One type of psycho-emotional disorder is astheno-depressive syndrome. The pathological condition is accompanied by a loss of all interest in life. A person with this disorder constantly faces difficulties in making even the simplest decisions. This syndrome precedes depression, which it can develop into if medical care is refused.
The disease does not have its own ICD-10 code, since this condition is not classified as a separate diagnosis. At the same time, it is classified into different categories, which include the international classification of diseases. The pathology is most often classified as other neurotic disorders, which are listed in the international classification of diseases under the code F48.
Astheno-depressive syndrome is considered to be a condition that is classified as a group of affective disorders of an atypical type. In various publications it is called asthenic depression or exhaustion depression. Pathology can significantly worsen a person’s life. Without adequate treatment, it can develop into more serious mental problems that are difficult to treat. During the course of astheno-depressive syndrome, the systems and internal organs of a person function at the limit of their capabilities. Therefore, they periodically fail, which is why the patient exhibits characteristic symptoms of malaise.
Specialists at the Yusupov Hospital treat many psycho-emotional disorders, including asthenic-depressive syndrome. Using an integrated approach to diagnosis and treatment allows the clinic’s doctors to find the true causes of the disease. Honored doctors with the highest category work within the walls of the hospital, who are constantly improving in their field of activity. The developed methodology, together with leading doctors in Russia and Europe, always achieves the desired goal.
Who is susceptible to astheno-depressive syndrome?
Astheno-depressive syndrome, for which special treatment is selected, most often occurs in people who have a predisposition to it. We are talking about people who are at risk. These include:
- Representatives of creative professions;
- Persons holding leadership positions;
- Adults and children who are prone to developing mental illness;
- Patients with inflammatory diseases that are chronic.
People who are at risk should take more responsibility for their physical and mental health. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to avoid astheno-depressive syndrome.
Causes of development of astheno-depressive syndrome
Finding out the cause of the development of astheno-depressive syndrome is not so easy. Only an experienced specialist can handle this task. There are many factors that can lead to the development of pathology. In most cases, the disease manifests itself due to the influence of the following negative factors on the human body:
- Prolonged experience of a traumatic situation;
- Hereditary predisposition to the disorder;
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Mental stress or overload;
- Cardiovascular diseases;
- Weakened immunity;
- Thyroid gland dysfunction;
- Long-term course of vitamin deficiency;
- Various types of intoxication of the body, including alcohol and nicotine;
- Leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Many of these reasons can lead a person into a state of panic. If you don't deal with panic attacks, they begin to intensify. As a result, the patient develops new problems, among which this syndrome stands out. Any shock can lead to the development of mild depression. Gradually, this condition will only worsen if the person fails to find relief. If a man or woman often exposes himself to depressive conditions, then he should seek help from a specialist, since in the future the person risks encountering asthenic-depressive syndrome.
Treatment of asthenia
Treatment of astheno-neurotic syndrome must be carried out under the mandatory supervision of a psychotherapist and a doctor of rehabilitation therapy in neurology. This is due to the possibility of developing complex pathologies of the nervous system, which must not only be foreseen, but also prevented from forming in time. Monopolar treatment, as a rule, is not only ineffective, but also not very resistant to relapses.
The amount of assistance for asthenic conditions depends on the true causes of formation, development mechanisms, concomitant disorders of the nervous system and body, and social factors. When treating asthenoneurotic syndrome, all these factors should be taken into account.
It should also be added that in order to ascertain the condition, it is necessary to see that these symptoms are directly related to any psychophysical overload and they do not go away or weaken after quality rest.
That is, based on this list, you can assume that you have an asthenic state. But, only a doctor can accurately determine whether there is asthenia or not, during an in-person appointment.
In the classic reference book on psychiatry for Russian psychiatry, asthenia is briefly characterized as a state of increased fatigue with frequent mood swings, irritable weakness, exhaustion, hyperesthesia (increased susceptibility to ordinary stimuli), tearfulness, autonomic disorders and sleep disorders.
Therapy methods
- Isolation from external stimuli.
