Three stages of mental retardation: debility, imbecility, idiocy

• Speech Impairment
• Thinking disorder
• Developmental delay
• Mental retardation
• Impaired concentration
• Perception disorder
• Lack of abstract thinking
• Decrease in intelligence
• Inability to make decisions
• Limited vocabulary
• Increased suggestibility
• Inability to generalize
• Limited thinking

Oligophrenia (or mental retardation, dementia) implies the definition of a group of pathologies that differ from each other in the characteristics of etiology and pathogenesis, in which we are talking about congenital or acquired forms of mental underdevelopment during early childhood. Oligophrenia, the symptoms of which manifest themselves primarily in the form of damage to the mind due to a stop in personality development against the background of pathological development of the brain, in addition affects the volitional and emotional qualities of the patient, his motor skills and speech.

• Description of the disease
• Classification
• Symptoms
• Differentiated oligophrenia
• Diagnostics
• Treatment

Prevalence of pathology

How many people on our planet suffer from mental retardation? It is quite difficult to answer this question. The fact is that to determine pathology, there are many methods for diagnosing mental retardation, which have significant differences among themselves. According to the most approximate data, the prevalence of the disease ranges from 0.7% to 3%. Moreover, in most cases it affects males. There are one and a half times fewer women compared to them.

At certain age periods, the diagnosis of oligophrenia reaches its peak. This applies to 6-7, as well as 18-19 years of a person’s life. The periods listed are the ages when schooling begins and military service is approaching. The most severe forms of oligophrenia are diagnosed already in the first years of life. But mild pathology comes a little later. This is explained by the difficulty of assessing intellectual abilities, as well as mental underdevelopment in early childhood.

Differentiated oligophrenia

In domestic medicine, a two-level classification is used, based primarily on the time within which the corresponding pathological effect was exerted, as well as on the quality of the damage by the harmful factor and its overall severity. Regarding the time of exposure (including the characteristic features and similarities of the onset of the disease and its development), this classification defines three main groups of oligophrenia, namely:

• familial and hereditary oligophrenia;
• embryonic or fetal damage;
• development of oligophrenia within the framework of certain harmful influences during labor and the first months/years of a child’s life.

Differentiated oligophrenia, that is, those oligophrenias whose etiology has already been studied, can thus be divided into the following groups:

• oligophrenia resulting from hereditary pathologies (chromosomal or genetic);
• oligophrenia resulting from exposure to a certain type of harmful substances and microorganisms (intoxication, infection, etc.) during the period of intrauterine development of the fetus;
• oligophrenia resulting from exposure to a certain type of harmful substances and microorganisms during the perinatal period, as well as the first months and years of the child’s life;
• oligophrenia resulting from exposure to a negative type of psychosocial phenomena.

Let us highlight some types of differentiated oligophrenia.

• Microcephaly

Microcephaly is characterized by a significant reduction in the size of the skull, which, accordingly, determines similar sizes for the brain (other parts of the body correspond to the norm). Thus, with a horizontal coverage of the skull, microcephaly determines a figure of less than 49 cm (the minimum indicators for the coverage of the skull are 22 cm). Brain mass indicators are also sharply reduced (ranging from 150 to 400 grams). The hemispheres are characterized by underdevelopment, underdevelopment is also noted in the gyri (this is especially true of the frontal gyri).

Microcephaly: comparison

Microcephaly in a newborn: photo

Simultaneously with these pathologies, it is often noted that the size of the cerebellum in combination with the subcortical nodes corresponds to the norm. As for the mental disorders that are relevant for microcephaly, they are very significant in manifestations, the degree of severity of the manifestations of oligophrenia is quite deep, due to which the patients’ condition is noted to be approaching the absolute form of idiocy (much less often the degree of idiocy manifests itself in this condition in a mild form). The causes of microcephaly are the effects of various types of harmful factors on the fetus during the initial stages of pregnancy (this includes diseases transmitted by the mother: Botkin’s disease, rubella, influenza, etc.; chronic intoxication (diabetes, tuberculosis, alcohol); the use of certain chemotherapy drugs ( such as sulfonamides, quinine, etc.); toxoplasmosis (see below).

• Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is defined as a parasitic disease that develops as a result of exposure to toxoplasma; various types of domestic mammals, as well as wild mammals (dogs, cats, rabbits, various predators, rodents, herbivores, etc.) are considered as a source of infection. Toxoplasma penetrates the fetus through the placenta through an infected mother; infection of the child is also possible during the first years of his life.

With toxoplasmosis, the actual degree of oligophrenia for the patient can manifest itself in different ways. In addition, the possibility of manifestation of catatonic disorders and epileptiform seizures is also allowed. The development of oligophrenia against this background may also be accompanied by encephalitis/meningoencephalitis of toxoplasmosis nature. Toxoplasmosis can also occur in combination with pathologies such as hydrocephalus or microcephaly. The course of toxoplasmosis, in addition to the listed features, is accompanied by eye damage (retinal detachment, iridocyclitis, pigmentary choreoretinitis). In the bones of the skull and in the brain, areas of calcification form (calcification - that is, the deposition of calcium salts in these areas in the absence of them here normally).

• Phenylpyruvic oligophrenia

This form of pathology is associated with the fact that there is a disturbance in the body’s metabolism of phenylanine with the simultaneous formation of phenylpyruvic acid in significant quantities; its content can be determined in urine, blood, and sweat. The condition is accompanied by manifestations of deep degrees of oligophrenia (idiocy or imbecility), as well as hypopigmentation of the iris and skin. Phenylpyruvic oligophrenia is also accompanied by a pathological condition with impaired metabolism of B vitamins.

• Langdon Down disease

It is also known as trisomy 21, Down syndrome. This pathology is characterized by the presence of not 46, but 47 chromosomes in a sick person, which occurs for as yet unknown reasons (it is assumed that the development of the syndrome is caused by a pathological form of heredity or a chromosomal abnormality). The number of chromosomes is determined by the fact that the chromosomes represented by the 21st pair do not have a standard pair, but three copies (other variants of chromosome pathology are less often considered).

Down syndrome: photo

Here, as in other cases considered, there is a manifestation of mental disorders and oligophrenia in particular; moreover, there are characteristic features that accompany this disease in combination with Down syndrome. Thus, mental retardation in Down syndrome determines the significant mobility of patients, their good nature and affection, they have expressive movements and facial expressions, and have a tendency to imitate.

Down syndrome: signs

The appearance of the patients is also very characteristic, it consists in a spherical shape of the head with widely spaced eyes, a characteristic fold (epicanthus) appears on the upper eyelid, the nose is somewhat flattened, upturned, short, the tongue is streaked. Patients also have decreased muscle tone, loose joints, and short stature.

• Pilvia mental retardation in combination with dyskeratosis

This form of the disease is caused by an insufficient amount of vitamin A in the expectant mother’s body during pregnancy, which is especially important during the first trimester. In addition to oligophrenia, ichthyosis subsequently develops against this background, and epileptiform seizures appear.

• Rubeolar embryopathy

This pathology is relevant if the expectant mother suffers a viral disease such as rubella during the first trimester. In this case, mental retardation manifests itself to a profound extent, accompanied by pathologies in the form of cataracts, congenital heart defects, and deaf-muteness.

• Oligophrenia developing against the background of a positive Rh factor

This pathology is relevant in case of a negative fetal factor. In this case, the causes of oligophrenia are associated with the fact that Rh antibodies reach the fetus through the placenta, resulting in subsequent damage to its brain. Oligophrenia, the symptoms of which develop in children against the background of exposure to this factor, is also accompanied by paralysis, paresis, and hyperkinesis.

