TYPES OF NEUROTIC AND PSYCHOTIC BEHAVIOUR

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Anxiety Neurosis

An individual suffering from anxiety neurosis has exaggerated uncontrollable anxiety and apprehension.

Anxiety disorders are fairly common in our society. Roughly two to four percent of the population has been diagnosed, at one time or another, as having some type of anxiety disorder. 

Signs and symptoms of anxiety neurosis include:

o   A rather constant state of tension,

o   Worry

o   General uneasiness. Such individuals are often oversensitive in people-to- people relationships and frequently have feelings of inadequacy and depression. 

o   Emotional tension frequently leads to physical tensions which cause neck and upper shoulder muscular pain and sleep disturbances of insomnia and nightmares. Decision making is difficult, and after the decision is made, the individual may worry excessively over possible disasters that may occur. 

o   Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - An Obsessive-Compulsive person feels he must do something even though he does not want to do the thing. For example, a compulsion to wash his hands, though there is no logical reason to do so, is typical of a person exhibiting obsessive-compulsive behavior. 

Hysterical Neurosis

In this type of neurosis, the individual loses emotional control, or develops some physical symptoms, when there seems to be no underlying cause for either. 

For example, student aviators have been found to develop vision problems and hearing problems as well as partial numbness of the tongue although there was no physical reason for such symptoms.

The symptoms were unwittingly developed by the students as a defense mechanism to a stressful situation. Physical illness gave the students an acceptable way to stop flying. Just leaving the flight training program was obviously not acceptable to these students

Phobic Neurosis

A phobic neurosis is a persistent fear of some object or situation that is no real danger to the person or a situation in which the person magnifies a danger out of all proportion to reality. 

Phobic Neuroses should not be confused with normal fears. 

Depressive Neurosis

It is difficult to distinguish between "normal depression" and "abnormal depression" which could be termed depressive neurosis. From time to time, very well adjusted people feel sad, discouraged, pessimistic, and a sense of hopelessness. When these feelings all come together, we say we have the "blues." Such feelings usually go away on their own and we get on with our lives.

A state of neurotic depression is different in that this type of depression is more severe and lasts longer. 

Additionally, a person suffering from a depressive neurosis does not bounce back to normal after a reasonable period of time. 

Usually, a traumatic event led to the depression, an event the person can relate. 

Psychotic Behaviour

Just as there is no real line between "normal" and "neurotic" behaviour, there is no definite line between "neurotic" and "psychotic" behaviour.

A person suffering from psychosis has a severe mental illness marked by loss of contact with reality.

On the other hand, the person suffering from a neurosis has only a minimal loss of contact with reality but has emotional problems that may impair his thinking and judgment. 

Alcoholic Psychosis

There are several alcoholic psychoses. 

They are pathological intoxication, delirium tremens, and acute alcoholic hallucinosis. These conditions are classified as psychoses because there is a temporary loss of contact with reality.

Individuals who experience these conditions may have reactions which last only a short period of time. During such time, these individuals are confused, excited, and delirious.

Acute Alcoholic Hallucinosis

In this condition, the patient appears normal, but he hears a voice.

  

Initially, there is one voice making simple statements. Eventually, there are several voices issuing statements which are criticizing or reproaching the person. 

These voices attack the person's most private thoughts, list and discuss the thoughts, and propose punishments. 

This condition may last several days or several weeks during which time the patient is depressed but otherwise relatively normal.

The psychotic symptoms experienced by the person seem to be triggered by alcohol, but he may have a broad range of inappropriate behavior not part of the acute alcoholic hallucinosis.

Pathological Intoxication

This condition is an acute reaction that occurs in people with a low alcohol tolerance. 

The condition can also occur in someone whose alcohol tolerance is low at the moment from such causes as exhaustion, emotional stress, or other conditions.

For these individuals, consuming even moderate amounts of alcohol can cause the person to suddenly become disoriented and go into a homicidal rage.  

Following the confused, disoriented state, the person usually falls into a deep sleep after which he may not remember anything that happened during the time he was confused.

Delirium Tremens

Otherwise known as the DTs, delirium tremens is an acute mental illness, a psychotic reaction sometimes caused by withdrawal from alcohol. 

A prolonged alcoholic binge, a head injury, or an infection may also trigger delirium tremens. 

 Signs and symptoms of this condition include the following:

 Feeling of disorientation of time and place.  

Patient may believe he is in a church or jail, will not recognize old friends, but will believe hospital attendants are old friends.

Vivid hallucinations. An individual may think he sees small, fast- moving animals like snakes, rats, and roaches.

Acute Fear

A person may see these small animals change in form, size, or color in terrifying ways.

Tremors - Marked tremors of hands, tongue, and lips. Hands, tongue, and lips shake uncontrollably and strongly.

Drugs and Poison Intoxication

Both drugs and poison can act as intoxicating agents (intoxicants) causing psychosis (loss of contact with reality). 

Fever and Infection

Both a high fever and/or a severe infection can cause behavioral changes which can be psychotic in nature.  

Syphilis, encephalitis, and meningitis are such diseases.  

An individual with an untreated case of syphilis undergoes both physical and psychological (personality) changes. These changes range from becoming careless and inattentive in the disease's initial stages to spending money on impossible schemes as well as performing antisocial acts publicly in later stages of the disease.

Cerebral Infections

A Cerebrovascular accident, brain trauma, brain tumor, or cerebral arteriosclerosis can result in psychotic behavior.

Damage or even small pressure in the brain may cause marked pressure and cause impairment of the normal functioning of the brain.  

      Damage may cause hallucinations and a general impairment in the individual's intellectual processes with the result that he loses touch with reality, behaving psychotically