Treatment of neurosis: causes and symptoms of pathology, methods of treating disorders

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Neurosis today is one of the most common neurological diseases; according to statistics, every 3-4 people in the world suffer from it, and more than half of them do not seek medical help. According to experts, it is possible to cope with certain manifestations of neurosis at home, but more severe cases require mandatory medical monitoring and competent treatment.

What is neurosis and why does it occur?
Symptoms of neurosis
Treatment at home
Drug treatment
Home psychotherapy
Traditional methods of treatment

Reasons for appearance

There can be many true causes of this disorder. Among them:

Mental overload. Since neuroses are also common in children, they can arise due to excessive work at school or extracurricular activities. In adults, this reason may also manifest itself, for example, if you are often late at work or work seven days a week, etc.
Neuroses can also be triggered by prolonged nervous experiences. For example, due to the death of a loved one or problems at work.
The inability to cope with some task also causes frustration. A feeling of incompleteness can constantly depress a person and provoke worsening neurosis.
Similar problems are also typical for an absent-minded person. In situations where you often forget something, you may constantly feel like you haven’t done something important: turned off the iron, closed the door, etc. This feeling leads to a very strong depression in your mental state.
Various diseases and infections, for example, flu, tuberculosis, can attack the body for a long time, which is why neurosis occurs.
Also, a similar disorder can be found in people who are addicted to, for example, cigarettes.
Excessive emotionality and a tendency to hysteria itself is the cause of frequent neuroses.

Well, if everything is clear about the reasons, then in order to answer the question of how to treat neurosis yourself, you need to know the symptoms that you have to fight.

Psychotherapy

One of the components of complex treatment of neurosis is psychotherapy. During treatment of the disease, doctors use the following techniques:

Rational. With its help, doctors carefully study the patient’s condition and also determine the reasons that led to the development of the pathology. During the course of treatment, a person is helped to understand why mental disorders have developed. Also, rational treatment makes it possible to correct the situation, form a different system of behavior and strengthen the patient’s personal qualities.
Family. It is used in cases where the family is the cause of neuroses. Thanks to this technique, the patient becomes aware of the factors that led to the development of mental disorders and receives recommendations regarding the treatment of neurosis.
Behavioral. This technique is practical to use. It is suitable for people whose thoughts are based on logical conclusions. It is important for them to evaluate words and actions. This type of psychotherapy allows you to obtain information about the etiology of disorders and ways to eliminate them.
Personality-oriented. The patient is given the opportunity to understand the reasons for the expressed emotions and solve a situation that seems hopeless to him.

Symptoms

Symptoms of neurosis include:

Anxiety, obsessive states, fear and self-doubt. All this often leads to an inferiority complex.
Decreased activity, tone, constant fatigue.
Refusal to communicate with people, desire for loneliness.
Excessive aggression, outbursts of anger.
Tearfulness.
Increased sensitivity, vulnerability.
The appearance of irritability.
Mood swings.
Excessively sensitive to bright lights and sounds.
Changes in pressure, which can cause darkness in the eyes.
Decreased libido or potency.
There are also somatic manifestations of neuroses: heart pain, VSD, panic attacks.

How to treat neurosis yourself? First of all, you should pay attention to the last point of the symptoms - the somatic sign.

Psychosomatics is a science that studies the relationship between our psycho-emotional state and physical health. Many disorders are known to cause real physical pain, which may simply be causeless. This suggests that, for example, heart pain is not necessarily caused by problems with the cardiovascular system. It is possible that this pain was caused by your psycho-emotional state.

That is why disorders must be treated as quickly as possible. Let’s figure it out further on how to treat neurosis on your own.

There are various forms of neuroses that require a certain principle of treatment.

Changing your lifestyle to combat the problem

After identifying the symptoms and causes of neuroses, the patient is recommended to follow a number of rules that will improve the patient’s quality of life and prevent the progression of pathological processes. Among them, the most effective are:

properly organized daily routine;
good sleep;
compliance with work and rest schedules;
walks in the fresh air, playing sports;
regular ventilation of the room;
balanced diet;
drinking enough fluids;
cessation of smoking tobacco products and drinking alcohol;
devote more time to your favorite activity.

