Alcohol psychosis is a disorder.mental activity, which is observed in patients with the use of alcohol. Often, the first signs of deviation manifest themselves in the second stage of the illness and may change with the course of the disease. In this regard, the very phenomenon of alcoholic psychosis in psychiatry has several sub-types, which differ among themselves in their manifestations. Let's take a closer look at what the pathology is, find out what the symptoms are, and find out how to treat the disease.
Causes of development
Alcohol psychosis usually occurs as a result oflong use of appropriate beverages. The reason is also a metabolic failure. True, a great experience in alcoholism is not at all necessary for the development of psychosis. If you try to derive a general list of the causes of this disorder, then it will include the following factors:
- Prolonged use of alcohol.
- The presence of hereditary predisposition of the organism.
- Social environment along with living conditions.
Under the category of social environment followsunderstand not only the constant presence among drinking individuals, but also general mass trends. Due to the emergence of the fashion for the use of energy alcoholic beverages, a large number of people become susceptible to the disease of alcoholism. But it should be noted that the development of alcoholic psychosis due to inappropriate social environment is less common. Often the cause of violations in the human psyche is a drunken form of alcoholism or the presence of a predisposition to it at the genetic level.
What are the symptoms of alcoholic psychosis?
Привести единый перечень симптоматики довольно difficult, since each of its subspecies has its own distinctive features. Depending on the stage, the following clinic of alcoholic psychosis is observed in the patient:
- The appearance of disturbances in the rhythm of sleep. This may be accompanied by constant insomnia or intermittent and restless sleep.
- The development of a depressed state.
- The emergence of emotional apathy.
- Observation of instability in the mood. At the same time, anxiety, depression, aggression or irritability can be noticed in a person’s behavior, which can drastically change to another state for no reason.
- The appearance of hallucinations.
Проявление последнего симптома типично только для certain types of alcoholic psychosis. In order to understand exactly what stage these or other signs belong to, we will study them in more detail.
What is a disease?
Как уже было упомянуто выше, данный вид психоза is a violation of the behavior of the patient due to excessive drinking. However, depending on the alcoholic stage and the duration of the pathology, one of its subtypes is meant. The list of species includes delirium tremens, alcoholic hallucinosis, depression, epilepsy, paranoid and jealousy rage.
The symptoms of alcohol psychosis are difficult to confuse.
The development of delirium tremens
White fever is popularly called any mental disorder as a result of alcoholism. In medicine, this type of psychosis is called delirium tremens.
Characterize it difficult to tolerate withdrawal symptoms.syndrome on the background of attempts to abruptly stop drinking alcohol or long abstinence from contact with alcohol. This subspecies of psychosis is manifested in the patient’s sleep disturbance, and the person may also increase general nervousness and irritability, which in combination will result in the appearance of visual hallucination.
Appearance of alcoholic hallucinosis
This subtype of alcoholic psychosis develops onbackground of severe withdrawal syndrome for a person, as well as a result of a long-lasting binge. The main feature that is characteristic of this type of disorder is the manifestation in the patient of auditory hallucinations, often combined with a special phenomenon — a delusion of dangerous persecution.
What other symptoms and course of alcoholic psychosis are there?
Development of alcohol depression
As part of the flow of a strongwithdrawal syndrome, a person has a condition that can be characterized by alcoholic depression. In this case, the patient will remain in a depressed mood, and, in addition, he will be overcome by thoughts of self-destruction. Against this background, tears can also occur constantly. Often this condition is combined with a mania of persecution or all sorts of conspiracies. Experts consider the development of alcohol depression to be one of the most dangerous states, as it can even lead a person to suicide.
What can lead to chronic alcoholic psychosis?
The development of alcoholic epilepsy
At this stage, pathology is manifested not only inmood of the patient, but also in changes in physical capabilities and body functions. On the background of alcoholic epilepsy, a patient may suffer from severe convulsive seizures. Such seizures are especially strong immediately after the abrupt refusal of alcohol intake before the onset of withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms and treatment of alcohol psychosis are interrelated.
Довольно часто эпилепсия проявляет себя в quality deterioration in the background of delirium tremens. There were also cases in which, on the contrary, seizures occurred when the patient was in a state of severe intoxication. First aid in the development of such seizures, as a rule, does not differ from the standard algorithm of actions and techniques for epilepsy.
Seizures occur after the cessation of libations,which adversely affects the possibilities of treatment. But with a sufficient period of abstinence from alcohol, the seizures can go away on their own without returning the next epilepsy.
Alcoholic paranoid
Mental disorder, which is called alcoholicparanoid, develops in patients with experiencing a strong withdrawal syndrome, as well as due to prolonged incessant binge. With his onset, man is overcome by a strong nonsense, the essence of which, as a rule, is in the formation of an idea related to persecution or marital infidelity. In such a situation, patients are able in every person who is nearby to consider their own personal enemy, who encroaches on their property or honor.
