Senile psychosis (senile psychosis): symptoms, signs, treatment

Senile psychosis is a collective term that includes a group of mental disorders that occur in people over 60 years of age. It is accompanied by confusion and states like schizophrenia, as well as manic-depressive psychosis. In books they write that senile psychosis and senile dementia are one and the same. But this assumption is erroneous. An old-time psychosis provokes dementia, but it will not be complete. In addition, the main signs of the disease resemble a psychotic disorder. Though the mind often remains normal.

Causes

The main reason for the appearance of senile psychosis is the gradual destruction of brain cells. But the reason is not hidden only in the elderly, because not all of it is observed. Sometimes genetic is involved. It was noted that if there were cases of such a disease in the family, then it is quite possible that you too will have it.

Senile psychosis has 2 forms. The first is acute, the second is chronic. What are they characterized by? The acute form is accompanied by the blurring of the mind, and the chronic form is accompanied by paranoid, depressive, hallucinatory and paraphrenic psychoses. No matter how old you are, treatment is compulsory for everyone.

Causes of senile psychosis

Let us consider them in more detail than was indicated above. So, the causes that cause diseases of senile age are as follows:

1. Diseases of the respiratory system.
2. Insufficient intake of vitamins.
3. Heart failure.
4. Diseases of the genitourinary sphere.
5. Surgical interventions.
6. Problems with sleep.
7. Hypodinamy.
8. Unbalanced nutrition.
9. Problems with vision or hearing.

Now consider what constitutes senile dementia (symptoms, treatment). How many live with this disease? We will answer this question in more detail.

Common symptoms of senile psychosis

1. Slow flow of the disease.
2. Weakening the ability to remember.
3. Distorted perception of reality.
4. Sharp change of character.
5. Problems with sleep.
6. Anxiety.

Symptoms of acute forms of psychosis

1. Unconcentrated attention and difficulty of orientation in space.
2. Difficulty with taking care of yourself.
3. Fast fatiguability.
4. Sleep disturbed, anxious condition.
5. Lack of appetite.
6. Feeling of helplessness, confusion and fear.

The patient's condition is accompanied by delirium and constant expectation of trouble. All psychoses can proceed continuously or have periods of enlightenment. Duration of the disease - about 4 weeks, this was written above.

Symptoms of chronic forms

1. Depressed.
2. Feeling of uselessness.
3. Slightly expressed depression.
4. Self-incrimination.

In different cases, the symptoms can be combined in different ways. Because of this, it is very difficult to recognize this pathology.

Acute forms of senile psychosis

Appear against the background of somatic diseases, for this they are called corporal. To cause frustration can do anything from the lack of vitamins and trace elements to hearing and visual problems.

Since the health of the elderly is undermined, they often try not to go to the hospital, the diseases are diagnosed late. And this turns into problems in the treatment of dementia. All that has been said once again shows how important it is to timely diagnose diseases of old people and treat them. Otherwise, their mental state can be irreparably damaged.

The acute form develops suddenly, but sometimes it is preceded by a prodrome of 1 to 3 days.

At this time a person has a feeling of weakness and problems with maintaining personal hygiene, confusion, hallucinations. Then comes an attack of acute psychosis.

During the latter, a chaotic movement and anxiety are observed in a person, thinking is confused. There is a delirium and thoughts that he wants to take his life, take away his property, etc. Sometimes there are hallucinations and delusions, but they are few, and they are permanent. In a number of cases, when senile psychosis occurs, the symptoms of the existing body diseases become aggravated.

The psychosis lasts about 3-4 weeks. The course of it either continuously, or with remissions. It is treated only in the hospital.

Chronic forms of senile psychosis

What is chronic psychosis? Symptoms and signs of the disease now disassemble. Depressive states are among the first symptoms of the disease.

They are found mostly in women. If the degree of the disease is light, then there are: weakness, lack of desire to do anything, a sense of meaninglessness, uselessness. If the patient's condition is severe, then there is anxiety, deep depression, nonsense, self-flagellation, agitation. Duration of the disease is 13-18 years. Memory is practically preserved.