Neurasthenia

Neurasthenia is accompanied not only by mental illness, but also by physical health problems. The most common symptoms of neurasthenia are headache, excessive fatigue, and inability to concentrate on anything important.

This disorder has 3 stages. At the first stage, the neurasthenic appears only mildly irritable and has no somatic signs. Also at this step, neurosis may not interfere with a person’s daily activities.

At the second stage, the neurosis enters a more severe stage, due to which it becomes impossible to continue active activity - new symptoms arise.

At the final stage, the neurosis acquires its final expression, pain occurs in the abdomen, heart, and head. Apathy and lethargy appear. Asthenic syndrome develops.

Before you ask yourself the question: “How to treat neurosis yourself at home?”, you must understand that in the first and second stages it can still be cured on your own quite easily and quickly. But advanced neurosis requires only the intervention of specialists.

Method of relaxation and falling asleep according to Amosov

Mental disorders often cause insomnia. In this case, the technique developed by Amosov helps. Treatment of neuroses in this way involves complete relaxation of the body, starting with the muscles of the face and ending with the limbs. It is important to remove tight clothing and take a comfortable position before starting the procedure.

Whether it is possible to get rid of insomnia using the Amosov method depends on the patient himself. The latter needs to achieve maximum relaxation of all muscles. If necessary, before going to bed, you can use the self-hypnosis methods described above.

Hysterical neurosis

Hysterical neurosis is a form of disorder characterized by various hysterical attacks and even paralysis. The patient may experience pain in various parts of the body, a feeling of difficulty breathing or a lump in the throat.

Often these patients are prone to sudden seizures. They have poor self-control even in a calm environment. A somatic symptom is hypotension, as well as nervous movements in various parts of the body. Patients with this form of the disorder have a tendency to commit suicide.

How to treat neuroses in adults? This disorder can only be treated by a specialist through various sessions with a psychotherapist and prescribing the necessary medications, since these symptoms may also be characteristic of other diseases and not be a hysterical neurosis.

Prevention

Neurosis is a disease that is prone to cases of relapse in the absence of attention to one's mental health. In order to prevent this, you need to follow a number of preventive measures. These include:

Adherence to a strict regime. Patients with a tendency to neurotic disorders need to sleep at least 8-9 hours a day. It is advisable to do this at the same time. In case of disruption of daily biorhythms, the body’s immune defense may be weakened and changes in the functioning of the nervous system may develop.
Avoiding hard physical work and stress. Rest is an important factor in restoring the body's resources and preventing neurogenic disorders.
Keeping a personal diary. It can be used to write down your problems, splash out emotions in the absence of the opportunity to discuss them with loved ones.
Walking in the fresh air and ventilating the room. Access to oxygen has a beneficial effect on the human body and has a calming effect on the structures of the nervous system.
Development of communication skills. Regular communication with strangers and loved ones promotes socialization and helps prevent the development of neurotic disorders.

Treatment of neurosis is a long and labor-intensive process. If you detect any symptoms of pathology, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Timely initiation of therapy prevents the progression of the disease and the development of possible complications in the future.

Depressive neurosis

So how to treat neurosis at home? There is another form - depressive neurosis. It is this type of disorder that is most easily amenable to self-treatment.

Depressive neurosis is characterized by problems with sleep, insomnia, and bad mood. The patient experiences various fears and tearfulness. A somatic symptom is problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

But the main thing that you must understand is that depressive neurosis is most often the result of problems within the family or appears in a person who is oppressed by his environment. In this case, a person can help himself by changing the situation around him, but not always.

But is it possible to cope with these diseases on your own? This is often true. Let's find out how to treat neurosis with folk remedies.

