. Good luck to you

    Karina, I went through all this. You need a qualified doctor who will put your back and knees back in place. All these problems are 99% from the back. I had panic attacks all the time. I hid in a corner and waited for my end to come. You could say I was put on my feet by a neurologist... who had deep knowledge in the field of acupuncture and manual therapy. Good luck to you.

Hello. 3 weeks ago I miraculously saved my two-year-old daughter, she almost drowned in the cesspool of her husband’s parents. Now it seems to me that this is a dream, I’m afraid to wake up and it will turn out that I didn’t save her. A constant feeling of anxiety and fear. I'm going crazy?

Good afternoon, my name is Alina, I suffer from heart disease, or rather a year ago I was put on an artificial heart pacemaker. According to the doctors, everything is fine with me, my heart began to work as it should, and after the operation I began to feel constant feelings of anxiety. Sometimes the wave just passes, my hands begin to tremble, my heart beats furiously, cold sweat passes and I feel like I’m going to faint or die. At the time of such attacks, I was checked by doctors who said that everything was fine with my heart and recommended that I see a neurologist. After consulting a neurologist, a pinched injury was diagnosed cervical spine, took a massage course and different therapies including medications, it got better for a while, but the attacks began to recur, I still have panic attacks very often on public transport and all the time it’s as if my head is in some kind of dope, I’m slightly intoxicated, I don’t drink alcohol. The feeling of joy also comes very rarely. Husband, child, I want to enjoy life, but sometimes I’m just consumed by melancholy because of this state and a constant feeling of fatigue, a mad desire to go into deep sleep. So I started to think maybe this neurosis is catching up with me after all.

  • Alina, good afternoon. You wrote everything just like I did, word for word. I've been struggling with this for 4 years now and nothing has happened. I really don't know what to do anymore. These fears... and there is no desire to live.

Hello. A family I know is dysfunctional: severe poverty, frequent internal conflicts in which children are actively drawn into. The eldest boy, 12 years old, systematically rudely argues with his mother, during quarrels with her he often falls into protracted hysterics, alternately sobs, then aggressively insults his mother, almost throwing up his hands. At the same time, he may not be embarrassed by the presence of strangers. The mother herself complains that on special occasions her son breaks things or grabs sharp objects and threatens to cut everyone. Just the other day, for the sixth time, he was taken by ambulance to a psychoneurological dispensary, and on the day of hospitalization, on the contrary, at first he was unusually calm, in the next argument he even gave in to his mother, and then suddenly, according to his mother, he himself began to ask to call an ambulance ", saying that he needed the pills they used to treat him there. Otherwise, he said, he will start “smashing everything” and beating up his family. He is currently undergoing treatment at the dispensary again. The mother says that upon leaving the dispensary she always behaves calmly at first, becomes affectionate and affectionate towards her, and then again the behavior becomes worse until the next hospitalization.
But the most important thing is that with other people, outside the family, he behaves absolutely adequately, there are no special oddities in his behavior. With the exception of the occasional minor excitement that appears, although it lasts a long time until one is truly tired, but even at this moment the behavior does not go beyond the scope of ordinary mischief and retains complete clarity of judgment and perception. It calms down if you just hug and hold tightly for a couple of minutes. It is also noticeable that when there is a conversation on topics that concern him, his shoulders begin to twitch, but he still behaves in the same balanced way, trying not to show that he is excited or upset. More than once we walked with this boy in nature: he also behaves absolutely normally, listens, is careful where necessary, only on the way back he begins to delay his return in every possible way under various pretexts. In general, attacks of hysteria and aggression occur only at home (sometimes at school) and are mainly directed at his mother. When we talked about this, he claims that his mother is exaggerating, and in general, he says that he holds a grudge against her. However, it is not just that he is systematically placed in a neuropsychiatric dispensary. On the day of his last hospitalization, he came to my work and was calm; It seemed to me that he was somewhat depressed, and I also noticed that he didn’t particularly want to go home that day. But he still left when the time came, without much protest.
The mother says that she herself does not know what diagnosis he is given at the dispensary. Either they refer to medical confidentiality, or something else. But what kind of secret can there be for the child’s legal representative? Due to the fact that he has already been admitted to a psychoneurological dispensary several times, his mother is trying to register him as disabled, but she is refused, saying that there are no grounds.
Please tell me what kind of neuropsychic disorder he might have? The situation in the family is such that it is not surprising that the child is hysterical and scandalous, but is it because of this that they are placed in a neuropsychiatric hospital? In other places he behaves quite normally. He is registered with the juvenile affairs inspectorate, but for a long time he has not been noticed for any violations, except for returning home late. Sorry for the verbosity.