• Residual oligophrenia

This form of the disease is observed in practice most often. In this case, the arrest of mental development is preceded by the patient suffering from infectious diseases (meningitis, meningoencephalitis) and injuries in early childhood. As for the degree of manifestation of oligophrenia here, it can be in any variant. The most common form of pathology that develops against the background of infections and injuries is hydrocephalus (the disease is accompanied by an increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid within the subarachnoid spaces (this is an external form of hydrocephalus) or an increase in its volume in the ventricles of the brain (internal hydrocephalus)).

In a circular coverage, the skull with hydrocephalus in size reaches about 70 cm or more, this is accompanied by weakening of vision, and often its complete loss, which is explained by the pressure exerted by the cerebrospinal fluid on the area of ​​​​the intersection of the visual tuberosities with a plastic form of their atrophy. As for the mental degree of underdevelopment, relevant for hydrocephalus, it can be different, manifesting itself both in the form of mild debility and in the form of achieving an absolute state of idiocy. In addition to the development of hydrocephalus against the background of infections and injuries, there is a possibility of its development as a manifestation of an actual progression process, which may imply pathologies in the form of congenital syphilis, tumor formation in the brain, etc.

Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus in a child: photo

Causes of pathology

Oligophrenia is a syndrome whose formation can be influenced by a large number of different factors. Among them:

1. Negative effects on the human body that occur during childbirth, as well as in the age period up to 3 years. This is fetal hypoxia or asphyxia during childbirth, infections of early childhood, traumatic brain injuries, etc.
2. Intrauterine harmful factors. These include viral infections (herpes, rubella), hormonal disorders, and microbial infections (syphilis and toxoplasmosis).
3. Chromosomal and genetic pathologies. These include Down's disease, various types of enzyme disorders and microcephaly.

Sometimes the classification of oligophrenia is made based on the causal factors listed above. In this case, there are three forms of mental retardation. Among them are genetic, intrauterine and perinatal.

In addition, medicine knows that oligophrenia is accompanied by diseases of a certain type. This list includes:

1. Hydrocephalus. This disease is caused by excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, which occurs in the ventricles of the brain. A similar phenomenon occurs due to excess production of this substance or difficulty in its outflow.
2. Microcephaly. This pathology is caused by the smaller size of the skull and brain.
3. Phenylketonuria. The disease occurs due to disturbances in the metabolism of phenylalanine. As a result, a significant volume of toxic substances is formed - products of the breakdown of this amino acid.
4. Toxoplasmosis. The cause of this disease is a parasitic infection of the body. Infection of the mother can penetrate the fetus and cause various developmental defects, including in the brain.
5. Down's disease. This pathology occurs due to the formation of an additional chromosome in the body. A person with such a disease is identified by his appearance. He may have delayed physical and mental development, and also have heart defects.

Causes of mental retardation

The causes of this pathology in a child include:

• Intoxication of a woman with drugs during pregnancy.
• Transference of severe infectious diseases during a woman’s pregnancy.
• Maternal dystrophy during pregnancy.
• Various injuries to the fetus during gestation or labor. They can occur during compression of the newborn's head or during a rapid delivery involving forceps.
• Infection of the fetus with worms.
• The hereditary factor is of great importance. For example, the number of chromosomes determines Down's disease, in which their number is exceeded by one unit.
• Inflammatory diseases of the fetal brain.
• Disturbances in protein metabolism in a child's body can lead to the development of a severe form of the disease.
• Environmental pollution.
• Maternal use of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy.

All these reasons can lead to the occurrence of this pathology. A woman who is carrying a child needs to closely monitor her health to avoid retardation in her unborn child.

Diagnosis of pathology

Today, medicine has learned to recognize some ailments that can lead to mental retardation. For example, in the early stages of fetal development, Down's disease is diagnosed.

The next stage of identifying pathology takes place immediately after the birth of the child. A similar diagnosis involves screening blood tests for hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria, diseases that lead to mental retardation.

Sometimes symptoms of oligophrenia are noticed in a supposedly healthy baby. To make an accurate diagnosis in this case, extensive research is carried out. They consist of finding out the patient’s life history and family history. After this, the doctor examines the patient to identify neurological and mental disorders, as well as determine the severity of the pathology. Further, it will not be possible without ordering cytological, immunological and biochemical studies. They will reveal the presence of ailments of internal organs, dysfunctions of the enzyme system and the presence of congenital infections.

