neurotic and neurosis-like syndromes

What it is?

As in the case of neuroses, neurosis-like syndrome does not have an ICD-10 code. That is, official medicine does not recognize such a concept. However, this does not mean that it does not exist; simply, symptoms similar to neurotic ones accompany the course of many diseases and organic pathologies.

The peculiarity of neurosis-like syndrome (NS) is that it does not occur after psychological trauma or against the background of chronic stress, like ordinary neurotic-level syndromes. On the contrary, “nervous” symptoms occur due to some real, non-psychological illness. Neurosis-like syndrome has no psychological causes, although a particular patient may have an innate predisposition to the occurrence of such a syndrome.

It is believed that NS can manifest itself in any serious illness. Let's list just a few of them:

1. Bronchial asthma, food or skin allergies.
2. Endocrine and hormonal disorders such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism.
3. Some brain defects.
4. Diseases of the liver, gall bladder and pancreas.
5. Cardiovascular diseases.
6. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach ulcer, gastritis, dysbacteriosis).
7. Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, paranoid syndrome, etc.

Children have their own “list” of specific age-related (and not only) deviations that can also cause NS:

• intrauterine development disorders;
• influence of negative factors on the unborn child (smoking, alcohol, etc.);
• hereditary inferiority of certain systems and parts of the brain;
• birth injuries;
• nervous diseases suffered in early childhood.

In general, neurosis-like syndrome is considered by specialists to be an intermediate state between neurosis itself and organic pathology. And most often it occurs in children from 2 to 7 years old. In this case, the occurrence of NS can be associated with pathologies of brain development in the child. However, sometimes this disorder can go away on its own, as people say - the child “outgrows” it over time, since the child’s brain has enormous potential for regeneration. So after about 12 years, with the onset of puberty, the symptoms of the disorder may disappear, but you should not rely on this - treatment and prevention are necessary at any age.

Features of childhood neurosis

Neuroses in children and adolescents are the most common type of neuropsychic pathology. Childhood neuroses
are initially emotional disorders that arise when family relationships are disrupted
. That is, neurosis in a child is a sign that something is wrong in the family; the causes of childhood neuroses should be sought in the family. First of all, these disorders are associated with the mother, who is the closest person to the child in the first years of his life. In subsequent years, the father plays an equally important role in the formation of neuroses if he is unable to promptly resolve the personal developmental problems of his children.

The course of the disease and its severity depend on the gender and age of the child, the characteristics of upbringing, the type of constitution (asthenic, hypersthenic, normosthenic), as well as on the characteristics of temperament (choleric, melancholic, etc.)

Symptoms of neurosis-like syndrome

As with neuroses, it can be very extensive and varied.

A neurosis-like condition in adults is manifested by sudden mood swings, with the patient more often angry or irritable than calm and friendly. It is difficult for the patient to control his emotions and attacks of aggression. In this case, rapid fatigue and decreased concentration may be observed. All of the listed signs resemble the first and second stages of neurasthenia, but it is worth recalling that there are no psychological causes for the neurosis-like syndrome - they can only slightly increase the symptoms.

The physical manifestations of NS include:

• sleep disorders;
• constipation and loose stools;
• vomiting in stressful situations;
• lack of appetite, which can even lead to anorexia;
• changes in blood pressure and pulse;
• tearfulness, increased sweating.

As a rule, the patient is also characterized by: suspiciousness, constant anxiety and a large number of fears.

Important! For NS it is absolutely not necessary to manifest many symptoms at once - it depends on the disease that causes the syndrome, and to some extent on the personality of the patient himself, his worldview (although some experts actively reject this hypothesis, since it contradicts the main feature of a neurosis-like syndrome: not a “disease from nerves”, and “nerves from illness”).

A neurosis-like condition in children has its own characteristics and symptoms. Including:

• Hyperkinetic syndrome (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder);
• Tearfulness or aggression;
• Stool disorders, such as constipation or vice versa - diarrhea, abdominal pain;
• Increased anxiety, nightmares, fears and phobias;
• Manifestations of asthenia, decreased tone;
• Nausea and vomiting, refusal to eat;
• Enuresis, tics, stuttering;
• Excessive sweating or dry skin.

Complex of reasons

Neurosis-like syndrome often appears in childhood. The cause may be prenatal developmental disorders, illnesses and injuries suffered at an early age. When the disease appears at a later age, the reasons may be different.

The most common are the following:

• the presence of mental and neurological diseases (schizophrenia, epilepsy, etc.), while the patient is regularly observed and treated by a local psychiatrist;
• the presence of organic pathology of the brain (relatively minor disturbances in the structure and functioning of some parts of the brain);
• presence of chronic infections;
• the presence of somatic diseases (cardiovascular system, liver and gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract);
• the presence of chronic diseases of an allergic nature.

