Bad temper or diagnosis? What you need to know about neurasthenia

Timur and Olga talked in line to see the doctor. The reception desk messed up something in the record, and it took a long time to wait. Timur sighed and loudly indignant, banging his fist on the banquet, and Olya walked along the corridor of the clinic back and forth - the wait was unbearable for her.

In principle, Olya could not say that something has changed significantly in her life over the past three years. She lives as she lived. Of course, there were more difficulties. We bought a new apartment on credit, the children went to the garden and began to get sick often, and there was a reduction at work every now and then. My husband earned enough, but most of it went to pay off the mortgage, and it was scary to lose his job.

Then Olya fell seriously ill with the flu, for a long time she could not recover. The fever and cough had long gone, but a feeling of weakness, nausea remained, the head was strange - either cloudy or heavy, as if everything had happened not in reality, but in a dream. And one morning I had to call an ambulance - my heart was beating so hard that it seemed that it would burst. The doctors who arrived did not find anything, they offered to be tested for hormones.

Olya became irritable, cried, she could break at her husband and children. I went to the doctors in search of the cause of my condition, but everyone kept repeating: "I am healthy." And my strength was decreasing, at work I could not cope even with the usual report - thoughts scattered. Then Olya came across an old infectious disease specialist, to whom she wandered, believing that everything that was happening to her was a complication after the flu. He advised me to see a psychiatrist.

Timur has always been active and hardworking. He moved to Moscow, graduated from the university, got a job in a large IT company, where he participated in several projects at once. There was little time for personal life and rest - I didn't get enough sleep, sometimes I even forgot to dine. I got tired at work, my head began to hurt, and I started to fall asleep badly. There were also difficulties with one project.

Timur was very worried, began to get irritated over trifles, everything fell out of hand - he was used to being in good standing, and then failure after failure. Decided that he lacked activity, and went to the gym to invigorate the body. Once again doing the deadlift, I felt that "it was as if something had broken off in my stomach." A feeling of fear of death gripped, which lasted until the evening.

After a couple of weeks, the condition was repeated. Timur stopped sleeping at night, strange sensations appeared in his body - he was hot, his limbs went numb, his appetite disappeared. Timur took a vacation, but it didn't get better. Then I went to the doctors - from an oncologist to a gastroenterologist. The latter discovered irritable bowel syndrome and recommended seeing a neurologist or psychiatrist.

The psychiatrist, whom Timur and Olya got to that day, diagnosed both of them - neurasthenia.

Why does neurasthenia occur?

Neurasthenia is a depletion of the nervous system, fortunately reversible and not fatal. No one is in danger of going crazy or dying from it.

First of all, it is a disease of residents of large cities who find themselves in stressful situations every day. It is most common in middle-aged women and men who lead an active social life and work in the field of mental labor. If a person does not have the time and opportunity to rest after a long load, he is at risk.

Each person has his own limit of mental endurance. Someone does not care about dismissal or office intrigues, and someone worries about the fact that the aunt in the subway said to the whole car: “I have grown my ass! Move over! Neurasthenia often overtakes melancholic and choleric people. People of this type are characterized by emotional instability, they are more difficult to experience traumatic situations, take everything to heart.

Other factors can also trigger a nervous breakdown, for example, severe flu, chronic diseases, injuries, surgical interventions, and intoxication. They weaken the process of internal inhibition. That is, an active reaction to an external stimulus is not suppressed, as a result of which the nervous system continues to be in a state of constant excitement.

How neurasthenia develops

Neurasthenia can develop over the years, as the nervous system "clutters up" with various kinds of experiences - small and large, from lack of sleep to heavy life losses. Imagine a huge wardrobe, where you throw everything, from a down jacket to a bathing cap, without looking, every time you clean up. The day will come when the carefully accumulated good will fall out, and some winter boot will hurt you on the head. The same thing happens with our nervous system.

It all starts with increased irritability and fatigue. Anything can freak out: a queue at the checkout, a lack of parking space, loud music. Women break into screams and tears, men convulsively clench their fists and clench their teeth.

At first, this reaction to external stimuli may seem quite natural. She is often attributed to the weather, PMS, fatigue, or bad temper. But already at this time, autonomic dysfunctions are triggered: breathing is disturbed (there is a feeling of lack of air), heart rate (tachycardia), thermoregulation and sweating, frequent urination, trembling in the hands appear. In the morning, a person feels exhausted, he wants everyone to be left alone. Mood leaps from sadness to joy, and appetite behaves in the same way: from hunger to aversion to food. If you listen carefully to yourself already at this moment, you can suspect something was wrong and start looking for help from a good neurologist or psychiatrist.

Later, the signs of neurasthenia are joined by sensations that can resemble symptoms of various somatic diseases: nausea and dizziness as during intoxication, headaches ("heavy head", "head like a cauldron", "head squeezing with a hoop"), stomach pains and indigestion, unexplained weakness, tinnitus ("I hear the heart beat", "as if the train is knocking"), insomnia, problems with potency.

Irritability reaches its peak: even the sound of conversations of others, bright light, strong smells becomes unbearable. We can say about a neurasthenic that he easily “ignites” and quickly “burns out”: outbursts of anger are replaced by impotence.

Due to the fact that the nervous system is constantly in a state of overexcitation, performance decreases, attention falls, memory deteriorates. It becomes difficult to do the usual work, thoughts quickly “go aside”, restlessness appears. Sitting at work - you want to go home, you find yourself at home - again you want to hide somewhere in order to be alone and under a blanket.

The person begins to worry about the state of health. Lack of strength, temperature in the range of 37-37, 5 ° C, pains in various organs make him suspect that he has the most frightening diagnoses: from oncology to HIV. Thoughts about a terrible disease become obsessive, which is why a person is even more fixed on his experiences.

