Phobic (or anxiety-phobic) neurosis is one of the many types of neuroses. The main manifestation of this disorder is an uncontrollable feeling of fear and anxiety as a reaction to a specific object (object, action, memory, etc.). This feeling is so strong that a person is unable to control himself, even if he realizes that the fear is groundless and his life and health are not in danger.
Phobic neurosis is associated with an uncontrollable feeling of fear
A person can develop a phobia in two cases:
- if a person directly had a bad experience in the past regarding some thing, action, place and other similar objects. For example, after accidental painful contact with a hot iron, fear of hot objects may develop in the future;
- if the object is associated with thoughts and memories of a negative nature. For example, in the past, while talking on the phone, there was a fire or someone got hurt.
The development and occurrence of phobic neuroses are influenced by:
- heredity;
- human character: increased anxiety, constant state of worry, excessive responsibility, suspiciousness;
- emotional stress and physical exhaustion;
- dysfunction endocrine system body;
- sleep disturbance and poor diet;
- infections and bad habits that cause significant harm to the body.
Often these disorders occur against the background of another disease: schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychasthenia, obsessional neurosis.
The risk of phobic neurosis increases during certain periods of a person’s life: during puberty, early adulthood and immediately before menopause.
Types of phobic neuroses
The most common phobia in this moment is a fear of open spaces - agrophobia. A person suffering from this disorder, depending on the severity of the disease, either tries not to leave the house unnecessarily, or is unable to force himself to even leave his own room.
Claustrophobia - fear of closed and enclosed spaces
The opposite of this phobia is claustrophobia. A person is seized with fear at the moment when he is in a closed space. This is especially true for elevators.
According to the severity of manifestation, phobic neuroses are divided into three groups:
- mild degree– fear arises from direct contact with the object of fear;
- average degree– fear arises in anticipation of contact with the object of fear;
- severe– just the thought of the object of fear seizes a person into panic.
Most often, phobias arise in adolescence against the background of hormonal changes in the body, and then can develop into obsessive fears or, conversely, disappear. The beginning of such disorders is always direct or indirect contact with a future object of fear, which is negative in nature. Patients are critical of their illness and may realize the groundlessness of their own fears, but at the same time they are not able to get rid of them.
Signs of phobic nephrosis
TO general symptoms phobic neuroses include:
- panic attacks;
- irregularities in work autonomic system organs ( the cardiovascular system, respiratory, etc.);
- headache;
- general weakness;
- sleep disorders;
- depression;
- emotional tension.
All these signs are easy to detect when the patient comes into contact with the subject of the phobia.
Depression may be one of the symptoms of phobic neurosis
In medicine, all symptoms are divided into 4 groups:
- Panic attacks are intense fear and a feeling of imminent death, accompanied by increased sweating, heart rhythm disturbances, dizziness, nausea, difficulty breathing and a feeling of the unreality of what is happening.
- Agrophobia is a fear of open spaces, large crowds of people, and in severe cases, fear of leaving one’s own home or room.
- Hypohodrical phobias are the fear of contracting some disease or the feeling that a person is already terminally ill.
- Social phobias are the fear of being the center of attention, being criticized or ridiculed.
There are many types of phobias
Treatment of phobic neuroses
If you have a question about the consequences and treatment of phobic neurosis, you need to consult a doctor, and not self-medicate and rely on Internet resources for everything. Ill-informed treatment can only worsen the situation.
For mild forms of phobias, you can limit yourself to attending sessions with a professional psychoanalyst.
For more advanced cases, the most effective way is considered cognitive behavioral therapy. Its main task is to teach the patient to manage his own emotions and fears through a detailed examination of the situations in which an attack occurs, identifying the causes and ways to get rid of such reactions.
Drug therapy is used in combination with any psychotherapy. It is impossible to overcome a phobia with medications alone.
A therapist can help treat phobias
In addition to basic treatment methods, doctors usually recommend relaxing massage, yoga or meditation, herbal medicine, short regular rest in sanatoriums, and acupuncture.
