What is neurasthenia, causes and symptoms of the disease, manifestations in children, men and women, methods of treatment. Neurasthenia (asthenic neurosis) is a severe disorder of the nervous system, when, under the influence of any factors, increased irritability and fatigue appear, the psychophysical resources of the body are depleted, mental activity decreases, and interest in life is lost.
Description of the disease of neurasthenia
Among the many types of neuroses, the most common is neurasthenia. Individuals with a shattered nervous system are susceptible to it. Nowadays, a very common disease, about 5% of people of working age suffer from such a disorder.
An example is a familiar picture, I think, to many: a thin, twitchy person is nervous for any reason, his movements are sharp, his speech is irritable. About such unpleasant types they usually say: some kind of neurasthenic. At the end of the 19th century, the American physician Georg Beard drew attention to neurasthenic manifestations and came to the conclusion that they characterize a serious disease of the nervous system. The causes of neurasthenia are associated with the peculiarities of physical and mental development, when unwanted deviations in the body lead to depletion of "nerves" and a failure in activity.
An example is severe overwork, for example, a person works a lot and, as a result, lacks sleep or does not know how to properly organize his rest.
A body weakened by a long illness, mental trauma, poor nutrition, alcohol, drugs, domestic problems that lead to stress, when the inability to find a way out of a difficult situation makes you nervous, becomes irritable for no reason - all these are provocateurs of neurasthenia.
If such unfavorable factors act for a long time, it exhausts the nervous system and affects the appearance. The figure becomes thin, the face acquires an unhealthy pale yellow color, sweating appears, sudden mood swings are accompanied by pressure surges, the muscles of the arms and legs become ill.
A person becomes apathetic, the ability to endure great physical and mental stress decreases. He is ready to lie on the couch for days, staring at the ceiling, so long as they do not touch him, and if they make a comment, he explodes with a cry. Before you is a ready-made neurasthenic personality, communicating with whom no one gives pleasure.
Asthenic neurosis can appear at any age. Neurasthenia in children develops as a result of a prolonged stressful situation, which a child can get into, for example, while still in kindergarten. The boy experiences discomfort in communicating with peers, cries all the time and calls his mother. Adults do not pay enough attention to this, do not understand what is happening with the baby, and do not take any action. He develops stress, he becomes nervous, unbalanced in behavior.
Hard physical work contributes to the development of neurasthenia in men. When it is not possible to have a good rest after it, fatigue gradually accumulates, irritation arises. The body is working to the limit of its capabilities, which makes itself felt with constant pains, for example, in the calf muscles.
Neurasthenia in women is much more severe than in males. The general lethargy of the body leads to a decrease in mental and work activity, libido decreases, problems arise in intimate life. Young ladies of the most active and "family-forming" age get sick more often than the elderly.
There are much more neurasthenics in cities than in rural areas. This is provoked by a fast pace of life and a large social circle. City dwellers often communicate with strangers, which does not always have a good effect on the mood. A weak nervous system in critical situations is "indignant", which leads to a nervous breakdown, stress. The consequence is asthenic neurosis.
Neurasthenia is not psychosis, when the perception of reality is disturbed, control over one's behavior is lost and the personality becomes inadequate. Depletion of the nervous system does not disrupt the activity of the brain, therefore it is successfully treated. After the rehabilitation course, the patient returns to his previous normal life.
It's important to know! If a person is overworked and irritable, this does not mean at all that he is neurasthenic. He just needs a good rest.
The main causes of neurasthenia
The cause of neurasthenia is the exhaustion of the nervous system. Other unfavorable factors include somatic diseases, for example, heart, endocrine or respiratory diseases. Chronic intoxication of the body with low-quality food products, alcohol, drugs is also the cause of the disease.
The fundamental reasons why neurasthenia (asthenic neurosis) is "caught" include:
- Chronic fatigue … Constant hard work, inability to relax and rest, lack of a reasonable routine of life - all this leads to overwork. If this is repeated for a long time, the weak nervous system fails. In such cases, they say that "the nerves have surrendered." Increased excitability and irritability lead to illness.
- Household discrepancies … Hard work, not everything goes well at home either. Negative emotions provoke stress. Appetite disappears, strength weakens, the psyche works to the limit. A bad home environment makes you nervous.
- Mental trauma … Let's say the death of someone close to you affected your well-being, this became the cause of neurasthenia.
- Severe wound to the head, other parts of the body … Deep experiences that you can remain disabled for life can lead to asthenic neurosis.