What is neurasthenia

The duration of the disorder depends entirely on the traumatic events that caused it. If a person continues to be in a stressful situation, neurasthenia acquires a protracted course. Naturally, when the causes that negatively affect the psyche are eliminated, recovery occurs faster.

There are five types of neurasthenia: hypersthenic, hyposthenic, hypochondriacal, depressive, and obsessive. One state can flow smoothly into another.

Hypersthenic

If you are constantly “on edge”, do not find a place for yourself, start to worry for any reason, toss and turn for hours before falling asleep - this is hypersthenic (Greek hypér - “over”, “over” + sthenos - “strength”) neurasthenia. It also has heart palpitations, dizziness and headaches, sweating, including night sweats. In the morning, teeth marks often remain on the inside of the cheek - in a dream, a person clenches his teeth and bites his skin, sometimes to blood.

Hyposthenic

Hyposthenic (hypó - "under", "below" + sthenos - "strength") neurasthenia is, on the contrary, when there is not enough strength for anything. In the morning you wake up, and you feel as if you have been drinking and walking all night, your feet and hands are wadded.

Efficiency tends to zero, sometimes it is difficult to remember the simplest things, to concentrate on business. By lunchtime it seems to be getting better, but by the evening the strength again leaves. The body reacts with a heartbeat, frequent trips to the toilet in a small way, pains "somewhere in the heart", sweating.

Hypochondriacal

If thoughts that a person is terminally ill or may get sick, unpleasant sensations, pains and tingling sensations in various organs join the decline of strength and constant weakness, one can assume hypochondriacal neurasthenia. Such people often try on some kind of diagnosis and always find symptoms of the disease.

Depressive

Depressive neurasthenia often occurs against the background of severe traumatic experiences - loss of loved ones, work, divorce. With the flow, it is similar to hyposthenic neurasthenia, but the emotional changes that are inherent in reactive depression come to the fore. That is, along with irritability and fatigue, there is a lack of interest in life and a depressed mood.

Obsessive thoughts and fears are a "bonus" to an already developed disorder. It can be a fear of going crazy, dying, being at home alone, using public transport. A constant feeling of fear can develop into phobias, sometimes it seems that they are absolutely unviable: a person begins to be afraid of fragments, fall into a well, be hanged, get hit by a train.

What to do if you suspect you have neurasthenia

I have outlined several steps that will help to establish the correct diagnosis in time and begin treatment.

1. See a psychiatrist or neurologist at the first symptoms of the disorder

Pay attention to the following signs:

increased irritability, irascibility, internal anger;
Difficulty controlling negative emotions
girdle headaches, pain in the temples, dizziness;
tachycardia, tinnitus;
constant feeling of weakness;
appetite disorders and indigestion, nausea;
an inexplicable rise in temperature to 37–37.5 ° C;
tremors in the hands, numbness of the limbs (fingers, nose tip, tongue);
memory impairment, performance, episodes of derealization;
insomnia.

Only a doctor can establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the necessary medications. You may need to be tested to rule out more serious illnesses.

The doctor will select medications based on the symptoms and their severity. Among them may be anti-anxiety, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, nootropics, tranquilizers, B vitamins.

Do not take medication with hostility. Nowadays, there are a number of drugs that have practically no side effects and are well tolerated. Even pregnant women and people with concomitant diseases can take them under the supervision of a specialist.

2. See a psychologist

Neurotic disorders arise against the background of external factors affecting the weakened nervous system. A psychologist will help you rethink traumatic situations, develop tactics of behavior, and turn on protective mechanisms. Ideally, a psychologist and a psychiatrist work together.

3. Make a plan for self-regulation with the help of your doctor

It can include following a daily routine, distributing loads, doing gymnastics or yoga, massage, walking - what you can do on your own to help the body recover faster. Learn to control yourself, to be aware of the outgoing reaction to an external stimulus in time. Before you break loose, scream, bang your fist on the table or break a plate, try to stop yourself, drink water, breathe deeply and slowly, walk around the room.

Spend at least half an hour every day on what you really enjoy. Try to stop thoughts of poor health, weakness and vulnerability - switch to vigorous activity at such moments, do a few squats or dust off.

4. Do not hesitate to tell your loved ones about your diagnosis

Explain what is happening to you and ask them not to be offended by your irritability. You are doing everything possible on your part to heal as soon as possible.

What absolutely should not be done

Self-medicate

To take medications "because it helped my friend a lot" or "they advised on the Internet." Medicines that regulate the functioning of the nervous system are not in vain sold by prescription - when taken spontaneously, they can not only aggravate the course of the disease, but also lead to the formation of addiction. The type, dosage and timing of medication may vary significantly from person to person.

Wait for it to pass by itself

Symptoms of neurasthenia are caused by a violation of the processes of internal inhibition and excitation in the cerebral cortex. If you're just tired and more irritable than usual, rest and good sleep will help you. But if other reactions join irritability - frequent heartbeat, insomnia, weakness, and others - consult a specialist.

Trying to get out of your comfort zone

Very often, when we experience apathy and loss of strength, we are advised to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, pull ourselves together and urgently do something. Drive yourself to the gym, lead a couple more projects, or stop eating sweets.

To get out of your comfort zone, you first need to be in it. And neurasthenia is no longer the case, but an excuse to take care of yourself (and from diets as well).

Blame yourself or others for your condition

Neurasthenia is not an attack of weakness and not a bad character, but a very real illness. Your direct actions or the behavior of your loved ones are not to blame for its development. Some events are only a trigger for the onset of the disease. And the real reason lies in the innate vulnerability of the nervous system. You are just more sensitive and vulnerable than the rest.