What does treatment include?

It is impossible to completely eliminate oligophrenia. Relative correction of the child’s condition is typical only for diseases identified at the earliest stages of development.

In other cases, children are prescribed symptomatic therapy and preventive procedures .

Classes with specialized specialists are an integral part of the treatment of pathology, regardless of its etiology, degree of progression and form.

in the treatment of oligophrenia :

1. Taking tranquilizers (drugs from the group of sedatives, Diazepam, Phenazepam).
2. Therapy with neuroleptics (medicines with antipsychotic effects, Nootropil, Relatin).
3. Use of hormonal drugs (Hypophysin, Thyroidin).
4. A course of herbal medicines to improve brain function and supply it with oxygen, as well as stabilize the central nervous system (Phesam, Piracetam, Pantocrine).
5. Preventive therapy with vitamin complexes (special attention should be paid to replenishing vitamin B).
6. Course intake of Glutamic acid (helps reduce the symptoms of mental retardation).
7. Psychocorrection, psychotherapy and classes with a speech therapist.
8. Exercise therapy and therapeutic massage (regular ten-day courses).
9. Psychomotor gymnastics (it is better to entrust the procedure to a specialist).

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Degrees of mental retardation

The most effective diagnostic method for identifying mental retardation is determining the IQ. Based on the results obtained, the following stages of mental retardation are distinguished: debility, imbecility, and idiocy. However, today such a classification is rarely used by doctors based on ethical considerations. Doctors prefer to indicate the stages of oligophrenia in neutral terms. Pathology in this case is also classified based on the obtained IQ. In this division of oligophrenia, three stages have the following degrees:

• light – 50-70 points;
• moderate – 35-50 points;
• severe – less than 20 points.

As you can see, the higher the IQ values, the less pronounced the stage of the pathology. However, the traditional division of pathology allows us to give a clearer picture of the disease. In this case, how is oligophrenia divided into stages? The three stages are distributed as follows: debility corresponds to the mildest and most common form of the disease, imbecility to the average, and idiocy to the deepest. Let's take a closer look at them.

Oligophrenia: symptoms

Undifferentiated oligophrenia either manifests itself as a result of damage to the rudiment of the brain, or as part of a later stage of its intrauterine damage. The degrees of oligophrenia noted above (debility, imbecility and idiocy) refer to varieties of undifferentiated forms of oligophrenia; the determination of compliance with a particular of the three forms is made on the basis of compliance of IQ indicators with certain boundaries, discussed above. Let us consider the indicated degrees of mental retardation separately in combination with the symptoms inherent in each of them.

• Mental retardation: debility

Moronism is the mildest degree of manifestation of the patient’s mental underdevelopment. It, in turn, manifests itself in several forms, the determination of which is made on the basis of compliance with IQ indicators. Thus, in a mild form, IQ corresponds to indicators in the range of 65-69 points, in a moderate form - in the range of 60-64 points, in a severe form - in the range of 50-59 points. Scores are determined during a comprehensive clinical examination.

Current impairments in the cognitive sphere in patients with oligophrenia to the considered degree manifest themselves in the form of an inability to develop concepts in a complex form, as a result of which attempts at complex generalization are impossible; limitations in abstract thinking (mild degree) or its impossibility are also relevant.

Patients are characterized by the predominance of a concrete-descriptive type of thinking; it is difficult for them to fully comprehend the situation - mainly only the external side of the events required for consideration can be covered. Based on the degree of severity of debility in patients, this inability manifests itself in each of them to varying degrees, while disturbances in abstract thinking are noted in them in any case. The possibility of studying at school in such patients is allowed, but the material must be mastered with great effort; mathematics is a particularly difficult subject for them.