Paranoia

Take this pathology to the senile age. Its peculiarity is in a constant delirium, which is poured out on one's own relatives or neighbors. The sick person claims that they do not let him live in their own apartment, they want to kick him out, kill him, poison him, etc. He thinks that things are being taken away from him.

If a person has a separate room, he locks up there and does not let anyone in there. But, fortunately, with this variety, a person can take care of himself. With a paranoid state, socialization is preserved, as the disease develops for a long time.

Hallucinosis

Hallucinosis is also a psychosis. Symptoms and signs of it differ depending on the type: verbal, tactile and visual.

In verbal hallucinosis, a person develops verbal delusions: intimidation, sacrilege, indecent lexicon, etc. When a person attacks, he loses control over himself, confusion and chaotic movements appear. At other times, hallucinations are judged critically by the patient himself. The age at which the disease falls is basically 71 years. This disease is isolated in the group "late-age psychoses".

In visual hallucinations, a person has hallucinations. At first they are few, and they are flat, gray in color. After a few minutes, the visions become larger, they acquire color and volume. The characters of hallucinations are mostly unusual living creatures, animals, less often people. The person himself is aware of his morbid state and tries not to succumb to hallucinations. Although sometimes there are situations when the images seem so realistic that the patient still goes on about them and does what they see in them - they can talk to their heroes. Most people are sick from 81 years.

With a tactile hallucinosis, there are complaints of burning and itching on the skin, as well as sensations, as if from bites. The patient thinks that ticks and bugs are crawling over his skin, or he feels sand on his body or stones. To the senses, visual images are often added: they see crawling ants themselves, etc. The sick person wants to take away the discomfort with all his strength: he always rinses his hands, turns to the skin doctor, etc. These hallucinations are observed at the age from 49 to 66 years.

Hallucinatory-paranoid states

With this psychosis, hallucinatory syndrome and paranoid syndrome are combined. There is a disease at the age of 60 years, lasts about 16 years. Clinical manifestations proceed according to the type of schizophrenia: a person hears voices, sees images, performs incomprehensible actions. Memory is stored in the initial period of the disease. Noticeable violations are in the late stages.

Confabulation

Typical disorders of the elderly, so to speak, the characteristics of senile age. In this case, the patient manifests a complete restructuring of the personality, and real and imaginary events are confused. A person believes that he knows the president and is friends with some celebrity. This gives rise to megalomania.

Pathology develops at the age of 71 years. Memory is not broken right away.

Naturally, the destruction of the psyche is considered an inevitable process in old age, and yet it causes great suffering both to the person and his relatives. But no matter how difficult, it is necessary to try to fill the remaining years of life of sick people with warmth and love.

How to treat senile psychosis

Senile psychosis is a serious disease, and it is up to the doctor to decide whether the patient should be placed in a hospital. Of course, the consent of relatives is mandatory. Before starting treatment, the doctor carefully examines the patient to identify its general condition, determine the type of psychosis and severity, the presence of somatic diseases.

If a person has a depressive disorder, then they prescribe psychotropic drugs such as "Pirazidol", etc. Sometimes, several drugs are combined in certain dosages. For other types of psychosis, drugs such as "Propazine", "Sonapax", etc. are needed. In any variant of psychosis, remedial remedies are prescribed, for example, "Cyclodol".

Treatment is always chosen with an individual approach. In the process, correction of somatic disorders is carried out.

Treatment can be carried out both in specialized psychiatric clinics and in regular hospitals, because psychosis can occur against a background of certain diseases.

The most favorable prognosis is given with acute variants of psychosis. And what are the chances for recovery in chronic course? Unfortunately, the forecast is unfavorable. All drugs only slow the course of the pathology at the time. Therefore, relatives need to have patience, calmness and loyalty. After all, dementia is an indispensable stage in the life of every person.

What is the life expectancy of people with senile psychoses, surely no one will say. But on average, doctors give such patients from 6 to 11 years, depending on the state of the human body.

Conclusion

Well, here we are, what is senile dementia. Symptoms, treatment (how many people live with this condition, we also indicated) depend on the type of pathology and the presence of concomitant somatic diseases. Now the reader can reasonably assess what to expect from such a disease.