Reactive disorders appear when a person cannot cope with his reactions to the experienced experiences. They can be caused by parting with a partner, changing school or place of residence - for this reason, reactive disorders can occur in virtually every human being. They may seem like a trivial problem, but - even due to the risk of the patient committing suicide - they should never be underestimated. What are the symptoms of reactive disorders and who to contact for help if they occur?

Reactive disorders(also known as adaptive disorders) can occur in every person, caused by various situations. Reactive disorders which are, in a way, a response of the patient's psyche to difficult and difficult life events.

Reactive disorderscan occur in both children and adults. In the case of underage patients, their incidence is the same for both sexes, while in the group of adults this problem occurs even twice as often in women.

Reactive disorders: causes

One specific cause of reactive disorders cannot be named - such a situation results from the fact that in different people it can be caused by completely different events. Generally, the factors that cause adaptation disorders are various situations which a person is unable to cope with and which cause him considerable psychological discomfort and stress.

As possible causes of reactive disorders, many different problems are mentioned, such as:

  • change of residence;
  • going to a new school;
  • professional problems (either related to the uncertainty as to maintaining the job position, or resulting from a change in the work performed so far);
  • conflicts in a relationship;
  • financial problems;
  • he alth problems (both for the patient himself and for his relatives);
  • parting with a long-term partner;
  • surviving a catastrophe (e.g. a natural disaster, but also a heavy event, such as a car accident).
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Reactive Disorders:characteristics and symptoms

In order to be able to talk about reactive disorders at all, their onset should take place within 3 months of the occurrence of an exceptionally heavy, stressful event for the patient. Another feature that, according to the American psychiatric classification DSM-5, is characteristic of adaptation disorders is that they should disappear within 6 months of the onset of a stressful situation or within six months of the consequences to which a given situation has ceased.

Important

Generally, the symptoms of reactive disorders can be very diverse and, moreover, they are relatively often quite uncharacteristic. In a patient experiencing reactive disorders, the following may appear:

  • feeling sad and hopeless,
  • tearfulness,
  • irritation,
  • anxiety,
  • feeling desperate and overwhelmed with life,
  • depressed mood,
  • concentration disorders,
  • sleep problems (most often in the form of insomnia),
  • constant feeling of worry,
  • neglecting your daily duties,
  • avoiding meetings, be it with family members or friends,
  • leaving school or work,
  • loss of self-esteem.
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Theoretically, after analyzing the symptoms of reactive disorders presented above, it would seem that they are not a serious problem. However, it is definitely the opposite - patients with adaptation disorders may engage in risky behaviors (e.g. driving a car completely ignoring the road regulations or getting into fights). They are also at risk of having suicidal thoughts and even self-harming or attempting suicide.

Sometimes a patient with reactive disorders reports not to a psychiatrist, but to a family doctor or internist. This happens especially when the symptoms of reactive disorders are not dominated by psychological but somatic problems. It turns out that sometimes people who do not cope with difficult life situations may experience, for example, various pain ailments, indigestion or a feeling of chronic fatigue.

Reactive Disorder: Types

The aforementioned DSM-5 classification distinguishes 6 types of reactive disorders - this division is based on which ailments dominate in patients and includes the distinction of reactive disorders:

  • with a predominant depressed mood,
  • with extreme irritability,
  • associated with depressed mood and irritability,
  • zbehavioral disorders,
  • with behavioral and emotional disorders such as low mood and irritability,
  • nonspecific (it is in this type of reactive disorder that somatic ailments can appear in particular).

It should be emphasized in general that the classifications of reactive disorders seem to be quite heterogeneous and ambiguous. The above-mentioned breakdown is derived from the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Classification (DSM 5th version). Meanwhile, it happened (especially in the past) that the group of reactive disorders also included reactive depression (otherwise known as exogenous) or the so-called reactive psychoses.

Reactive Disorder: Treatment

Psychotherapy plays a fundamental role in the treatment of reactive disorders. It is thanks to her that it is possible - with the help of a psychotherapist - to become aware of what events led to the patient's disorders. Psychotherapy also aims to help the patient understand their own reactions and help them deal with their emotions.

In the case of reactive disorders, pharmacotherapy is used quite rarely - medications are recommended to patients only when the intensity of their symptoms is significant. If patients are already treated with some psychotropic drugs, these are usually antidepressants (e.g. from the SSRI group) or anxiolytics (e.g. benzodiazepines may be recommended to patients for a short time).

There is no doubt that the patient's immediate environment plays a special role in dealing with reactive disorders. Support, either from the spouse, or from parents supporting a child with reactive disorder, can alleviate the course of the problems experienced. It should be emphasized that a person with an adjustment disorder should show as much understanding as possible - even if for his relatives the cause of the occurrence of reactive disorders may be even trivial. As it was mentioned at the very beginning - what will be a triviality for one person, may lead to significant mental disorders in another.

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