Moronic patients lack their own judgment and inquisitive mind, they constantly adopt other people's point of view and views. When memorizing expressions, rules, etc., they are used in a template form; often they themselves begin to teach the information acquired in this way to those people who surround them. And although such patients are not characterized by subtle analysis in combination with the necessary generalization, this does not exclude, in case of debility (this is especially true with its mild degree), the dexterity of orientation within the conditions of ordinary situations.

A pronounced delay in mental development in debilitated patients in some cases determines the possibility of partial giftedness for them. It can manifest itself, for example, in excellent mechanical memory (but with the exception of their comprehension of the repeated information). Similar skills in hearing, drawing, dexterous handling of large numbers in performing certain mathematical operations (for example, multiplication), etc. are not excluded.

A characteristic feature of patients with debility is their easy susceptibility to being influenced, an increased form of suggestibility. This feature determines a significant danger both for them and for the environment, because in certain situations they can become a tool in various types of fraud and crimes due to the impossibility of comprehending the situation in the required way. Yielding to the instructions of someone else's will, moronic patients can break, kill, set fire, etc. - any action in this case is performed at the level of automatism, without taking into account the consequences.

Debilitated patients are often characterized by increased manifestation of primitive forms of drives. This can be vulgar and dissolute behavior; primitive instincts also include the sexual side of their behavior.

As for character traits, patients with debility have common traits with imbeciles (we will consider them below), in particular, they can be friendly, friendly and good-natured. The opposite option is also possible, in which they are characterized by vindictiveness, aggressiveness, malice and stubbornness. Behavioral characteristics are dominated by inactivity or motor excitability.

• Oligophrenia in the stage of imbecility

Imbecility determines the average degree of manifestation of oligophrenia with an IQ in the range of 35-39 points. A violation of cognitive activity determines the possibility of the formation of ideas, but the formation of concepts, as a slightly higher level of mental activity, becomes either a significantly difficult process or completely impossible.

Generalization and abstract thinking are excluded in this case. Imbeciles have the opportunity to acquire a standard type of skills related to self-service (independent food consumption, dressing, neatness); in addition, they can perform simple work activities, which is ensured through training in performing imitative actions. For example, they may be involved in cleaning the yard or premises, they may be engaged in rewinding threads or perform some other operations that involve performing the same action.

Patients with imbecility have an understanding of simple speech, and they themselves can learn a certain set of words. Similar to the previous form of mental underdevelopment, the severity of imbecility falls under three main options (mild, moderate and severe), each of which corresponds to certain levels of manifestation.

When considering the speech of imbeciles, it can be noted that it consists of standard and extremely short phrases (a noun with a verb or a simple adjective).

As for the possibility of learning something new, this is given to patients with enormous effort, often only within the framework of certain specific ideas that exclude any form of generalization. Imbeciles lack independent thinking, which is why they can only adapt to the conditions of an environment that is familiar and sufficiently familiar to them. Even with minimal deviations from plans, actions or situations, significant difficulties arise that require constant guidance.

In addition, imbeciles are also characterized by an increased degree of suggestibility. Their personal interests are mostly very primitive, boiling down mainly to satisfying ordinary physiological needs. Often they are characterized by particular gluttony and sloppiness in food consumption. As for the other side, related to satisfying the needs for sex, here only in some cases there is an increased degree of sexual desire, which in this case manifests itself in combination with promiscuity in behavior.

Depending on the behavior inherent in oligophrenics at this stage, they are divided into two main groups. Thus, the first group includes very mobile, energetic and active patients, the second group - on the contrary, apathetic and lethargic, indifferent patients, they do not react to anything and are only interested in satisfying those needs that are important to them.

Depending on their character, imbeciles are also divided into two groups, thereby dividing into friendly, good-natured, sociable and flexible, and into aggressive and evil ones.

Despite the fact that imbeciles have the ability to perform primitive actions, they are not able to live independently; they require constant supervision of qualified personnel.