- Psychotherapy.
- Physiotherapy.
- Drug therapy.
- Light therapy.
- Rehabilitation therapy.
- Diet therapy.
- Therapeutic physical education (L.F.K.).
- Occupational therapy.
- Other treatments.
Depending on the doctor’s specialization and his personal preferences in practice, one can come across various terms denoting this variant of a disorder of higher nervous activity. In life you can encounter a wide variety of synonyms for asthenia.
Synonyms of asthenia
- Asthenic syndrome
- Asthenic condition
- Astheno-neurotic syndrome
- Neurasthenia
- Cerebroasthenia
- Psychasthenia
- Manager syndrome
- Extreme inhibition syndrome
- Irritable weakness syndrome
Symptoms of astheno-depressive syndrome
Characteristic symptoms help determine astheno-depressive syndrome in a person. They are the reason for diagnostics, based on the results of which treatment is prescribed. A patient with a mental disorder may experience only a few symptoms. As a rule, many people do not pay much attention to them, as they attribute them to ordinary fatigue. The painful condition can be recognized by the following symptoms:
- Unreasonable loss of interest in events that occur in a person’s life;
- Constant irritability and aggressiveness, which manifests itself for any reason;
- Inability to complete the work started;
- Sudden mood changes several times a day;
- Inability to concentrate normally on a specific topic during a conversation or activity;
- The development of phobias that did not previously bother the person;
- Frequent panic attacks;
- Excessive appetite or its complete absence;
- The patient may also experience worsening sleep. He begins to suffer from insomnia, which he is unable to cope with;
- Bradypsia is inhibition of thinking. A person's reaction speed decreases, speech and motor activity slow down.
The main symptoms of astheno-depressive syndrome are complemented by physiological signs of malaise. People with this disorder may experience episodes of tachycardia, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, persistent headaches and nausea. Along with this, diseases appear that disrupt the functioning of internal systems.
Often people complain of non-existent pain in the body. The manifestation of the disease can be observed not only in adults. Children also complain of signs of astheno-depressive syndrome. Parents should start sounding the alarm if they notice the following symptoms in their child:
- Unreasonable weight loss;
- Abrupt change of activities every 30 minutes;
- Unsociability and self-isolation;
- Insomnia.
If a child suffers from constant mental stress and leads a sedentary lifestyle, then he can become hostage to asthenic-depressive syndrome.
Clinical manifestations
Unlike ordinary overwork (with which, by the way, asthenic depression is often confused), the symptoms of this disorder do not go away after proper sleep, rest, or a change of environment. For many weeks (and often months and even years), a person constantly feels tired and weak. This condition is accompanied by:
- unstable, usually low mood: excessive, hypertrophied emotional elation and excitement can at any moment suddenly give way to tears, despair, melancholy;
- sleep disorders;
- increased sensitivity to sharp sounds, bright light, intense odors;
- regular headaches, attacks of dizziness, worsening in the morning, often accompanied by nausea;
- meteosensitivity: patients react to changes in weather not only with a general deterioration in well-being and an increase in weakness, but also with increased irritability (everything goes out of hand for a person, nothing works out, and he reacts to such troubles very sharply);
- inability to relax: the patient is constantly overcome by pessimism, when he tries to “switch” and relax, his thoughts constantly return to pressing troubles, possible or existing health problems.
Asthenic depression is also characterized by decreased concentration and absent-mindedness. Experts associate such symptoms with apathy, indifference and loss of interest in everything that is happening around: be it some work issues or family joys and troubles, etc.
Sexual disorders are also typical: decreased libido, impotence in men, anorgasmia in women. Vegetative symptoms often develop. This:
- fluctuations in blood pressure (but hypertension usually predominates);
- tachycardia with a feeling of heartbeat, pulsation in the temples, chest, ears;
- pain and/or discomfort in the chest;
- increased sweating;
- redness (sometimes focal) or, conversely, pallor of the skin;
- feeling of chills or hot flashes at normal body temperature.