Patients in a state of alcoholic paranoidMuch of the time confused and even somewhat scared. But such a mood can abruptly be replaced by aggression or animal fear, which can be accompanied by flight, attacks on people, or requests for all kinds of help addressed to law enforcement agencies.
The appearance of alcoholic jealous delusions
Stay in the alcoholic delusions of jealousyMost situations are typical only for male patients. With women, such a mental disorder occurs quite rarely. In addition, it was noted that this type of psychosis has its own age group. It mostly occurs in men who have reached the age of forty years and above.
This violation manifests itself in the form of discontent.the attitude of the second half. In particular, the spouse may be accused of coldness and inattention. Against this background, the patient begins to think that the spouse is actively communicating with a person of the opposite sex. In such a state, suspicions of infidelity arise extremely quickly, and in the role of candidates for lovers can be considered any men who are next to a woman. In this case, the patient perceives the relatives as accomplices, covering the infidelity of his wife.
As soon as there is an alcoholic rage of jealousy,a person becomes suspicious and overly aggressive. This can especially be manifested in relation to his spouse. The patient will be irritated by the behavior, and, in addition, the appearance of the second half, he will begin to control its movement along with the circle of communication. The mood of the patient can dramatically change to aggressive behavior, up to cases of physical assault.
Описанные выше разновидности психоза составляют the main base, but do not give an exhaustive list of all types of disorders presented. Also, each of these conditions has two forms of flow: acute and chronic. Chronic alcoholic type of psychosis often occurs with the constant drunken nature of the disease. The acute form is characteristic of the state of abrupt cessation of alcohol intake and the development of withdrawal symptoms.
Alcohol psychosis: treatment
Symptoms, and besides, the treatment of anymental illness, including alcohol, are closely related. Depending on the stage of development of the disease, the pattern of withdrawal of the patient from the binge along with the intensity of the course will vary. What should be done first? We will understand below.
The best treatment for alcohol psychosis isa combination of infusion therapy with psychotropic drugs along with nootropic drugs and a course of vitamins. To avoid the appearance of any complications, treatment should be carried out in a hospital, where each medicine will be strictly dosed by trained and qualified personnel.
Consequences of continued developmentalcoholic psychosis may be different. Depending on the type of a disorder, the patient may be dangerous for himself, and in addition, for the people around him. There are frequent situations when in a state of alcoholic psychosis, the surrounding people received serious injuries, which subsequently led to death.
In this regard, the manifestation of any change inpatient behavior must be taken carefully and with responsibility. The sooner treatment is started, the sooner the disorder can be eliminated. Of course, getting rid of the disease will not play any role if the abuse of harmful beverages is not stopped.
What to do with acute alcoholic psychosis?
What measures are taken in the treatment?
To develop the necessary treatment tacticsfirst, specialists need to correctly diagnose the patient's condition. For this purpose, as a rule, a narcologist is invited to start at home. Further therapy occurs as follows:
- At the initial stage, the patient receives drugs that help to get rid of toxins. Medical products allow with the minimum loss for the body to remove the products of metabolism of ethanol.
- Next is the implementation of the restoration of water and electrolyte balance along with the correction of metabolic disorders.
- In parallel, if it allowscondition of the patient, treatment of concomitant somatic pathologies is carried out for him, and, in addition, measures are being developed related to the prevention of complications.
- Rehabilitation of the patient requires not only pharmacological type of support, but also psychological help.
Drugs for the treatment of disease
In the treatment of alcoholic psychosis, the following groups of pharmacological agents are used:
- For detoxification, electrolyte solutions are administered along with glucose and magnesium sulfate.
- Diuretic drugs.
- Among enterosorbents are applied "Rekitsen-RD" and "Enterosgel".
- It is advisable to use sedatives, and in more severe cases, antidepressants are used in the form of Afobazol and Tsipraleks.
- Antioxidants in the treatment of "Glycine" with "Limontar" and "Yantavit."
- Hepatoprotectors are: Hepatofalk, along with Silibinin and Hepabene.
- From tranquilizers apply "Bromazepam" with "Diazepam".
- Neuroleptics such as Clozapine are also used along with Droperidol and Methophenazine.
- Nootropics are also used, for example, "Piracetam" with "Gutamine" and "Euclidan".
- Equally important is the use of vitamin complexes of group B, C, K and PP.
What is the prognosis for alcoholic psychosis?
The consequences of this pathology
Not always addicted to alcoholmanages to recover from psychosis. The most common consequences that develop even against the background of the refusal to drink alcohol are the following negative signs:
- A marked decrease in mental abilities.
- The difficulty of remembering new information and as a consequence of memory problems.
- Patients observe simple and primitive mental activity.
- Total or partial disability.
- Severe degradation of the individual.
- Psychosis becomes chronic.
- Alcoholic epilepsy develops.
Thus, the disease is an extremely serious violation of mental activity, which requires not only timely treatment, but also a guaranteed rejection of alcoholic beverages.
We considered the symptoms, course and prognosis of alcoholic psychosis.