• Oligophrenia: idiocy

Idiocy represents the most profound degree of mental retardation with an IQ score of less than 34 points. In this case, the patients are absolutely unteachable, their movements are characterized by clumsiness and lack of purposefulness, and speech is also practically absent (only slurred pronunciation of individual words becomes possible). The manifestation of emotions comes down to the reproduction of the simplest reactions (pleasure or, respectively, displeasure). The cause of idiocy lies in genetic pathology. In the vast majority of cases, patients are inactive, they are unable to control urination and defecation, this also applies to eating, and they are often unable to distinguish edible from inedible. Such patients can only master visual-spatial forms of coordination and basic skills.

Idiocy, as a rule, is accompanied by severe forms of structural damage to the brain, severe and varied neurological symptoms, defects associated with the sensory organs, epileptic seizures, structural defects of internal organs and the body as a whole. If adequate care is provided for such patients, some of them can live up to the age of 30-40 years, but mostly they die in childhood or adolescence due to the development of an intercurrent type of disease.

Considering that such patients cannot develop intellectually, as well as being unable to independently meet their own needs, they need constant help, care and supervision in specialized institutions.

Characteristics of patients in the stage of debility

People suffering from mild mental retardation are able to remember any information. However, they do this very slowly, and then quickly forget everything. In addition, such patients are not able to generalize and master abstract concepts.

The stage of debility is characterized by a concrete descriptive type of thinking. Such people can only talk about what they see. In this case, no generalizations or conclusions will be made.

Symptoms of oligophrenia in the stage of debility are a violation of the understanding of logical connections between phenomena and events, and a lack of imagination. Such people are practically the most honest in the world. However, this does not happen because of their high moral principles.

Signs of oligophrenia in the stage of debility are also various speech disorders. The patient is distinguished by the monotony of his story, his lack of emotion, primitive sentence construction and poor vocabulary.

Sometimes, against the general background of pathology, a person may be gifted in some areas. Such people are sometimes able to memorize huge texts mechanically, have perfect pitch, are geniuses in mathematics, or have an artistic gift.

Also, patients are sensitive to changes in environment. The fact is that they feel protected and confident only in their familiar environment. Such oligophrenics are gullible and highly suggestible. That is why it is not difficult to convince them of something by imposing a certain point of view, which they will then begin to perceive as their own. It is from these patients that sometimes emerge unthinking and uncontrollable fanatics who never change their beliefs. Because of their suggestibility, such people can become either completely normal members of society or cruel, vindictive, evil and completely asocial.

Oligophrenia in the stage of debility is sometimes expressed in excessive excitability. And sometimes such a person differs from others by his obvious inhibition.

Young people diagnosed with “moronism” are not conscripted into the army, are not given a license to drive a car, and are not allowed to purchase or keep weapons. Such patients will not be hired for work in municipal and state institutions. The patient needs to be systematically observed by a psychiatrist, which will give him a chance to adapt to society.

Characteristics of mental retardation

Symptoms of this pathology include:

• Underdevelopment of motor skills.
• Severe speech impairments, difficulties in composing sentences.
• Slowness or complete absence of thinking.
• Poor spatial orientation.
• Strong excitability, or vice versa - inhibition.
• Poor memory and concentration.

Features of childhood imbecility

It is quite difficult to recognize mild oligophrenia in a child, because there are no obvious signs of the disease on his face. Mild stages of oligophrenia in children are diagnosed when they enter school. This period is the first peak in the detection of pathology. Before this, the signs of oligophrenia are practically invisible, since children may have developmental characteristics, their own type of temperament and individual personality. Even if a child is clearly silent or, on the contrary, a “tornado,” then at an early age this does not mean anything. And only upon entering first grade do the signs of mental retardation (debility) become obvious. After all, such children are not able to master the school curriculum. They cannot concentrate and fix their attention on a specific subject.

