Paranoid Syndrome: Description, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Permanent stay in the circumscribed state for patients with a diagnosis of "paranoid syndrome" is natural. Moreover, people with a similar violation are divided into two types: those who can systematize their delusions, and those who are not able to do it. In the first case, the patient clearly understands and can tell others when he noticed that he was being watched;can name the date of the emergence of a stable sense of anxiety, in what it manifests itself, and moreover, even calls a particular person from whom he feels a danger.

Most of the patients, unfortunately, can not systematize nonsense. They understand their condition in general terms and create conditions for preserving life: they often change their place of residence, observe increased security measures in various situations, lock doors to all locks.

The most well-known disturbance of a person's mental state is schizophrenia, a paranoid syndrome in which thinking is partially or completely disturbed, and emotional reactions do not correspond to natural responses.

Causes of the disease

Physicians find it difficult to name the exact cause or their complex, which can provoke a violation of the psycho-emotional state of a person. Etiology can be completely different and is formed under the influence of genetics, stressful situations, congenital or acquired neurological pathologies or due to a change in brain chemistry.

Some clinical cases of the development of paranoid syndrome still have a well-established cause. To a greater extent, they arise under the influence of psychotropic and narcotic substances and alcohol on the body.

Classification and symptoms of

disorder Physicians agree that paranoid and paranoid syndromes have similar symptoms:

• patients are more likely to be in a state of secondary delirium that manifests itself in the appearance of different images than in the state of primary delirium when they do not understand,what happens to them;
• in each clinical case, there was a predominance of auditory hallucinations over visual phenomena;
• the state of delusions is systematized, which allows the patient to tell the reason and name the date of the onset of anxious feelings;
• in most cases, every patient clearly understands that someone is following him or pursues him;
• the views, gestures and speech of outsiders are associated with hints and a desire to harm them;
• is broken sensorics.

Paranoid syndrome can develop in one of two directions: delusional or hallucinatory. The first case is more difficult, because the patient does not contact the attending physician and close people, accordingly, the exact diagnosis can not be made and is postponed indefinitely. Treatment of delusional paranoid syndrome takes more time and requires strength and perseverance.

Hallucinatory paranoid syndrome is considered an easy form of the disorder, which is due to the communicability of the patient. In this case, the prognosis for recovery looks more optimistic. The patient's condition can be acute or chronic.

The hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome

This syndrome is a complex disorder of the human psyche, in the state of which he feels the constant presence of strangers, leading him to shadow and wanting to cause physical trauma, up to the killing. It is accompanied by frequent occurrence of hallucinations and pseudo-hallucinations.

In most clinical cases, the syndrome is preceded by the strongest affective disorders in the form of aggression and neurosis. Patients are in a constant sense of fear, and their delirium is so diverse that the development of the automatism of the psyche takes place against its background.

The progression of the disease has three stable stages, one after another:

1. A lot of thoughts are rushing in the head of the patient, which continually float on top of the ones that have just disappeared, but at the same time it seems to him that every person who sees a sick person clearly reads his thoughts and knows what he thinks. In some cases, it seems to the patient that the thoughts in his head are not his, but of strangers, imposed by someone with the power of hypnosis or other influence.
2. At the next stage the patient feels an increase in the rhythm of the heartbeats, the pulse becomes incredibly fast, the body starts cramping and breaking, the temperature rises.
3. The culmination of the state is the patient's realization that he is in the mental power of another being and no longer belongs to himself. The patient is sure that someone is controlling it, having penetrated into the subconscious.

The hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome is characterized by the frequent occurrence of images or images, blurred or clear spots, while the patient can not clearly describe what he sees, but only convinces others of the effect of outside power on his thoughts.

Depressive-paranoid syndrome

The main cause of this form of the syndrome is the experienced the most complicated traumatic factor. The patient feels depressed, is in a state of depression. If the initial stage is not overcome these feelings, then later develops a violation of sleep, until complete absence, and the general condition is characterized by inhibition.

Patients who have a depressive-paranoid syndrome, there are four stages of disease progression:

• lack of joy in life, decreased self-esteem, sleep and appetite disorder, sexual desire;
• emergence of suicidal thoughts caused by the lack of meaning of life;
• the desire to commit suicide is becoming steady, the patient can no longer be convinced of the opposite;
• the last stage - nonsense in all its manifestations, the patient is sure that all the troubles in the world are his fault.

The paranoid syndrome of this form develops quite a long period of time, about three months. Patients become skinny, blood pressure is compromised and heart function suffers.

Description of manic-paranoid syndrome

Manic-paranoid syndrome is characterized by an increased mood for no good reason, patients are quite active and nervous, they think very quickly and immediately reproduce everything they think. This state is episodic and is caused by emotional outbursts of the subconscious. In some cases, it is caused by drugs and alcohol.

Patients are dangerous to others because they are prone to harassing the opposite sex for sexual purposes, with possible physical trauma.

Quite often, the syndrome develops against a background of severe stress. Patients are sure that those around them are plotting criminal acts against them. Hence there is a constant state of aggression and mistrust, they become withdrawn.

Diagnostic methods

If you suspect a paranoid syndrome, you need to take a person to the clinic where you should undergo a thorough general medical examination. This is a method of differential diagnosis and allows you to unambiguously exclude mental disorders associated with stress.

When the examination is completed, but the cause has not been clarified, the psychologist will appoint a personal consultation, during which a number of special tests will be performed.

Relatives should be prepared for the fact that after the first communication with the patient the doctor will not be able to make a final diagnosis. This is due to reduced communication skills of patients. Long-term monitoring of the patient and constant monitoring of symptomatic manifestations are required.

For the entire period of diagnosis the patient will be placed in a special medical institution.

Treatment of patients diagnosed with paranoid syndrome

Depending on what symptoms the paranoid syndrome shows, in each clinical case the treatment regimen is selected individually. In modern medicine, most mental disorders successfully respond to treatment.

The attending physician will prescribe the necessary antipsychotics, which, if combined, will help to bring the patient to a stable mental state. Duration of therapy, depending on the severity of the syndrome, from one week to one month.

In exceptional cases, if the form of the disease is mild, the patient can undergo therapy on an outpatient basis.

Drug therapy

The leading specialist in solving problems of mental disorder is the therapist. In certain cases, if the disease is caused by exposure to narcotic or alcoholic substances, the specialist should work in tandem with the narcologist. Depending on the degree of complexity of the syndrome, medications will be selected individually.

For the treatment of a mild form, the following remedies are shown:

• "Propazin".
• "Etaperazine".
• "Levomepromazine".
• "Aminazine".
• Sonapaks.

Syndrome of medium degree is stopped with the following drugs:

• "Aminazine".
• "Chlorprotixen".
• "Haloperidol".
• "Levomepromazine".
• "Triftazine".
• "Trifluperidol".

In difficult situations, doctors appoint:

• "Tizerzin".
• "Haloperidol".
• "Moditen Depot".
• "Leponeks."

The attending physician determines which medications to take, their dosage and schedule.

Recovery prognosis

It is possible to achieve the stage of stable remission in a patient with a diagnosis of "paranoid syndrome" provided that the request for medical care was made in the early days of the detection of mental abnormalities. In this case, the therapy will be aimed at preventing the development of the stage of exacerbation of the syndrome.

It is impossible to achieve an absolute cure for paranoid syndrome. This should be remembered by the relatives of the patient, but with an adequate attitude to the situation, one can not prevent the disease from worsening.