Psychoorganic syndrome is a complex brain disease

A common state of general mental helplessness, which manifests itself in the form of a severe decrease in memory, intelligence, will, and is also reflected in emotional instability and decreased ability to work, is usually called psychoorganic syndrome. Although this disorder can occur at any age, it is often diagnosed in older people, who already have a deteriorating ability to quickly adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions.

Content:

1. Psychoorganic syndrome, causes
2. Complaints and symptoms of organic psychosyndrome
3. Psychoorganic syndrome, clinical variants
4. Diagnosis of organic psychosyndrome
5. Psychoorganic syndrome, treatment
6. Psychotherapy
7. Rehabilitation

The human brain often suffers due to exposure to painful factors. As a result, the patient develops a pathological complex, called in medicine psychoorganic syndrome (PS, organic psychosyndrome). It is manifested by memory impairment, deterioration of intellectual capabilities, emotional disturbances and other mental disorders. Identified deviations must be treated with medication and psychotherapeutic methods in specialized clinics.

Main symptoms of the disease

Memory impairment. There is a significant decrease in the fixation type of memory. A person begins to have difficulty assimilating new information. Often forgets what he did a few minutes ago or cannot retell what he is doing at the current time. It is difficult for a person suffering from this syndrome to maintain the correct chronology of recent events. Other types of memory may also suffer.

Intellectual impairment. With such disorders, a person’s cognitive activity decreases and his range of interests narrows. He begins to operate with simpler judgments, cannot perceive the situation as a whole, logic and the separation of the particular from the general suffer. Lengthy discussions emerge. Thinking becomes rigid, that is, it is difficult for a person to change the plan of activity or switch to something new.

Changes also affect personality. A person becomes more rude, egocentrism increases, and people around him cause negativity and dissatisfaction. Often the patient does not have a critical attitude towards his condition.

Emotional disorders. Psychoorganic syndrome is characterized by neurosis-like disorders:

• various fears (phobias, nightmares);
• increased anxiety;
• excessive activity or lethargy;
• obsessing over one’s health and looking for serious illnesses;
• depression;
• bouts of aggressiveness.

A person's emotions become poorer. Indifference appears, which is sometimes interrupted by a violent emotional reaction. Sudden mood changes are possible.

Psychoorganic syndrome, causes

A wide variety of pathologies can lead to the development of the disease.

Most often, doctors have to identify the following causative factors:

• Atrophic phenomena in the brain caused by senile processes.
• Atherosclerosis of blood vessels supplying brain tissue.
• Traumatic head injuries.
• Viral and bacterial infections affecting the central nervous system. Often specialists have to deal with meningitis and encephalitis.
• Tumor processes.
• Brain surgeries.
• Epilepsy.
• Diseases of the endocrine system – diabetes mellitus, damage to the thyroid gland.
• Cardiovascular pathology, strokes.
• Substance addiction.

Methods for treating insidious syndrome

Regardless of whether the disease has struck a teenager or an elderly person, close attention should be paid to quickly getting rid of the disease, which can significantly worsen the quality of life. By turning to experienced, highly qualified medical specialists, you can receive competent assistance that will allow you to once again experience the beauty of life. Doctors often prescribe antioxidants, vitamins and nootropics to improve mental performance. If aggressiveness is present, treatment will be supplemented with antipsychotic drugs.

Complaints and symptoms of organic psychosyndrome

The disease develops gradually. Minor manifestations become more obvious and are supplemented by new ones.

Patients are diagnosed with:

• Asthenic syndrome with weakness, emotional instability, headaches associated with weather changes, increased blood pressure, and attacks of tachycardia.
• A progressive decrease in the ability to concentrate.
• Absent-mindedness, inattention.
• Mental exhaustion and physical fatigue.
• Weakening of memory, loss of the ability to remember, forgetfulness, turning into amnesia.
• Confabulatory syndrome with distorted memories, fantasizing.
• Narrowing of intellect and usual range of interests. The patient loses the ability to isolate the main from the secondary.
• Dementia process.
• Impoverishment of speech.
• Loss of self-criticism, ethical distortions - a decrease in the ability to determine what is good and what is bad.

PS is characterized by Walter-Bühel's diagnostic triad:

1. Increasing memory loss.
2. Progressive intellectual impoverishment.
3. Emotional and volitional deviations.

Neurological symptoms

Patients may also complain of the following manifestations of the syndrome:

• rhythmic tinnitus, varying in intensity;
• dizziness that occurs when changing body position;
• sensitivity disorders - a person may experience goosebumps, tingling and numbness in the limbs;
• morning headaches mainly in the back of the head;
• sleep disorders (shallow sleep with frequent awakenings, insomnia, daytime sleepiness);
• asthenia (severe fatigue, fatigue, lack of strength and energy);
• deterioration of health in conditions of stuffiness, noise and heat.

These symptoms are often accompanied by speech disorders (aphasia), movement disorders (paralysis) and agnosia (impaired recognition of various objects and phenomena of the surrounding world).