Children suffering from oligophrenia (debility) have two poles of emotionality. On the one hand, they can be affectionate, kind and friendly, and on the other – aggressive, angry and gloomy. In addition, they have two poles of activity. Thus, there are both overly active children and extremely inhibited ones. But both of them have primitive instincts that prevail. And their sexual disinhibition causes condemnation from society. Even teenagers are not able to hide it. Patients with mild mental retardation often pester girls and may masturbate in public. It is especially scary if such teenagers find themselves under the influence of criminals, because they will not think about the instructions given to them and calculate the consequences of their actions.

Concept and description of the disease

Oligophrenia in children - photo:

Oligophrenia is a persistent mental underdevelopment. The disease develops during fetal development or during the postnatal period.

The disease belongs to the category of polyetiological ailments and can be provoked by the consequences of certain diseases of a woman before conceiving a child or during pregnancy, genetic abnormalities or the impact of adverse factors on the fetus.

Oligophrenia is considered one of the most complex diseases, practically untreatable. Timely treatment measures can significantly correct the child’s health status and facilitate his social adaptation.

Symptoms of imbecility

Such patients are easy to recognize even by external signs. And this is in contrast to patients who are diagnosed with oligophrenia in the stage of debility. Photos of people with imbecility are a clear confirmation of this. Depending on the severity of hydro- and microcephaly, the patient is distinguished by disproportionate sizes of the skull. His head may be either too small or too large. In addition, such patients have an incorrect bite, deformed facial bones, and a frozen, unblinking gaze. And their ears are distinguished by the lobes attached to the head. Based on the external signs described above, it is quite possible to identify an average degree of mental retardation - imbecility.

People with this pathology are clumsy when walking. They are unable to coordinate their movements normally and often slouch and hunch over. They are not capable of fine motor skills, the development of which is impossible due to focal neurological symptoms. A great achievement for people suffering from moderate mental retardation - imbecility - is tying their own shoelaces, as well as threading a needle. Such people cannot leave their parents’ home throughout their entire lives, being there in the status of approximately seven-year-old children. For such patients, mother and father are an object of inexhaustible love. They almost never have their own families. The social circle of imbeciles is also very meager. It is limited only to family and rehabilitation groups.

Imbeciles are also identified by their speech. In people with moderate mental retardation, it is a set consisting of two hundred of the simplest words. But they use them only in cases of urgent need. Imbeciles are tongue-tied. Their speech consists of short phrases, and they still cannot form sentences correctly.

The thinking of patients is also at the most primitive level. In addition, such people lack the volitional factor, and emotions do not go beyond the usual manifestation of joy or anger. When their usual circumstances change, they become filled with confusion and fear.

Imbeciles are uninitiative and passive. Because they are easily suggestible, they often fall under bad influence. That is why throughout their lives such people must be under constant supervision and control.

The imbecile's horizons are also quite narrow. It is within the boundaries of satisfying the simplest instincts and natural needs. This is why patients constantly feel hungry.

At this stage, oligophrenia requires constant monitoring of the patient by family, psychiatrists and teachers. Otherwise, the patient may be dangerous to others. This is expressed both in the sexual disinhibition of patients and in their inability to suppress their sexual desires. This often results in such asocial phenomena as masturbation, harassment of women, and even the commission of sexual crimes.

general description

Oligophrenia, when considered, requires its distinction from the acquired form of dementia, which is classified as such a pathology as dementia. This form of it means a decrease in intelligence due to certain reasons with concomitant brain damage, that is, intelligence decreases from normal levels corresponding to the patient’s age. As for the condition of oligophrenia that interests us, then with it the intelligence of a physically adult person is not subject to development, that is, there is no tendency to achieve normal indicators.

Oligophrenia was identified as a separate disease only in the last century, and before its isolation, the definition of “dementia” was used in practice for any group of patients, be it with a congenital form of the disease with mental underdevelopment, or with an acquired form (dementia).