Folk remedies

How to cope with neurosis on your own? There are various recipes to overcome these disorders. Most of them are based on the use of a variety of herbs, including:

Evening herbs that have a sedative effect and are used before bed to treat hysterical neurosis and neurasthenia: motherwort, mint, hawthorn, valerian, oregano, etc.
Morning herbs that are used after waking up, have a tonic effect and can lift your spirits: Leuzea, Schisandra, Rhodiola, etc.

Therefore, if you decide to learn how to treat neurosis yourself at home, stock up on these herbs and remember the following recipes.

Treatment with medications

Drug therapy of pathological processes consists of the complex use of several groups of medications. Among the most effective drugs for treating the disease are:

sedatives;
adaptogens;
antidepressants;
tranquilizers.

Sedatives

They are used if you need to get rid of neurosis in a mild stage of manifestation. This group has a similar effect to tranquilizers. At the same time, they are characterized by a low likelihood of developing side effects. In most cases, patients are prescribed the drugs Valocormid, Dormiplant, Menovalen, Persen, Trivalumen, Sedariston and Sedasen.

Adaptogens

This group of drugs is prescribed to normalize the functions of the nervous system and increase the body’s resistance to the influence of environmental factors. As a result of this, the patient adapts to society. The remedies are effective in the presence of a history of chronic stress and neurasthenia. For treatment, liquid extract of Leuzea, tinctures of Aralia and Eleutherococcus, as well as the drugs Tsigapant, Chromvital and Clarivit are used.

Antidepressants

Representatives of this group promote the capture of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine, as well as the blockade of enzymes that destroy these hormones. The result is an increase in their concentration in the body, due to which patients experience an improvement in mood.

The use of antidepressants does not affect the reaction rate and does not cause drug dependence. They also have a low likelihood of developing side effects. The main disadvantage of drugs in this group is the need for accumulation of a certain dose in the bloodstream, as a result of which the desired effect is achieved several weeks after the first dose. In the treatment of neuroses, the drugs Sertraline, Fluvoxamine, Citalopram, Paroxetine, Escitalopram and Mianserin are used.

Tranquilizers

Medications in this group act on the mechanisms of impulse transmission in the structures of the brain, as a result of which the work of neurons is inhibited and the severity of the patient’s reactions to external stimuli decreases. The disadvantages of these drugs include drug dependence and decreased concentration. For the treatment of neuroses, the drugs Lorazepam, Atarax, Mebicar, Grandaxin, Valium and Noofen are prescribed.

Evening recipes

Let's prepare the infusion. Take mint leaves, watch leaves, hop cones and valerian root in a ratio of 2:2:1:1. Pour boiling water over one tablespoon of this mixture and leave for 30 minutes, then take it before bed. The dose is adjusted depending on the complexity of the neurosis.

Another recipe: mix fennel and caraway fruits, motherwort and valerian roots in equal proportions. Pour boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. You can also mix chamomile, valerian and cumin in a ratio of 3:2:5 and brew in the same way.

Morning recipes

Take viburnum (about 5 tablespoons) and grind it to a mushy state. Pour 700 ml of boiling water and leave for 4 hours, then filter. It is necessary to take half a glass before meals, half an hour before.

Another good treatment option is to squeeze a clove of garlic into a glass of hot milk and drink it in the morning, before breakfast, half an hour before.

You can also brew chamomile and mix it with milk in equal proportions. This composition is taken 3 times a day, 1/3 cup.

First attack

Several years passed from the first “bells” to the first panic attack (PA). At that time I was 34 years old, I had already worked as a nail technician in a beauty salon for 7 years. I loved my job very much, although lately I had been quite tired of it, but I didn’t dare quit. She brought me a good income, allowing me to feel confident and independent.

I remember this day very well. It was mid-October. There was a lot of work that day and I didn’t have time to have lunch on time. The break happened only at 4 o’clock, after having a snack and a little rest, by 5 o’clock in the evening I received the next client. I sat down to work and after about 10 minutes I felt like I wasn’t getting enough air. At first I didn’t pay attention, deciding that I was overtired and tired.