- Malnutrition … The work is difficult, there is no difference - mental or physical. And the table is unbalanced, poor in calories. As a result, weight loss, chronic fatigue, irritation and a nervous breakdown.
- Intoxication of the body … Abuse of alcohol, narcotic and psychotropic substances, poor-quality food leads to the development of neurasthenia. Conclusion: do not eat cheap sausage and various dubious offal. Better to starve than to eat anything. This is a guarantee that you will not be nervous, and then go to the doctor about your worries.
- Significant loads … If a person is physically and mentally weak, the consequences of overvoltage will certainly affect health. Fatigue accumulates, as a result, sleep is disturbed.
- Disorder of the autonomic nervous system … Leads to diseases of internal organs: heart, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract. The endocrine system, respiratory organs are upset, blood circulation is disturbed. All this is the cause of asthenic neurosis.
- Bad heredity … When there is a flaw in the genetic pool. Severe headaches (migraines) or Klinefelter's syndrome (male infertility) are inherited and can lead to neurasthenia.
- Various infections … Severe illness of internal organs as a result of infection.
- Unimportant ecology … Often it concerns working conditions. Let's say a construction site has to work in hot and cold weather. This becomes the cause of various somatic diseases, neuralgia develops.
- Oncology … Various tumors, surgeries for this, subsequent chemotherapy, when it feels extremely bad, lead to a depressed, neurasthenic state.
It's important to know! Neurasthenia is not a sentence. It is quite treatable. One has only not to start the disease.
Stages of asthenic neurosis
There are three stages in the course of the disease. Unbeknownst to himself, a person descends a ladder leading to a serious health problem, when it is already necessary to see a doctor.
Let's consider the development of asthenic neurosis in more detail:
- Hypersthenic phase … It is characterized by increased mental excitability, even a small noise makes you nervous. Self-control is easily lost and dissatisfaction is manifested when he hears a loud conversation between family members or colleagues, they say, they interfere with concentration. Attention at this time is scattered, there is no ability to gather in order to finish the work started on time and effectively. Sleep is weak, it seems to a person that he woke up with a sore head, he needs to take a pill. The mood is ruined for the whole day.
- Irritable weakness stage … It is accompanied by increased fatigue. Sudden outbreaks for an insignificant reason quickly pass, not because of softness of character, but due to nervous and physical exhaustion. The person is simply weak, does not look good. Difficulty tolerating loud sounds, noise, reacts violently to odors. The mood is tearful and depressed. Lethargy in movements, interests are reduced to physiological needs: to eat, drink, go to the toilet. Sexual activity drops. Insomnia suffers, and drowsiness sets in during the day. Severe headaches appear. There is no appetite, stomach problems begin (heartburn, belching).
- Severe neurasthenic condition … The personality has completely reached the "handle". Attacks of unbridled irritation up to anger become more frequent. The nervous system is absolutely exhausted. Work literally falls out of hand. A gloomy mood prevails, apathy for everything, if only to somehow get off the job and go home as soon as possible to go to sleep. Although there is no sleep, lying in bed, a person is completely fixated on his problems, constantly scrolling them mentally. He does not despair, does not believe that everything in life is wrong, but the mood is whiny. At this stage, medical treatment in a hospital is indicative.
It's important to know! If neurasthenia is not treated in time, it will turn into a chronic form that is practically not amenable to therapy.
How to recognize a neurasthenic
Symptoms of neurasthenia are a sharp change in appearance and behavior, a tearful mood and frequent complaints of poor health. Somatovegetative dysfunction of the nervous system is also characteristic of neurasthenics.
Let's consider all these factors in detail:
- Bad mood (dysphoria) … Not just "under the arm", but every day. It can be provoked, for example, by bad weather or a spoon that has accidentally fallen over breakfast. They say about such people that "I got up on the wrong foot." Such a "got up" all day in a gloomy whining mood, constantly grumbles, he has unreasonable outbursts of irritation. And people, and animals, and nature - everything around causes discontent. Sometimes a low mood takes on the features of a mild depressive form, but does not turn into severe depression.
- "Barely a soul in a body" … This is when a person is apathetic, he is no longer interested in anything. The vitality is sharply reduced. Any work, even a favorite work before, falls out of hand. The circle of interests is sharply reduced, I do not want to meet with friends.
- Insomnia … Can't sleep at night, but during the day it tends to sleep. Such drowsiness makes you lethargic and lack of initiative, spoils your mood. Others show anxiety, constantly move for no reason, cannot sit in one place, or shift something on the desktop all the time.