There are some difficulties in trying to determine the prevalence of oligophrenia, which is explained, first of all, by the distinctive features of the diagnostic approaches used. In addition, the degree of tolerance on the part of society in relation to mental abnormalities, as well as the degree of accessibility to the use of specialized medical care, plays an important role in this issue. Predominantly in industrialized countries, mental retardation occurs in 1% of the population, and 85% of patients have a mild form of mental retardation. The share of moderate mental retardation, as well as severe retardation and profound retardation, accounts for 10%, 4% and 1% in a similar sequence. As for the ratio of the incidence of oligophrenia depending on gender, the indicator varies between men and women within the range of 1.5:1-2:1.

It should be noted that mental retardation (again, unlike dementia) is not a progressive process, but a process that determines the subsequent outcome of the disease.

Degrees of imbecility

Oligophrenia, which has a moderate form of severity, includes two varieties. It can be moderate and pronounced. These are two degrees of imbecility, each of which is characterized by its own form of mental retardation.

Patients with moderate severity of pathology have an IQ ranging from 34 to 48 points. Their ability to think is severely limited. It is specific and directly related to the current situation. Such patients are unable to carry out an analysis, are tongue-tied, construct sentences incorrectly and use only a minimal vocabulary when communicating. Their emotionality is practically zero. Fine motor skills are also poorly developed.

Patients with moderate severity of imbecility are characterized by pronounced neurology. It manifests itself in the form of paresis and sensitivity disorders. Due to the presence of damage to the nerves of the cranial zone, epilepsy often occurs. Sometimes such patients show signs of autism.

With a pronounced degree of oligophrenia in the imbecility stage, the lower limit of the IQ is at the level of 20 points, and the upper limit reaches only 34 points. Such patients are characterized by the presence of very colorful neurological symptoms. Thus, paresis complements paralysis, and motor skills are in their infancy. The personal qualities and intellectual abilities of such a person are extremely poorly expressed. His vocabulary is at the level of a six-year-old child. Such patients require constant monitoring throughout their lives, as well as assistance with simple self-care.

What's the forecast?

Favorable prognosis is possible only with early detection of oligophrenia in a child.

With timely treatment of mild illness, children gain the ability to perform basic everyday tasks.

As adults, they master certain types of professions well ; in some cases, a specially equipped workplace may be needed.

If oligophrenia progresses at an accelerated pace, then the child needs care throughout his life. It will be extremely difficult for him to carry out simple duties on his own.

Unfavorable prognosis for advanced mental retardation:

• lifelong intellectual disability;
• disability;
• pronounced mental disorders.

Childhood imbecility

At this stage, mental retardation, unlike debility, can be suspected at a very early age. Imbecile children are very late in all respects. By the age of one year, they cannot distinguish their parents from other people, do not respond to speech addressed to them, and are not interested in toys. Such children begin to sit and stand late, do not take toys that adults hand out to them, and also do not grab the nearest support when there is a threat of falling. Children with oligophrenia at the stage of imbecility begin to walk only by the age of two. But even at this age, they cannot understand what is wanted from them, and are more oriented towards the intonation of the speaker than towards the meaning of the address addressed to them. Such kids are not characterized by curiosity, and they do not show any interest in the world around them. When playing, they adhere to some single standard and ridiculous cliché. With great difficulty, such children master speech, but at the same time it remains tongue-tied and is characterized by incorrect construction of sentences.

Having reached school age, imbeciles attend correctional classes. Here they can learn to count to 10, retell short texts and read syllables. These children have practically no emotions; there is total indifference to the world around them. Due to the lack of response to treatment, they are often mistaken for deaf people.

Features of education

The behavior and attitude of parents towards a child diagnosed with oligophrenia are of particular importance for the therapy.

If the baby is raised in unfavorable conditions, the disease will develop at an accelerated pace.

The child will show signs of aggression towards the outside world, and the effectiveness of the rehabilitation course will be significantly reduced .

When raising a child with mental retardation, it is important for parents to remember several rules that must not be violated under any circumstances.

Parents are obliged:

• provide constant supervision of the child;
• provide the child with psychological assistance;
• treat the child kindly;
• positively motivate the child;
• teach the child basic skills;
• follow all recommendations prescribed by doctors;
• attend special classes with specialized specialists.