TO anxiety neurosis are caused by constant stress, overwork, lack of exercise, combined with a serious conflict between desires and capabilities. Advanced forms of fear neurosis (anxiety), in combination with phobias and obsessive states, are treated only by specialists. But anxiety neurosis in initial stage you can adjust it yourself.
In modern psychotherapy, there is a concept of three types of neuroses - neurosis obsessive states, and hysteria. In this article we'll talk about fear neurosis, one of the forms of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. With this type of neurosis, the experience of fear and anxiety becomes a priority. Against the background of general anxiety when faced with real or imaginary danger, phobias develop. A phobia is an obsessive fear of objects, situations or activities that interferes with social life personality.
Man with increased anxiety may hear on TV that an earthquake has occurred somewhere in the world, and begins to experience obsessive fear, is afraid to live on the floor above the second and cannot fall asleep, imagining terrible pictures natural disasters. Phobias tend to expand their “sphere of influence.” So, if a dog frightens a person while walking, he will first be afraid of walking in the same place, then of all dogs, even small ones, and finally begin to experience panic fear even when leaving home to the nearest store.
The most common types of phobias in anxiety neurosis:
- agoraphobia (fear of open spaces);
- social phobias (fear of public speaking, “disgracing yourself” in public);
- fear of germs (plus an obsessive state of frequent hand washing, wiping door handles);
- cancerophobia (fear of getting cancer);
- claustrophobia;
- fear of going crazy;
- fear that something will happen to relatives.
Symptoms of fear neurosis (anxiety neurosis)
Anxiety neurosis is perceived by the psyche as stress, to which it reacts with increased readiness - that is, by straining all the body’s forces and releasing adrenaline. The body experiences fatigue, and due to fear neurosis, physiological manifestations such as headache, sweating, pain in the different parts bodies and internal organs, goose bumps, dizziness, appetite and digestion disorders, frequent urination, tremor of the limbs, darkening of the eyes.
TO mental symptoms relate intrusive thoughts and actions, low or high self-esteem, sudden mood swings, aggressiveness with weak stimuli, increased sensitivity to light, sounds and temperature. In response to stressful situation a person in a state of anxiety neurosis withdraws into himself, becomes fixated on one action or thought, or chooses avoidance - for example, never again going to the place where he experienced stress.
Often, fear neurosis coexists with such conditions as derealization (a feeling of the unreality of what is happening) and depersonalization (a “strange” feeling of oneself). Panic attacks and hyperventilation often occur.
In general, a person with fear neurosis constantly feels emotional stress, gets tired quickly and does not get enough sleep. He also worries about everything and has difficulty choosing priorities in life and fulfilling his social roles. Therefore, it is necessary to treat it as early as possible, at the first manifestations, while they do not yet interfere with a person’s life.
Causes of the disease
The main cause of fear neurosis is the conflict between a person’s desires and goals and the impossibility of achieving them. In this case, a pathological focus of excitation constantly operates in the brain. Neuroses, including anxiety, always arise as a result of a long stress exposure any situation on the psyche. Fear and anxiety become “chronic” - as a reaction to a painful internal conflict.
For example, the cause of anxiety neurosis can be a long process of divorce, an exhausting job from which a person wants to leave, but cannot for some reason, an illness loved one, which cannot be influenced, etc. Anxiety neurosis can also be caused by an overprotective parent who does not allow you to make independent choices in life. In this case, the internal conflict “I want - I can’t” is complicated by feelings of resentment towards the parent and guilt towards him.
Treatment methods
First of all, treatment of fear neurosis includes searching for its cause and, in accordance with it, selecting appropriate treatment tactics. Anxiety neuroses are treated using several methods:
- Behavioral therapy.
- Cognitive therapy.
- Hypnosis.
- Drug treatment.
Behavioral psychotherapy aims to teach a person to respond correctly to anxiety, fear, panic and physical discomfort. A psychologist can advise techniques for relaxation, auto-training, and concentration on positive thoughts. Cognitive psychotherapy identifies thinking errors and corrects the way of thinking in the right way. It often helps people with anxiety neurosis to talk through their fears and get support.
