Affective insanity

Manic-depressive psychosis( circular psychosis, manic-depressive syndrome) is a disease characterized by the development of manic and depressive attacks. In the intervals between attacks( "light intervals") the patient's mental state is completely normalized by

. The causes of this disease are not fully understood, but it can be confidently asserted that the constitutional and hereditary factors have a rather big influence. In most cases, manic-depressive psychosis occurs in people after thirty, and more often they are sick with women.

. The course and symptoms of

. The relationship between manic and depressive attacks, of which manic-depressive psychosis consists, is very diverse: only maniacalOnly depressive attacks( periodic mania or periodic depression);Can be observed alternating manic and depressive attacks - or with "light intervals" between them, or vice versa for many years there is one type of seizures, which then without "light intervals" is replaced by another;Can be observed double seizures( maniacal immediately replaced by depressive, and only then comes the "light gap").

The observed duration of seizures varies from a few days to many years."Light intervals" also in their length have quite wide boundaries: from a few days to dozens of years.

The total number of seizures in each individual patient can be very different: for some throughout life there can be one or two attacks, and others have several dozen. The majority of patients with frequent attacks, there is their appearance in well-defined periods of the year, the so-called seasonal

disease depressive phase

depressive phase has three characteristics:

- Speech and motor retardation

- depressive effect: a keen sense of melancholy and much depressed mood

- Intellectual retardation( the course of mental processes slows down considerably)

The mood and thoughts of a sick person are frankly depressive:A sense of sinfulness, guilt in anything, there are ideas of self-destruction, self-blame, which often lead to attempts at suicide.

Anguish is felt throughout the body and is expressed in the severity or pain in the chest, in the heart, as well as in other parts of the body. However, there are depressive states and without such sensations, in these cases there is a predominance of oppressive gloomy thoughts.

Speech and motor retardation increases with the progression of depression. In especially severe cases, the inhibition becomes stupor - complete immobility and taciturnity. For depressive phase characteristic tachycardia, mydriasis and spastic constipation

manic phase

completely opposite in their manifestations of depressive and consists of the following factors:

- Speech and motor

excitation - manic effect( significant increase mood)

- Intelligent excitation( chemicalProcesses proceed rapidly)

The manic phase, unlike the depressive phase, is almost never manifested very clearly and often occurs withTert. In this state, a person is inclined to a significant overestimation of his personality, his thoughts are filled with optimism, ideas of greatness appear that can develop to delusional fantastic ideas. In the process of raising manic excitement, all human patient thoughts become incoherent and there is a so-called motor fury

Mixed states are characterized by the substitution of one phase characteristics, the characteristic features of the other. For example, there is a depression in which the accelerated course of depressive thoughts is combined with a depressed mood. Also, sometimes in a depressed state, there may be almost no motor and mental retardation;And with the course of the manic phase, a combination of mental and motor retardation with increased mood and well-being is possible.

Erased forms( cyclotomy)

Cyclotomy is an easy, relaxed form of manic-depressive psychosis. This form is observed much more often than the classical manifestations of MDP, and the phases are more smoothed and erased, and patients can even remain able to work.

In addition to cyclotomy, there are forms of depression that develop against the backdrop of long-lasting diseases( latent forms), the danger of which lies in the fact that the phase of such depression can not be noticed in time, and it can lead a person to attempt suicide.

Treatment

Manic -Depressive psychosis is conducted in a psychiatric hospital. The choice of drugs depends on the nature of the phase. So, in case of depression, which is accompanied by mental and motor retardation, prescribe drugs( antidepressants) with a stimulating effect( melipramine);If the patient with a pronounced anxiety and anxiety, use sedative drugs( tryptizol, amitriptyline).With concomitant insomnia additionally prescribed tranquilizers. Coping manic state occurs with the help of neuroleptics( haloperidol, aminazine, etc.).To prevent the occurrence of subsequent seizures, lithium salts or finlepsin are used.

In most cases, the prognosis is favorable, except for cases when seizures become continuous or very frequent( one phase is replaced by another), then the patients are transferred to disability.

More articles on the topic:

1. Catatonic syndromes 2. Intoxication psychoses