These conditions appear as a result of abnormalities in the functioning of the hypothalamic-limbic structures of the brain (caused by the above diseases), and as a result, a disorder of the neurodynamics of the cerebral cortex develops.

Children's reasons

In children, a neurosis-like syndrome begins to manifest itself in the age range from 2 to 7 years.

The appearance of the syndrome in childhood can occur for various reasons. These include:

• pathologies of intrauterine development, negative influences during pregnancy (alcohol, drugs, smoking);
• diseases of the nervous system of various origins (infectious, traumatic);
• somatic disorders (chronic infectious inflammation, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system);
• hereditary pathologies of various parts of the brain.

Diagnosis and treatment

The first thing to do is to identify the nature of the ailment. This means that the specialist must clearly define what he is dealing with - neurosis or, nevertheless, a neurosis-like syndrome. The treatment tactics for these conditions vary quite a lot - for example, the main method of treating neuroses is working with a psychologist, but in case of a neurosis-like syndrome it will not be effective enough.

Therefore, the patient should undergo a full examination, which is prescribed based on the existing symptoms. At the first stage, this is done by a neurologist, who also prescribes an MRI of the brain and an EEG. If the results of the research do not reveal any organic pathology, then the doctor has the right to assume that we are talking about neurosis after all - and refer the patient to a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.

In case of a neurosis-like state, research will reveal abnormalities in the functioning of the brain and other body systems. The main treatment for the patient will be prescribed by a neurologist, but in some cases the help of other specialized specialists - a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, etc. will be needed. This is due to the fact that first of all it is necessary to cure the root cause of the syndrome - that is, the existing organic disease, and only then (or in parallel) restore the impaired functions of the brain and nervous system in general.

The main direction in the treatment of neurosis-like syndrome is drug therapy aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease and improving brain function.

Physiotherapy is widely used, especially for the treatment of children. You may also need the help of a psychologist, since the manifestations of the syndrome themselves can be perceived quite difficult by the patient.

As part of therapy, adult patients are recommended to change their lifestyle towards a healthier one, give up bad habits and reduce the amount of stress (for example, at work). Children in the same situation need a calm and friendly atmosphere in the family, the absence of serious shocks (moving, flying on vacation, changing child care institutions or schools). During the treatment period, the patient should be in as calm an environment as possible - this will contribute to a speedy recovery.

Causes of neuroses in children

The development of neurosis is influenced by everything that can complicate the process of formation of the child’s personality, as well as everything that contributes to the increase in neuropsychological tension in parents. Therefore, among the main reasons that influence the formation of neurosis are:

- socio-psychological reasons,

- socio-cultural reasons,

- socio-economic reasons.

To the socio-psychological

reasons include emotional isolation of one of the children, if there are several of them, or, conversely, hyper-custody and hyper-responsibility to the only child in the family; insufficient psychological compatibility of parents and children; conflicts between family members; dominance of one of the adults in family life; changes in traditional family roles; lack of joint activities; isolation from external contacts.

Socio-cultural factors

– these are the problems associated with living in a big city; the acceleration of the pace of our modern life; insufficient conditions for proper rest for children, lack of time; security.

Socio-economic reasons

– these are, first of all, unsatisfactory living conditions of the family; parents' employment; mother going to work early, economic problems in the family, etc.

A mother who strives to free herself from family responsibilities and devote as much time as possible to her career has a negative impact on the development of the child.

Also of great importance in the occurrence of neuroses are somatic diseases and prolonged fatigue, which weaken the nervous system and thereby contribute to its increased sensitivity to psychogenic influences. Neuroses can occur in all people, but more often they develop in people with a weakened nervous system. Neuroses include neurasthenia, hysteria, and obsessive-compulsive neurosis. You can read more about what obsessive thoughts are and how to cope with them here.

What are the causes of neuroses in children?

Prevention of neurosis-like conditions

There is no specific prevention for this syndrome, but there are general recommendations that will be useful for patients of any age.

It is necessary to carefully listen to the “signals” of the body, undergo timely examinations and receive treatment if any disease has been identified. It is the delay in treatment that can provoke complications from the nervous system.

For children, prevention of neurosis-like syndrome begins in the womb. A pregnant woman should pay close attention to doctors’ recommendations and not refuse prescribed medications, tests and interventions. All this increases the chances of having a healthy baby. If the pathology has been identified, then the mother will have time to find the necessary specialists who will help the baby immediately after birth.

If a neurosis-like syndrome is detected in a child after 2 years of age, or the diagnosis has not been officially made, but the child is restless, there is a lag in psychomotor development, tearfulness, hysteria and other behavioral characteristics that indicate possible trouble, you should not delay contacting a doctor. The brain of a small child has a colossal resource for restoration and regeneration, but treatment with folk remedies, grandmothers and healers in this case will not bring any effect, but will aggravate the problem. Therefore, the only thing loving parents can do is to find a good neurologist for their child and strictly follow all his recommendations, including taking prescribed medications.