Neurasthenia in adults

Some people are overly obsessed with various problems, worry, cannot let go of the situation, or are preoccupied with their health or the opinions of friends and loved ones. Everyone has their quirks, but such conditions interfere with work, relationships and quality of life. Being neurotic is not easy, but there are many ways to manage this condition, and the main ones are visiting a specialist, changing the environment and helping friends and relatives.

Today, neurasthenia is more often referred to as asthenic neurosis, and as a diagnosis it is included in the ICD-10, but there is no such diagnosis in DSM-5, the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The fact is that the attitude towards this condition among specialists is ambiguous. Some of them consider neurasthenia a pathological condition, others – personality traits, the ability to respond in a special way to surrounding stimuli.

The term “neurotic” was used by psychiatrists for most of the 20th century—applied to a broad category of conditions that were associated with anxiety and depression, but were clearly distinct from the term “psychotic.” The difference is that neurotics maintain contact with reality and rarely exhibit highly deviant, socially unacceptable behavior.

What is neurasthenia

According to the ICD-10 definition, neurasthenia is considered pathological changes in the functioning of the nervous system, which occur under the influence of various factors – mental or physical, leading to an overload of nervous activity. Men are affected more often than women.

“Neurasthenia is a neurotic disorder caused by chronic stress and overwork,” says neurologist Victoria Grigorenko. – With this disorder, young men and women 25-50 years old are more common, living in big cities, in a fast pace of life, who work hard, lead an active social life. The development of the disease can also contribute to personality traits. Such people are extremely responsible, they try to fulfill all promises, to do work at the highest level. They are anxious, suspicious, punctual. However, a person who does not have such qualities may also face a similar disorder due to difficult life circumstances: financial or domestic difficulties, illness of loved ones, betrayal of a partner.

Neurasthenia can be divided into forms based on its clinical signs that manifest themselves in certain situations.

hypersthenic form. Its typical manifestations are hyperexcitability, irritability, emotional swings. People can lose their temper, break down on others, stoop to curses and insults. They are driven out of themselves by noises, any sounds, conversations, actions of people and their clusters.

Also, this form of neurasthenia is characterized by reduced performance, and not only because of fatigue, but due to absent-mindedness, lack of concentration, problems of concentration and perseverance. A person is often distracted, gets up, unable to withstand the stress, and this is repeated throughout the day, which leads to a decrease in productivity.

There are also complaints of sleep disturbances, problems with falling asleep, disturbing dreams, nightmares, superficial sleep, frequent awakenings. As a result, in the morning there is a depressed mood, a feeling of a heavy head and weakness. During the day, the condition only worsens, there is a “neurasthenic helmet”, memory problems, pain in different parts of the body.

A form of irritable weakness. This is the second phase of the pathology, especially typical for choleric or sanguine people, if no therapeutic measures were taken in the previous phase, and the influence of causative factors was not eliminated. In this form, pronounced irritability, which quickly passes, is replaced by exhaustion of the psyche. People are excitable and loud, but their reactions quickly turn into resentment, impotence and crying. Reactions of the psyche are possible for any, even minor reasons.

It is difficult for the patient to get to work (“get up in the morning, already tired”), there is no way to concentrate, when concentrating on certain things, headaches, fatigue and weakness, exhaustion of strength, no clarity of thoughts occur. This leads to the fact that a person quits what he started, without finishing it. After a certain period, he makes attempts to take up work again, but again there is not enough strength. Breaks between approaches do not give recuperation and normalization of the psyche. Therefore, all attempts at activity only lead to exhaustion.

hyposthenic neurosis. This form is attributed to the third stage of neurasthenia, but it can also occur from the onset of the disease, if they are anxious, suspicious individuals, asthenics with a weak nervous system. Constant apathy, low mood, passivity and absent interests are typical. Patients are constantly sad and anxious, but there is no great anxiety or sadness.