Diagnosis of astheno-depressive syndrome
Adults and children with severe symptoms of astheno-depressive syndrome must undergo diagnostics. You should consult a doctor, even if the signs of the disorder are still mild. Patients suspected of having this disease should be examined in the office of highly specialized specialists. We are talking about an endocrinologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist and urologist. For depression, it is recommended to consult a psychotherapist. He will determine the root cause of the disorder and tell you how to treat it. Consultation with highly specialized doctors is required in order to identify the presence of chronic pathologies that could have an impact on the development of astheno-depressive syndrome. If no organic causes of the disease are identified in a person, then further diagnosis will be carried out by a psychotherapist. He must talk to the patient. During the collection of anamnesis, he will be able to find an explanation for the manifested symptoms of the syndrome.
The Yusupov Hospital has a modern diagnostic facility, and specialists treat patient complaints carefully and thoughtfully. Yusupov Hospital is a multidisciplinary treatment center where every person is guaranteed comprehensive and highly qualified treatment.
Symptoms and consequences
People suffering from this organic disorder are quick-tempered, angry, and even for minor reasons they experience violent outbursts of emotions. Their loved ones irritate them, and troubles are perceived literally like this: “everything is lost.” The mood changes abruptly and dramatically, like the weather in spring. Negative reactions arise spontaneously and cannot be adjusted.
Patients are touchy, prone to sentimentality, and tearful. Asthenia is manifested by weakness, rapid fatigue - even 2-3 hours of work is enough for them to get tired. Then complete powerlessness sets in, requiring serious rest.
Such people experience frequent headaches, even dizziness. Typically, such sensations occur when weather conditions change. They cannot tolerate a lack of oxygen and stuffiness, so it is difficult for them to travel on public transport. Sunlight hurts the eyes, normal sounds are perceived as very loud, even a slight touch causes pain.
Children with psychoorganic syndrome may talk in their sleep or walk.
As the disease progresses, problems with emotions, thinking and memory become more severe. The patient, talking about something, is distracted from the main thread of the story, going into insignificant, insignificant details. His thoughts become viscous, he often repeats the same phrases, his vocabulary becomes impoverished, and rhymes slip through his everyday speech.
The individual completes the assigned task slowly, since his mental processes proceed inertly. He remembers recent events poorly, not to mention those that happened long ago.
Critical abilities are impaired, and, although the patient understands the line between good and bad, he may speak tactlessly or commit an unacceptable action.
Character deteriorates, and what a person previously tried not to demonstrate, considering it a bad trait, comes out. He becomes boastful, sticks out his merits, exaggerating and pathetically praising them. Such euphoria abruptly turns into gloom, melancholy and suddenly - an affective outburst over a small matter. At this moment, the patient loses self-control, his consciousness narrows and focuses on the immediate task - to immediately punish the one who offended him, even if nothing of the kind actually happened. And then a tragedy may occur: he will commit a crime, maybe even kill.
As the disorder progresses, it leads to negative personality changes, namely social maladjustment. Relationships with loved ones deteriorate, difficulties arise in school and work. Professional performance deteriorates so much that it leads to dismissal.
Neurological disorders are added to psychoorganic disorders. These may be seizures or nocturnal diuresis (paroxysms).
To escape from problems, patients begin to drink alcohol and take drugs. This, in turn, leads to delirium tremens and amnesia, increasing the risk of increased criminal behavior and death.
The main feature of the disorder: loss of control over aggressiveness, the outbreak of which occurs without any reason. The internal tension for such a surge can increase in a minute or several hours. After a momentary attack of rage, the patient moves away and repents of what happened, which distinguishes this disease from dissocial personality disorder.
All of the above clearly convinces that organic emotional labile asthenic disorder must begin to be treated in the early stages. This should be done jointly by a psychiatrist and a neurologist.
Very often, the patient himself and those around him attribute the above-mentioned behavior to bad character, without resorting to therapy and wasting time. An experienced specialist will make a diagnosis at the first appointment and prescribe treatment. The result of therapy is very favorable if the patient follows all the instructions and recommendations of the attending physician.