  • Hello Zakir. Children aged 4-14 years entering a psychiatric hospital are admitted to children's departments. If there is no adolescent department or ward in the hospital, adolescents are admitted to the adult department.
    The placement is carried out only by a psychiatrist. If the person subject to hospitalization has not reached the age of sixteen or, due to his mental state, is not capable of free will, consent to hospitalization must be obtained from his relatives. Patients who, due to their mental state, pose an immediate danger to themselves or others and are in need of compulsory treatment, may be hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital without their consent and without prior notification and consent of their relatives. If the applicant does not have indications for hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital, the doctor on duty refuses admission.
    Patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital as an emergency hospitalization are subject to within 48 hours of admission, excluding general weekend and holidays, examination by a commission of psychiatrists, which considers the validity of hospitalization and the need for compulsory treatment.
    It is impossible to answer your question about the diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis in the medical history is made by the attending physician during all necessary research and obtaining objective history data. The formulation of the diagnosis is given in accordance with the current statistical classification of the disease. Without the consent of the citizen, information cannot be transferred to anyone (except in cases specifically established by law). To provide information (including relatives, written permission is required). An exception is only for actually dying patients, and then if the patient has not prohibited it.

Hello. Girl, 17 years old. Frequent mood swings, it happens that I cry several times a day. I've been in this state for about a year. I have very low self-esteem, but at the same time very high. I have neither mental nor physical strength to do anything, I get tired very quickly. My sleep is bad, I have difficulty falling asleep, and in the morning it’s like I haven’t slept. I don’t feel safe; sometimes I can’t decide to take some action for a long time. It’s impossible to get out of this state on your own; all your energy is spent on motivation. Palms often sweat and heart rate increases. The stomach and intestines react especially strongly to all this, + problems with the thyroid gland (GOI). I'm guessing it could be neurosis. Please answer and help with advice: what is the best thing to do and which specialist to contact.

Hello. I am 28 years old. From time to time I fall into a sad state, but not often. A year ago, I gradually became “sad” for no apparent reason. I live alone. No friends. Only work colleagues. I don't drink, I don't smoke. Lost interest in work and training. I did everything through force. Frequent headaches It's a dull pain in the area of ​​the heart (checked the heart - everything is fine). I slept poorly and woke up very early. Feelings of guilt, then self-hatred, thoughts of suicide, a knife heated to red, burned my hand. This happened before, but not for so long. It is very embarrassing to talk about this with someone (they will then know that I am a freak). Almost back to normal now. How can I help myself the next time it hits me again? Who to contact?

I am 42 years old. Lately I have been having poor sleep and during the day I feel anxious and concerned about my physical health. At the slightest discomfort, I fear for my life and fear death. On top of that, I read all sorts of articles on the Internet about cancer and this aggravated the situation. I weigh myself often to make sure I’m not losing weight (weight loss is often a sign of cancer). The weight is normal, there is an appetite, the same ability to work, but there is a feeling as if the head was transplanted from someone else’s shoulder, there are headaches, feelings of compression of the head, at times involuntary movements muscles in different parts of the body, irritate loud sounds and bright daylight. It's hard to focus your vision. Plus, libido has dropped noticeably, although there is loving wife. Tell me what the problem is and how to overcome it. Thank you!

    • The description of depressive neurosis fits my description 99%. PA is only one of the heads of this “hydra” and it is precisely what should be treated, and I’m afraid psychoanalysis is not enough, and afabazole only relieves attacks, but does not cure, it does not move the disease to a milder level. Previously, alcohol helped me, but now the body’s reaction is the opposite, I drank a glass and had an attack, right as soon as the alcohol began to enter the blood. Breathing exercises easily relieve attacks, but again they do not cure. I would like to have a more radical impact on the disease!

      • Ivan, with proper treatment, depressive neurosis goes away quite quickly and without leaving a trace. The vast majority of patients with panic attacks show signs of depression.
        Psychoanalytic theory interprets the occurrence of a panic attack as a “suppressed” internal conflict, which finds outlet in bodily manifestations. Panic attacks may be a manifestation of some disease or the result of an unhealthy lifestyle. Therefore, in your case it is necessary to find the cause and only after excluding all possible somatic pathologies is a cure possible.
        To cope with an attack on your own, you are doing the right thing when you regulate your breathing, you can also distract yourself and take a sedative.
        Effective treatment of depressive neurosis is only possible with integrated approach with the use of medicines, psychological assistance, physical therapy and physiotherapy.
        Persuasion treatment is widespread, which consists of logical processing of a traumatic situation in order to change a person’s attitude towards it. Often psychologists use the process of self-hypnosis - the patient pronouncing certain phrases that form a new view on a particular situation, which at the subconscious level changes the mood. Antidepressants are the basis of drug treatment. Physiotherapeutic methods include: electrosleep, general massage, massage of the cervical-collar area, water procedures, darsonvalization, reflexology. Exercise or just regular exercise helps reduce the symptoms of neurosis.

