Somatic diseases and related mental disorders

Somatic diseases can be accompanied by more or less serious mental disorders. When treating bodily diseases, physicians often face asthenic syndrome. Though many cases of occurrence of a different sort of neuroses, psychopathic conditions, changes of consciousness and delusional obsessions are known .

1. Possible mental abnormalities during pregnancy and after childbirth

Severe pregnancy, exhausting the nervous system of a future mother, is sometimes accompanied by depressive conditions, aggravated by suicidal syndrome. The emergence of a mental disorder is associated with an additional burden (due to the development of the fetus) on the hypothalamus and the endocrine system.

After birth, disturbances in the mental sphere can develop against the background of the greatly weakened adaptive ability of women to abrupt life changes. In this case, the patients complain of poor relations with the husband, poor living conditions and many other factors of their irritability. Psychotherapeutic methods help to reduce fear for a child's health, panic, confusion, chronic fatigue and delusions.

2. The Flu

Somatic diseases in the influenza state caused by the type A virus give complications in the form of asthenic symptoms, changes in consciousness, psychosis. The group at increased risk includes people with chronic hypertension and atherosclerosis, which have weakened vessel walls. At the beginning of the illness, patients feel weak and broken, complaining of a sharp pain in the zone of the temples and in the occipital part of the head. At the peak of the development of the flu, there are manifestations of psychosis, smoothly passing in a few days in the syndrome of consciousness disorder. Treatment is carried out taking into account the general exhaustion of the body. Actions are being taken to prevent complications of a physical nature. Psychopathological syndrome is docked.

3. Neoplasms

Somatic diseases of an oncological nature are accompanied by an asthenic syndrome even before the diagnosis is established. The person owns the fear that his terrible suspicions will be confirmed, so much precious time is lost. After the diagnosis is established, the tension of the nervous system reaches such a high level that in the patient's condition psychogenic symptoms begin to dominate. Somatic diseases associated with neoplasms are sometimes complicated by the fact that the patient does not believe in the diagnosis. Treatment is difficult because of a hostile attitude towards the doctor and medical staff. Depressive reactions can be prolonged for a long time, intermixed with suicidal attempts. Chronic pain syndrome, characteristic of the terminal stage of the disease, is aggravated by fear, horror ahead of the future. Psychotherapy is the basis of treatment, activities are supported by antidepressants and tranquilizers.

4. Postoperative psychosis

Psychosomatic syndrome in the postoperative period is more common in the elderly and in women who survived the operation to remove reproductive organs. Depressive syndrome is observed in the first week after the operation. A special group at risk of developing mental disorders is those who have been cataracted or have performed other eye-related operations. In these cases visual hallucinations can take place with a relatively clear consciousness of a person.

5. Renal failure

Psychosomatic causes of diseases arising On the background of renal insufficiency, are found in medical practice often. Typical are asthenic signs with pronounced fatigue, unstable moods, loss of self-control. Irritability is closely associated with insomnia. The patient's condition is complicated by the increasing intoxication of the body. The occurrence of hallucinations in renal failure is a serious signal about the need for a hemodialysis procedure.