If the fear neurosis has become overgrown with severe phobias, hypnosis may be effective, in which the effect is not on the conscious mind, but on the patient’s subconscious. During a hypnosis session, a person is restored to a sense of security and trust in the world. If the above methods do not help, medications are prescribed - antidepressants and tranquilizers. But in most cases, fear neurosis can be alleviated or eliminated in milder ways.
How to cope with the disease yourself
You can cope with the initial stage of anxiety neurosis on your own if you approach your condition consciously and draw up the right treatment regimen. It is necessary to eliminate all destructive influences - unhealthy diet, alcohol and nicotine abuse. At self-treatment the rule “in healthy body- healthy mind." For effective treatment try to spend more time on fresh air, get out in the sun, start doing exercises and walking more often. Make sure you eat regularly and drink enough clean water and eat foods rich in vitamins. This approach will avoid depressive state(depression) and taking antidepressants
But all these, although necessary, are time-consuming methods. What to do if you need quick relief from the neurosis of fear, stress, aggression? If fear arises at its very beginning, try to overcome yourself. Of course, this method is not suitable in case of serious phobias. Eliminate negative information from your life - stop watching and reading the news, refrain from watching scary films and television programs, do not communicate with people who like to discuss world disasters and their own problems. If you feel a lack of air, breathe into the bag, convince yourself that the panic that arises is just a condition, and there is no reason for fear. Relaxing music is a good distraction to relieve anxiety.
The main condition for self-healing is to find and eliminate internal conflict. Without this, all measures will bring only temporary relief. Analyze the changes in your condition: when did the symptoms of the disease begin, what was happening in your life? It is possible that some difficult situation is still ongoing and is causing tension and anxiety. If you cannot find it on your own or it cannot be eliminated, be sure to consult a psychotherapist.
Thus, fear neurosis (anxiety neurosis) is a non-threatening condition for life and psyche, however, it is very unpleasant and painful, and can greatly reduce the quality of life. Therefore, it is necessary not to ignore its presence, but to treat it, while simultaneously eliminating the cause - the deep internal conflict.
As described above, obsessive fears, or phobias, are varied and most common. The behavior of patients takes on an appropriate character.Symptoms A patient with a fear of certain objects asks relatives to remove them away from him, and a patient who is afraid of closed spaces will avoid staying in a room or transport, especially alone. At obsessive fear contaminated patients wash their hands all day, despite the fact that the skin on their hands has begun to change. Rags, towels, and linen are constantly boiled so that they are “sterile.” A patient with heart attack phobia is afraid that she will have a heart attack on the street and no one will help her. Therefore, she chooses a route to work that runs past hospitals and pharmacies, but in the doctor’s office she sits without fear and fear, understanding its groundlessness.
Thus, a phobia is a fear associated with certain situation or a group of representations.
Obsessive actions are most often of the nature of the measures expected above to overcome phobias (frequently washes hands, walks around open areas, does not stay in a closed room, etc.
d.). Often there are obsessive desires to count objects or windows, or women in red slippers, etc.
This also includes some tics, especially complex ones, but not violent. The division of obsessive states into obsessive ideas, thoughts, fears and actions is very conditional, since each obsessive phenomenon, to one degree or another, contains ideas, feelings and inclinations that are closely related to each other. The patient may have a number of obsessive phenomena and rituals.
Obsessive-compulsive neurosis in psychasthenic psychopaths can be considered as special form neurosis - psychasthenia. The main character traits of psychasthenics are indecision, timidity, a tendency to doubt, and an anxious and suspicious state. They are characterized by an increased sense of duty, a tendency to anxiety, and fear. This is based on a decrease in “mental tension”, as a result of which higher, full-fledged mental acts are replaced by lower ones.
Anticipation neurosis is expressed in difficulty performing a particular function due to an obsessive fear of failure (speech, walking, writing, reading, sleeping, playing a musical instrument, sexual function).