But I felt worse. I felt my heart beating strongly and it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. I was scared. She apologized to the client and went to the window, opening it. But I didn’t feel better, on the contrary, my heart was beating wildly, I broke out in a cold sweat, I was shaking... panic, horror, I couldn’t breathe. Heart attack - I thought and, half-delirious, asked the frightened client to call me an ambulance.

While the ambulance was driving, I lay down on the couch in the cosmetology office, prayed and mentally said goodbye to my loved ones. I was sure that I was going to die now.

The ambulance arrived quickly, I was still feeling just as bad, although for some reason I still wasn’t dying. But I was sure that now they would take me to intensive care and save me. However, for some reason the ambulance doctors were calm. After asking me a few questions, feeling and listening to me, they completely relaxed, gave me some injections, wrote “an attack of vegetative-vascular dystonia” on a piece of paper, recommended me to rest more and cheered me up. Of course, I felt better and moved away. I didn’t return to work that day, canceled people and went home.

But now I was scared. It was a pretty serious attack and I started to think that something was wrong with me. Most likely, I am sick with something. Maybe the heart, or maybe hormones, the thyroid gland, but such attacks cannot happen out of nowhere. That's it... I went downhill.

A few more recipes

How to treat neurosis yourself in adults? Recipe to help cope with depression: brew 1 tbsp. l. black cinnamon per glass of boiling water. Leave for 30 minutes, strain and drink 1 tbsp of infusion. l. 3 times a day before meals for a month.

Let's take sage, motherwort and chicory in a ratio of 2:2:1. Pour a tablespoon of the composition into a glass of cold water, boil for 10-15 minutes and let it brew for 1 hour. You can drink this infusion 2-3 times a day, preferably with honey.

To treat hysterics, brew 1 tbsp. l. Voronets roots in a glass of boiling water and drink a tablespoon 3 times a day, before meals.

Herbs are very good, but everything needs to be done in moderation. Do not take more than 2 infusions at the same time. After completing the course of treatment (for example, 1 month), take a break, and then start taking a new infusion. Give your body time to take a break from herbs.

Useful tips

Still wondering how to help yourself with depression and neurosis? Follow these rules and recommendations:

Take time to give yourself soothing baths. To do this, you can use aromatic oils - just a few drops per bath are enough. You can use various special fees that are sold in pharmacies.
If you don’t have time to take baths, buy yourself an aroma lamp, to which you can add soothing oils of mint, lavender, and pine.
Learn to relax. To do this, turn on calm music and close your eyes. Breathe slowly and evenly. Imagine how you exhale all your fears, adversities, and nervousness. As you inhale, your lungs fill with warmth and light. Repeat this relaxation until you feel better.
Change the environment around you. Change your job, change your place of residence, or just take a vacation to relax. Go to the forest, or better yet, visit some new place.
Try to resolve conflicts in the family and improve the atmosphere. You may not be able to do this on your own, but then the most correct decision would be to visit a psychotherapist who will help you sort out the accumulated problems.
Learn to look at the world around you more simply and not burden your nerves with sometimes complicated problems.

OK it's all over Now. The most important thing is that even if you decide to treat obsessive-compulsive neurosis on your own, do not forget to visit doctors. They will help you to sensibly assess your condition, help speed up your recovery and solve problems that you cannot handle on your own.

...or relax

The severity of symptoms of the disease is most common during periods of extreme stress or fatigue. Lifestyle, stress at work or school, problems, challenges and problems that every day presents to you are a big risk factor. The disease itself is also a source of additional stress, often pushing patients into compensatory or compulsive behavior that takes up most of their time and keeps them stressed.

This is why one of the first important things patients learn in training therapy is how to relax. You need to learn to rest often. Maybe lying in front of the TV or sitting at the computer is ineffective, and you need to find other forms of relaxation that will allow you to truly unwind and let go of tension during the day.

Consider it an adventure. Look for a new passion or hobby, go to the library and borrow books from several different departments, take part in community events, or plant herbs or more challenging potted plants. Do yoga or take a relaxation class. Any activity that makes you relax and relieve stress is a great idea.