    • Hello. Please explain how to understand whether I feel rational or irrational fear? For example, recently there was an incident that unsettled me - an old man knocked on the house, who almost accurately guessed the gender/nationality/age of the resident; when asked how he found out, he answered “the man downstairs said,” but after going around all the neighbors, no one saw anyone. And this old man wanted us to take his documents because... According to him, he has already been robbed several times, but the police do not respond to his calls. Then he started asking me about my job and who I live with. In the end he said if you’re bored, come to me and named a house, but not an apartment. I contacted the local police officer at that address; according to them, there lives in such a house an old man suffering from dementia, and there have been false calls more than once. To be honest, I didn’t fully believe their words, because when I turned to them, they were very annoyed that I was interrupting their lunch, and so I think they said “calm down and fuck off.” Since then, I have been tormented by the thought that the thieves, through the old man, checked the number of residents of the apartment and so on. For even if the old man really was sick in the head, then how he found out who exactly lived in this apartment remains unknown, because the neighbors did not see anyone. And despite the fact that there was nothing obscenely worth stealing at home, I became particularly nervous as soon as I sent this old man away - my heartbeat quickened, my body began to tremble (when I quarrel with someone I have about the same reaction) and for several nights in a row I had difficulty I could sleep - I listened to every rustle. I think I'm more scared of the possibility of being robbed than of losing anything. I began to regularly draw the curtains, peer at other people’s cars near the house, and close the windows. With windows, it’s a completely separate issue - if in the morning I forget to close them, and then I come back and see an open window, I’ll start to think that a stranger was in the house because I don’t remember exactly whether I closed them or not... no memory. And despite the fact that this anxiety goes away in the morning/day, but in the evening, at home, I again begin to ask myself the questions “was this really a trick of thieves?” and the uncertainty really hurts. I can sit stupidly thinking the same thing for an hour or two. Yes, and at work I can think about it, but in a more indifferent state. And I don’t know if this is related or not, but several years before this incident, I began to worry about wiretapping and surveillance. For example, some acquaintances stayed with us to live for a while, and the thought came to me that they could install wiretapping bugs in order to find out what we were talking about them. When I was given the phone as a gift, I again began to think that a spy application was installed on it. At work, when I was entrusted with the keys to a safe, without even asking for a copy of my passport and without employment, I began to think that the key contained a surveillance sensor. I take a roundabout route from work so that management doesn’t know where I live because I think that if something happens they might come to my house. And after the incident with the old man, I also thought about wiretapping and surveillance bugs, that perhaps the thieves had already installed them in the house and in the entrance. And I can’t understand if because of one incident my condition changed so much, can this be considered intuition or did some subconscious fears come to the surface? How do you know if this is a rational fear? By the way, as a child, I was also afraid of strangers breaking into the house - I looked at front door and expected the worst. But as he grew up, he didn’t really bother about it, even after a real robbery incident. And I don’t care about my physical safety; I was always more worried about my parents because... Since childhood, I saw that my father was not physically ready to fight back, and it was not in his character to beat anyone or insult anyone even for a cause. And when my father died, I was worried that we were burying him alive, because I didn’t trust the doctors here. I began to communicate online with doctors about my father’s illness, and everyone agreed that patients in the same condition usually do not die so quickly, and there was a chance of saving if they had performed an operation. In addition, at the funeral his face was inexplicably swollen and no one could give me an exact explanation for this phenomenon. For these reasons, already 3 years after my father’s death, I think that perhaps he was buried alive. It seems to me that I experienced my father’s death more than calmly—I mourned him for less than noon. Then life didn’t seem to change, although when I fall into thoughts about being buried alive, and, in principle, I remember my father, I can’t restrain myself again. I feel a little guilty for what a shitty son I was - indifferent, lazy, and when in recent months my father was very ill and was not himself, in a fit of anger I told him “you are a burden to everyone. when you're already dead! later regretting his words, he never apologized. All of the above are my biggest fears and I can’t understand whether they are rational or not. In the case of my father, I will never know if I’m right or if I’m wrong, and this is what really gets me! It's better for me to know the hard truth than to suffer in ignorance. And in the case of that old man, what about just waiting, will he be robbed or not? Having read about the symptoms of neurosis, many people can guess - indecision, uncertainty, rather low self-esteem, the heart rarely hurts once or twice, when receiving a large amount of new information or against the background of worries, the back of the head may hurt. There is also sweating, I have become overly sentimental (I can tear up if people are crying on the screen), after work I immediately fall asleep (even if I haven’t worked physically and mentally), but I thought this was due to hormonal imbalance. How can I figure out what relates to what and, most importantly, how rational/irrational are my fears? And what can I do myself in this case?