Can occur at any age. For example, a speech disorder may occur after an unsuccessful public speech, during which, under the influence of the situation that excited the patient, the speech function was inhibited. Subsequently, a feeling of anxious anticipation of failure developed when it was necessary to speak in public, and then when speaking in an unusual environment.
Anticipation neurosis develops in a similar way during unsuccessful sexual intercourse, where one or the other partner felt not up to par.
In anxiety neurosis, the main symptom is a feeling of anxiety or fear. Fear does not depend on any situation or any ideas; it is unmotivated, meaningless - “free-floating fear.” Fear is a primary and psychologically understandable image, not deducible from other experiences.
Often, under the influence of fear, psychologically associated anxious fears appear, which depend on the strength of the fear. Hereditary predisposition plays a major role in the occurrence of fear neurosis.
The first attack of fear, which marked the onset of the disease, plays a large role in the formation of the disease; it can be a somatic factor in various diseases, and a psychotraumatic, psychogenic factor.
A special variant of fear neurosis is affective-shock neurosis, or fear neurosis, which is divided into the following forms:
A simple form that is characterized by a slow progression mental processes and a number of somatovegetative disorders. The disease occurs acutely, following the effects of shock mental trauma, which signaled a great danger to life. There is pallor of the face, tachycardia, fluctuations blood pressure, rapid or shallow breathing, increased frequency of urination and bowel movements, dry mouth, loss of appetite, weight loss, trembling hands, knees, feeling of weakness in the legs. There is lethargy thought processes and verbal and speech reactions, sleep disturbance. Recovery gradually occurs, but sleep disturbance lasts the longest;
The assisted form is characterized by the development of anxiety and motor restlessness with a slowdown in verbal and speech reactions, thought processes with vegetative disorders characteristic of the simple form;
Stuporous form combined with mutism, i.e. numbness and numbness;
Twilight form (a twilight state of consciousness appears, unawareness of muttering, lack of understanding of location).
Fright neurosis occurs especially easily in children. It most often occurs in infants and children early age. The disease can be caused by new unusual looking irritants, for example sharp sound, bright light, a man in a fur coat or a mask, an unexpected imbalance. In older children, fear may be associated with a fight scene, the sight of a drunk person, or the threat of physical harm.
At the moment of fright, short-term stuporous states (“numbness” and “numbness”) or a state of psychomotor agitation with trembling. This fear may then become entrenched. Young children may experience loss of previously acquired skills and abilities. The child may lose speech, walking, and neatness skills. Sometimes children begin to urinate at the sight of a drunk person, bite their nails, etc.
The course of the disease in most cases is favorable, impaired functions are restored. In children over 5-7 years of age who have suffered a fright, it can give rise to the formation of phobias, i.e. obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
Anxious neurosis is accompanied by attacks of anxiety, depression, and groundless fears. That is why it is also called anxiety or fear neurosis. At the initial stage, the disease is easily treatable. However, if left unchecked, a more serious form of psychological illness may develop. That is why, if symptoms are detected, you should immediately contact a specialist.
A little about psychiatric terminology
In the twentieth century, any obsessive state of anxiety and depression was characterized as anxiety disorder or neurosis. Similar symptoms were observed in patients with psychosis, however, there were differences.
In psychosis, the patient most often lost touch with reality and hallucinated, while neurosis was accompanied by depressed state, hysterical behavior, headaches, etc.
Despite the differences, at the end of the twentieth century, at the conference on the international classification of diseases, it was decided to combine a number of similar diseases into one general concept - neurotic disorder . It includes the following categories of mental disorders:
- Phobic disorders.
- Depressive state.
- Psychasthenic psychopathy.
- Hypochondriacal disorder.
- Nervous system disorders.
- Hysteria.
However, experts still use the term anxiety neurosis, since patients are often frightened by the diagnosis of an anxiety-neurotic disorder. Explaining to a patient the complex terminology used among psychiatrists is much more difficult than making a consoling diagnosis of neurosis.