Psychoorganic syndrome, clinical variants

Observations of patients enable attending physicians to identify the dominant type of disease course.

Several types of the disease are identified:

1. Asthenic. Sick people lose the ability to engage in any type of activity. They complain of severe fatigue, physical weakness, irritability, lack of performance and low mood. They are concerned about hypersensitivity to sounds, colors, and smells.
2. Explosive. Patients are overly excitable, overly receptive to any information, and aggressive. Any contradiction towards themselves provokes an angry response from them, often with elements of hysteria. To alleviate their condition, they often take alcohol. Over time, they develop pettiness, pickiness, the formation of overvalued ideas and paranoia.
3. Euphoric. Patients are prone to repeated sudden mood swings throughout the day. Bouts of gaiety and carelessness quickly turn to aggressive agitation.
4. Apathetic. In the clinical state, patients are dominated by indifference to the environment, indifference to life. Against the background of weakening memory and intellectual narrowing, dementia develops.

Danger to yourself and others

The social significance of the clinical picture is great. If at the asthenic stage patients can take care of themselves, and many are able to work, then with increasing severity of the disease they can first become dangerous for people around them (explosive, euphoric stage), and later for themselves (apathetic stage) due to pronounced apathy and helplessness.

Therefore, organic mental disorders require timely correction. If there is one or another option, you need to contact a psychiatrist.

All materials on the site are presented for informational purposes only, approved by certified physician Mikhail Vasiliev, diploma series 064834, in accordance with license No. LO-77-005297 dated September 17, 2012, by a certified specialist in the field of psychiatry, certificate number 0177241425770.

Diagnosis of organic psychosyndrome

Upon admission to the clinic for treatment, patients are offered a full range of studies.

The examination plan includes:

• Collection of data on the onset of the disease. In a difficult situation involving loved ones.
• Examination of appearance with physical methods (auscultation, palpation, percussion).
• Determination of neurological status.
• Laboratory and instrumental diagnostics (ECG, CT and MRI).

In some cases, it is necessary to involve specialized specialists in identifying the cause of the disease: an infectious disease specialist, a traumatologist, a neurologist, an endocrinologist.

Psychoorganic syndrome, treatment

After receiving all the examination data, it becomes clear which hospital requires care. When the causative factor is eliminated, mental disorders are removed in a psycho-neurological or drug treatment hospital.

To remove the symptoms of PS, drug treatment is used, including the use of:

• Groups of nootropics. These drugs play an important role in eliminating mnestic, intellectual and cognitive disorders. In order for them to give the desired effect, they must be prescribed for a long time and in large doses. Over time, patients experience a clear improvement under the influence of nootropic drugs.
• Neurotrophic agents with a protective effect. The metabolic and neuroprotective effect allows you to restore brain trophism and have a beneficial effect on all mental functions.

• Vitamins, especially group B, involved in the transmission of nerve impulses.
• Antioxidants that quickly remove toxic catabolites from cells.
• Sedative, eliminating emotional arousal and psychotic reactions.
• Tranquilizers that relieve fears.

As additional therapy, hormonal agents, anticonvulsants and others are used as indicated.

Psychotherapy

Features of the treatment of psychoorganic syndrome involve a combination of drug treatment and psycho-rehabilitation methods.

Psychotherapy includes:

• Individual psychocorrection sessions.
• The use of waking suggestion and hypnotic influence.
• Cognitive-behavioral form of influence on the psyche.
• Art therapy.
• Family format of psychorehabilitation.

Particular importance is attached to physiotherapeutic procedures, massage, and physical therapy exercises. Acupuncture provides a good therapeutic effect, eliminating many neurological symptoms.

Rehabilitation

The majority of patients with psychoorganic syndrome belong to the senile age period. At this age, most patients require special care and supervision by staff. Therefore, special conditions are created for them in the clinic.

After completing the course of treatment, clients benefit from counseling and psychological support. With the help of rehabilitation specialists, people with loss of social skills are taught self-care techniques. If necessary, relatives can call a doctor at home.

The degree of recovery and the percentage of restoration of lost functions depends on the cause of the disease. The best prognosis is given by post-traumatic types of psychoorganic syndrome, since the causative factor can be eliminated quite quickly. Destructive processes in the brain occur in the form of progressive disorders, so treatment and rehabilitation can only achieve relief.

The text was checked by medical experts: Head of the socio-psychological service of the Alkoklinik MC, psychiatrist-narcologist L.A. Serova.

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Forecast

To assess prognostic expectations, the cause of the pathology should be taken into account. In situations where we are talking about post-traumatic problems, conditions after removal of formations, doctors achieve stabilization and improvement of health. With organic processes in the brain, you can only slow down the progression of painful symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients, as well as alleviate the situation for people caring for them.

If you or your relatives have psycho-organic syndrome, try to contact us without delaying your decision for too long. We will find a way out of the situation for any variant of the disease and will do everything possible to achieve a positive result.