Neurosis is a disease that manifests itself primarily by fear. In addition, patients with neurosis may also experience somatic symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, and persistent abdominal or headaches. What exactly are the problems we call neurotic disorders and what is the treatment of neuroses based on?

Neurosis is actually a term that is rarely used anymore - problems that were referred to as such in the past are nowadays called anxiety disorders or neurotic disorders. What is neurosis and what are its symptoms and treatment methods?

What is neurosis?

Neurosis is a psychiatric problem that Hippocrates already talked about when he introduced the concept of hysteria. Today, the concept of hysteria is no longer used. The same goes for the term neurosis.

As it was not difficult to come across this term in various medical studies in the past,nowadays neuroses are referred to as anxiety disorders or neurotic disorders .

They are one of the most widespread mental disorders, moreoverneurotic disorders are actually found in every age group , both in children, young adults and seniors.

It is estimated that during the whole life one of the problems classified as neurosis occurs even in over 30% of the population. Both sexes can suffer from anxiety disorders, but neurosis is more common in women.

Causes of neurosis

In fact, the causes of neurosis can be very different, moreover, it is emphasized nowadays that the etiology of these problems is multifactorial.

As with other psychiatric problems and various somatic diseases, much attention is focused on the relationship between neurotic disorders and inherited genes. It is noticeable thatpeople whose families have someone suffering from neurosis have a significantly increased risk that a similar problem will also occur in them .

As an example, one of the types of neurosis can be given here, which is generalized anxiety disorder - children of people with it, evenSix times more often than children from the general population, they develop this problem themselves at some point in their lives.

However, it is not only genes that contribute to the development of neurosis. It is noted that various situations that are a source of significant stress may predispose to various types of anxiety disorders.

They are, among others school failures, harassment at school by peers, death of a loved one, as well as relocation, loss of job or financial difficulties.

The environment in which a person grows up may also have some influence on the development of anxiety disorders. It is noticeable thatneuroses are more often found among those who in childhood were exposed to emotional coldness on the part of their parents or, conversely, with excessive care.

It is also pointed out that a child raised by parents struggling with neurosis, by observing them, may somehow take over their anxiety attitude towards reality and eventually become predisposed to the fact that anxiety disorders will also appear and with him.

Some somatic diseases are also associated with neuroses. Anxiety disorders are more common in patients with chronic diseases (such as e.g. arrhythmias, diabetes or asthma), problems included in the group of neuroses may also be associated with endocrinopathies, in the course of which there are disorders of the thyroid gland or adrenal glands.

The abuse of psychoactive substances is also associated with the occurrence of neuroses. Alcoholics are at an increased risk of this type of problem, but also people who take drugs or abuse psychotropic drugs - neurosis may appear in them especially when they try to maintain abstinence.

Neurosis - symptoms

The basic symptom of neurosis - i.e. anxiety - can take many forms. It happens that patients experience it most of the time (then it is called generalized anxiety disorder), while other people have anxiety attacks (that is, they struggle with panic disorder).

The anxiety associated with neurosis may appear unrelated to any factor or situation, and its seizures may be triggered by contact with a specific object or event.

The anxiety itself can make it very difficult for patients to function, but it is definitely not the only possible symptom of neurosis. Patients suffering from one of the anxiety disorders usually also experience various somatic complaints.

The symptoms of neurosis are:

  • anxiety
  • palpitations,
  • shortness of breath,
  • shaking hands,
  • increased sweating,
  • dizziness,
  • headaches,
  • dry mouth,
  • nausea.

Types of neurosis

In the group of neurotic disorders, various problems are listed, the symptoms of which differ slightly from each other - for this reason, there aredifferent types of neuroses .

One of the best known is the generalized anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, otherwiseanxiety neurosis ), which is characterized by the fact that patients experience anxiety, which accompanies them for most time.

People with this problem worry practically all the time, and they may experience mood swings, a feeling of constant fatigue or difficulty sleeping.

Neurosis is also panic disorder (panic disorder), where patients may experience - in completely unexpected situations - even panic attacks.

The group of neurotic disorders also includes social phobia, agoraphobia, and a number of specific phobias, including claustrophobia, arachnophobia and fear of heights, as well as less known problems such as philophobia (fear of falling in love), entomophobia (fear of insects) or ablutophobia (fear of washing oneself).

A neurotic disorder that can significantly hinder normal functioning of patients is the so-called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The essence of the problem is the presence of obsessive thoughts and compulsions in the patient, i.e. the need to perform various activities (e.g. repeatedly turning on the light or washing hands very often).

Among other problems, which are also classified as neuroses, we can mention:

  • mixed anxiety and depressive disorders,
  • post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
  • conversion disorder,
  • somatomorphic disorders,
  • hypochondria,
  • persistent psychogenic pains,
  • neurasthenia.

Here you can also mention neuroses, which are typical of the population for children and adolescents. These problems are known as emotional disorders that begin in childhood and include:

  • separation anxiety in childhood,
  • childhood social anxiety,
  • phobic anxiety disorders in childhood.
Worth knowing

Neurosis is a psychiatric problem that has actually been mentioned for a very long time. One of the first scholars to deal with this subject was Hippocrates, who introduced the concept of hysteria.

According toit was associated with this ailment typical of women, such ailments as, among others, tearfulness or various types of demonstrative, in a way theatrical behavior.

The cause of the hysteria, according to Hippocrates, was supposed to be a malfunction of the uterus, which - in the absence of sexual contact - would in women move from the abdominal cavity upwards, put pressure on the organs there and lead to the occurrence of specific ailments.

Over the years, the concepts of the causes of the aforementioned neurosis have changed - it was thought, among other things, that the occurrence of hysteria might be caused by charms cast on a woman or by being possessed by unclean forces.

Diagnosing neurosis

Psychiatrists deal with the diagnosis and treatment of neuroses. The problem can be recognized by conductingpsychiatric examination , but it is important to always collect a general medical history with the patient - sometimes it turns out that the patient actually experiences symptoms of neurosis due to a somatic disease, which may be e.g. hyperthyroidism.

A thorough psychiatric examination is also important and due to the necessity to carry out a differential diagnosis - among the problems that should be differentiated from neuroses, we can mention, first of all, depressive disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders and disorders resulting from the use of psychoactive substances.

Treatment of neurosis

In the treatment of neuroses, two methods are primarily used, which are psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Interactions of a psychotherapeutic nature sometimes constitute the basic method of treatment - this is the case, for example, in the case of specific phobias, where to free the patient from fear of spiders, darkness or tight, closed spaces, e.g. cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Pharmacotherapy in the treatment of neuroses is used primarily when the intensity of neurotic disorders symptoms is so high that they significantly hinder the patient's daily functioning.

Psychotropic drugs that are recommended to patients struggling with neurosis are primarily antidepressants (mainly from the group of serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

In addition, anxiolytics, such as benzodiazepines, can also be used. However, as their use can lead to addiction, these drugs are only used for short periods.

Nowadays, however, new possibilities of treating neuroses are still being sought - as an example, the current ones can be mentionedfor some time now, work on the possibility of using neurosurgical procedures in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of the medical faculty at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

Category:

Psychiatry