Against the background of a reduced mood, emotional outbursts with tearfulness are typical. There is a constant feeling of weakness, unmotivated fatigue, which does not allow to concentrate on work. People concentrate on their inner problems, thoughts that are even more depressing. Hypochondria and the feeling that the person is seriously ill are typical for this stage.

Causes of neurasthenia in adults

Usually, signs of neurasthenia develop in people who are exposed to prolonged stress. It can be both physical overwork during very intense, hard work, when there is a lack of sleep and good rest, and mental stress. These are chronic stress, personal experiences, long-term conflict situations.

The development of neurasthenia can be promoted by chronic somatic diseases (digestive, kidney, liver problems, etc.), as well as long-term intoxication (alcohol, nicotine or drugs).

Symptoms of neurasthenia in adults

The most common manifestation of neurasthenia is headache. It is usually diffuse, that is, it spreads all over the head and manifests itself by the end of the day. A feeling of pressure on the head is typical, as if a heavy helmet or hoop is on. This state even has a specific definition – the helmet of a neurotic.

Another of the typical complaints of neurasthenics is a feeling of dizziness. This is a persistent feeling that something is spinning in the head, but the surrounding objects remain visually motionless. Often, dizziness occurs during periods of strong emotional excitement, after physical exertion, or during weather changes.

Typical complaints from the cardiovascular system. These include rapid heartbeat and high pulse, a feeling of a heart jumping out of the chest, stabbing or pressing pains in the region of the heart, low or high blood pressure, pallor of the skin or its sharp redness, spots on the face. Such signs can occur against the background of the slightest excitement or experience, even when talking with people.

Against the background of neurasthenia, digestive problems arise – these are belching, loss of appetite, frequent heartburn. There may be a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, severe flatulence, constipation or diarrhea.

Often there is also frequent urination and separation of urine literally drop by drop, especially against the background of excitement. But the attacks go away when the person calms down.

In addition, libido, sexual functions suffer, premature ejaculation is possible, which disrupts normal intimate life and increases stress, creates a feeling of dissatisfaction, weakness and excitement.

Treatment of neurasthenia in adults

If a certain time passes or the effect of the influencing factor stops, a full-fledged therapy is carried out, sleep normalizes in neurasthenics, and a gradual recovery occurs. But if the attacks recur, they are usually worse than the initial symptoms.

Diagnostics

A neurologist is involved in the diagnosis – he may suspect neurasthenia based on an analysis of the complaints that the patient makes, as well as taking into account the medical history and examination. When examining, it is important to exclude all possible chronic infections, toxicosis or somatic pathology – neurasthenia can be one of the initial manifestations of these problems.

Neurasthenia is possible as a manifestation of organic brain lesions against the background of tumors, infections, lesions, so CT or MRI is needed, as well as a rheoencephalogram.

Modern treatments

The basis of the treatment of neurasthenia is the elimination of the causes that influenced the development of the disease. First of all, you need to reduce mental and physical stress. This is best achieved with a sharp change of scenery – moving to a new home, going on vacation, updating the interior. This switches the brain into a new mode, bringing thinking out of the vicious circle.

A strict daily routine is also important – good sleep, a varied diet, walks, frequent exposure to air, vitamins. Useful psychotherapy, meditation, communication with loved ones, their support.

For the treatment of neurasthenia, hopantenic acid, calcium, iron preparations, tincture of valerian or motherwort, Novo-passit, Persen, Stimol, Enerion are used. In more severe cases, tranquilizers, sleeping pills may be prescribed. But first of all, it is worth giving preference to melatonin preparations – Melarena, Melarithm. And only in severe forms prescribe more serious drugs.

In addition, with neurasthenia, herbal remedies and physiotherapy are prescribed – electrosleep, massages, aromatherapy, herbal teas.

Prevention of neurasthenia in adults at home

The basis of prevention is a rational regimen and dosing of loads, good sleep and rest. Sports, yoga, the fight against stress and nervous overload, good nutrition and the rejection of bad habits are useful.

Popular questions and answers

Answered questions about neurasthenia neurologist Victoria Grigorenko.