Manic-depressive psychosis is a complex mental illness characterized by pronounced symptoms: depression and mania. Usually, patients only periodically fall into such states, and the intervals between them can behave quite adequately. In most cases, this is a woman's disease: men give it 3-4 times less often. Fortunately, this is a relatively uncommon disease: 1,000 people have 7 with symptoms of manic-depressive psychosis.
Manic-depressive psychosis: causes
One of the first causes of manic-depressive psychosis is heredity. This disease is often transmitted from mother to child, because it refers to the autosomal dominant type of inheritance. This causes the possibility of manifestation of manic-depressive psychosis in children. There is a scientific view that it is the genes that determine which state will dominate - mania or depression. Specific data for the time being are not available.
Speaking about the physical aspect, this disease is caused by malfunctions in the functioning of emotional centers in the subcortex of the brain, namely, disturbances in the processes of excitation and inhibition.
It is believed that environmental factors, be it stress, disagreement with loved ones, etc., can not be the main cause of manic-depressive psychosis.
Manic depressive psychosis: symptoms
Depending on which of the conditions prevails, there may be signs of manic-depressive psychosis. If the type of disease is manic, the symptoms can be as follows:
- unmotivated increased mood of the patient;
- increased motor activity;
- excessive talkativeness;
- inability to bring the matter to an end;
- inability to focus on a particular case;
- unproductive activity.
In the case of an exacerbation of this type of symptoms will be pronounced from a few weeks to six months. During this period it is easy to see how a person rushes from one case to another, randomly changes his sexual partners, performs courageous deeds, is wasted. At the same time, it is obvious to all that there is no critical thinking. A person can neither assess his behavior, nor his achievements, and, as a rule, does not see any signs of the disease in it, which complicates the process of treatment. After all, how to treat manic depressive psychosis, if a person claims that he is healthy and refuses from examinations and procedures? ..
Another form, depressive, manifests itself in completely different forms. In this case, the feature set will be as follows:
- apathy , indifference to life;
- constant expression of sorrow on the face;
- quiet, non-emotional speech;
- slow movements;
- depressive stupor;
- loss of all feelings and needs (including domestic);
- thoughts about suicide;
- problems with breathing, a sense of heaviness in the sternum.
This type of psychosis is much easier to diagnose, because in this case, a person much easier to recognize that he has some problems.
Manic-depressive psychosis: treatment
After diagnosis, which includes electroencephalography, radiography, MRI of the brain and other procedures, conservative treatment, that is, medication, is prescribed.
Usually, patients are prescribed antipsychotic drugs with levomepromazine or chlorpromazine. These are drugs that have a sedative effect. In addition, lithium salts and haloperidol are often prescribed, but their administration is under strict doctor control because of the likelihood of complications.