      • Hello, Gregory. We have carefully studied your problem. The case of the old man demonstrates irrational fear. The idea that thieves are using the old man to check the number of residents of the apartment is a far-fetched, obsessive thought.
        There is no threat to you, there is no danger, and this type of fear needs to be dealt with during an in-person appointment with a psychotherapist. We strongly recommend that you contact specialists, since the problem has existed for a long time “several years before this incident, I began to worry about wiretapping and surveillance”
        It is also important to get rid of the feeling of guilt towards your deceased father, since the entrenched feeling of guilt affects your entire subsequent life. Forgive yourself and stop beating yourself up for not being the perfect son. The last thing your father would like is for you to suffer now and feel remorse because of this, let go of this situation and continue to live happily.
        We recommend that you read:

        • Thanks for the answer. But I understand correctly in the case of my father and my fear of being buried alive - this is not a consequence of feelings of guilt, is it? What’s also strange is that while reading articles on the Internet about something completely different (say, in the entertainment sector), I come across articles about real cases where doctors mistakenly mistook a living person for a dead person. I don’t specifically look for such cases, it’s as if they find me themselves, which exacerbates my fear. Or, passing by the TV at home, I hear a program talking about cooperation between hospitals and funeral agencies, and the most painful thing is why none of the specialists can answer the question about the swelling of the face of the deceased (if he had known that this would happen, he would have insisted on an autopsy)? How many times in my life have I been to other people's funerals, I have never seen the deceased look like this. This makes me feel like my suspicions are correct. And in this case, wouldn’t letting go of the situation be some kind of deception for myself? After all, this will not solve the problem of ignorance.

      Hello.
      I have been sick for 5 years now (this is the period from the day I went to the doctor)
      They diagnosed neurosis, a severe form of depression...neuroleptics caused hallucinations, antidepressants also aggravated the “darkness in the brain.” The doctors said that it was a rare case that I had this problem of “drug rejection.” My question is actually this: I’ve been taking St. John’s wort-based medications for a very long time, continuously, I tried to quit, but after a month I came back. St. John's wort quite quickly brought me into a state in which I could “hold on.” Is it possible to take (even a herbal) drug for so long? Best regards, thank you.

      • Hello Angela. Despite all medicinal properties St. John's wort, however, the plant is not considered completely harmless. Long-term use of St. John's wort may have adverse effect on liver function, contribute to dizziness, increased blood pressure. The course of treatment lasts no more than three weeks, then you should take a break from taking St. John's wort for 1 month.
        You can be treated according to the following scheme: the course of treatment is 10 days, then a 10-day break.

        • I finally understood what I’ve been sick with for 29 years. I was ashamed of it and hid it. I secretly searched for similar symptoms in the literature. But in vain... There were similar symptoms in tension-type headache, VSD, and depression. I didn’t pay attention to the diagnosis of neurosis, I didn’t even look. What a fool I am. I've been suffering all my life. I'm completely tired!!! All my life I started taking Amitriptyline, then quit, started then quit. Due to increased sedative effect. My household began to not understand why I slept all the time and did nothing. Now I'm 51. Blood pressure. Amitriptyline should not be taken. Moved to Sirdalud. Although it doesn’t increase your blood pressure, it also makes you sleepy all the time. It is impossible to live normally. God, how did I endure all this until these years? I can not anymore. The worst thing is that my husband suffers from the same thing. He also hides, even from me. He thinks he's hiding it. I started drinking a long time ago. And this aggravates my condition. Is this inherited? I have the only late child. He is 12 years old. It seems to me that I began to notice similar symptoms in him. This terrifies me!!! Why is this a test for our family? For the sins of ours and our ancestors?! Help, People!!!

          • I have experience of neurosis for more than 15 years. Don't look for the problem in your ancestors. You are who you are. You have to live with this. Regarding my son, I’ll tell you what I did with my teenage son: I took it honestly, but without the nuances of my fears, and told everything about the disease and symptoms and torment. And he said that if he ever feels something similar, he should tell me without hesitation, and not isolate himself and drive thoughts away. Yes, and you need to talk frankly with your husband. Drinking alcohol will only make the problem worse. I already know that from myself. It’s a pity that we lost a lot of time on these fears, but we still have a long life ahead. You need to find a good doctor and, in addition to pills, also therapy. In a year you will forget everything. Yes, it's a cost, but it's worth it. I know because I started this business at the beginning, but abandoned it and didn’t finish it. And now there is a crisis of neurosis again. Now I’ll go to the end. I know that the result will be clear. The main thing is to finish it.

            Angelina, in your case, I advise you to contact a family psychotherapist. It will help determine the cause of this condition in your family's past. Rather, it comes from our ancestors.