- Painful weight loss … The appearance changes dramatically. Pale, sunken face with beads of sweat, emaciated body.
- Increased fatigue … The nervous system is exhausted, and even any slight effort will cause fatigue. The performance is reduced. For example, a partner said that "you work, and I will rest." Here you might think that he is just lazy. In fact, this is not laziness or cunning on his part, but a symptom of a disease.
- Increased or decreased sensitivity … A bright light or loud sound is perceived painfully, up to a scream and scandal. In other cases, it does not cause emotions at all, as they say, a person “doesn't care”. This indicates a decrease in the sensitivity threshold. The personality is so nervous that it is not even able to adequately respond to strong external stimuli.
- Pain in the region of the heart … The spasm of the cardiac vessels causes the feeling that the "motor" has been crushed by a stone. A man clings to his chest all the time, they say, the heart is playing pranks.
- Migraine … Constant severe headaches, radiating in the temples and the back of the head, affect performance and mood.
- Pressure drops … Blood pressure jumps up and down sharply throughout the day.
- Stomach problems … Frequent heartburn, belching, heaviness in the stomach after eating, nausea.
- Poor appetite … I do not want to eat, the smell of food is disgusting.
- Absent-mindedness … When it's hard to focus on one thing. Attention is scattered, memory is weakened, simple actions are difficult to remember. For example, I put the folder on the table and immediately forgot. He caught himself and began to look for her everywhere.
- Sexual "detachment" … Persistent health problems, emotional instability, and bad moods affect sexual performance. It decreases markedly. It recovers only after treatment.
It's important to know! If anyone discovers at least one of the listed signs in themselves or in any of their loved ones, you should consult a doctor.
Methods for treating neurasthenia
How to treat neurasthenia depends on the degree of the disease. In mild cases, home procedures can be dispensed with, which will reduce and eliminate the negative factors that caused the disease. In a difficult situation, drug treatment with supportive psychotherapy is necessary. Let's consider all the stages in more detail.
Features of the treatment of neurasthenia at home
Treatment of neurasthenia at home is reduced to activities that limit the impact of adverse causes.
The work schedule should be sparing, overtime work will have to be excluded so that the patient does not give all the best.
Rest, night and day, should be full in duration, calm and quiet, without unnecessary sounds that provoke bouts of irritation.
Nutrition is necessary balanced, based on the age and condition of the patient.
Sports activities are useful for restoring shaky health. For example, cycling or hiking.
To relieve excessive tension, it is a good idea to master one of the relaxation techniques - relaxation of the body. These are yoga, breathing exercises, water or massage procedures. Only in this case will success be achieved in the independent treatment of neurasthenia.
It's important to know! For a neurasthenic, alcohol is contraindicated. It should be discarded. Even a small dose of alcohol can provoke strong nervous excitement.
How is neurasthenia treated in a hospital
Treatment of neurasthenia in a hospital is carried out when the neurasthenic cannot cope with his problem on his own. Adaptogens - natural or synthetic drugs that increase the body's resistance to the harmful effects of the external environment - become the main ones in the rehabilitation course.
In case of increased fatigue, products on a plant, animal or mineral basis are recommended. These are ginseng, Siberian ginseng, lemongrass, ginger, sea buckthorn, honey and its derivatives (for example, apilak,) reindeer antlers, mummy, and others. To strengthen the nervous system and improve memory, B vitamins are administered intravenously.
With an advanced form of neurasthenia, when an increased feeling of anxiety, persistent sleep disturbance, the patient abused alcohol, tranquilizers and antipsychotics are used. This can be, for example, rudotel and thioridazine.
Medication is combined with psychotherapy sessions. Psychotherapeutic techniques can be different, for example, hypnotic effects, but the essence of all is the same: to set the patient up to abandon the previous disordered lifestyle. The doctor tries to radically change the thinking and behavior of the patient so that a relapse of the disease is impossible.
It's important to know! Neurasthenic needs support from loved ones. Only in this case complete recovery will come. How to treat neurasthenia - watch the video:
Neurasthenia is a disease of overload and inability to properly rest. It is characteristic of people with a weak nervous system, leading a chaotic lifestyle. To prevent this from happening, it is worth limiting the hard work "from dawn to dusk." And if you really work, be able to relax! Let's say it's good to have a rest in the bosom of nature without strong drinks and all kinds of fast foods. And naturally, healthy relationships in the family and with colleagues. In general, take care of yourself and don't be nervous!