What is the difference between neurosis and psychosis
A psychotic patient, on the contrary, considers himself mentally healthy and a balanced person.
Another difference is frequent hallucinations and delusions. A patient with psychosis may experience inhibition of reaction, changes in appearance and facial expressions, mentally unstable behavior. Neurosis, in turn, does not produce such symptoms. He is accompanied anxiety, depression and obsessive behavior.
Neurosis occurs without brain damage, therefore completely treatable. In order to put accurate diagnosis, a personal meeting with a psychologist is necessary. The doctor, based on the conversation and existing symptoms, will be able to make an accurate diagnosis.
With anxiety neurosis, symptoms and their treatment are divided into several stages. The first group includes mental manifestations. They can arise suddenly, without any reason. The patient has the following symptoms:
This condition appears from time to time at the initial stage of development. Attacks can occur suddenly and last for half an hour. If treatment for anxiety and fear is not started in time, the patient’s condition will worsen. The attacks will become more frequent, longer lasting and will lead to complete mental disorder.
The second group includes physical and autonomic manifestations of symptoms. This manifests itself in the following:
- Headaches and dizziness.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Labored breathing.
- Stomach upset and stool disorders.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Shortness of breath, even in a passive state.
- Heart diseases.
When the first symptoms of anxiety neurosis are detected treatment should be started promptly. These symptoms are common to several diseases, so you should not diagnose yourself. At the first signs, you should immediately contact a specialist.
If you miss the initial stage, it may develop into chronic form . Then it will be much more difficult to cure the patient. Chance full recovery decreases.
Causes of the disease
When starting to treat fears, it is necessary to find out what caused them to appear. Experts find it difficult to answer exactly what factors are decisive in the manifestation of neurosis.
There are two types of factors: physical and psychological. The first option includes following reasons:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Hormonal imbalances.
- Developmental problems.
- Disruption of the endocrine system.
- Overwork.
The development of neurosis is often influenced by psychological factors. These include:
- Stress.
- Failures in work or personal life.
- Loss of a loved one.
- Improper upbringing in the family (childhood trauma).
It should be noted that another common reason is sudden fear. In addition, abuse of bad habits (alcohol, smoking, drugs) also significantly increases the risk of developing the disease.
To treat a mental illness, you should contact a knowledgeable specialist. Using home methods such as herbal teas, soothing baths and various compresses can only alleviate symptoms, but not completely eliminate the disease.
To get rid of fear neurosis treatment must be performed by a licensed physician. The disease is treated with the following methods:
- Drug treatment. Includes taking antidepressants, painkillers and tranquilizers. If the dynamics are positive, the patient is transferred to natural methods treatment: herbal infusions and tinctures.
- Psychotherapy. For each patient, the psychologist selects individual method psychotherapy.
- Physiotherapy. Relaxing massage sessions, water procedures and other methods that the doctor prescribes based on the patient’s condition.
Perhaps a psychologist will advise you to change your lifestyle. Change your social circle, quit a job that leads to stress, give up bad habits or do physical activity. After a full course of treatment the doctor will prescribe medications designed to consolidate the achieved effect.
How to behave to people close to you
It is difficult for a person with anxiety neurosis to restrain his emotions, especially at night, when the attack occurs in a sleeping, calm and unsuspecting state. Misunderstanding from relatives or friends can only make the condition worse.
This does not mean that you need to indulge other people's fears. Important try to calm the person down, explain that he has nothing to fear and assure him that if something happens, you will be together and will not leave him under any circumstances. You should not raise your voice, quarrel or blame the sick person.
As a rule, a person susceptible to anxiety neurosis is aware of his condition. However, he cannot fight this on his own. Attempts to reach peace of mind do not give positive results, on the contrary, they increase stress and other symptoms. Therefore, at the initial stage of development of the disease, it is important to be close to the person provide support and persuade them to seek help from a specialist.
Neurosis can appear not only in adults, but also in young children. At an early age, it can be caused by anything. The following reasons are possible: congenital isolation or irritability; congenital or acquired injuries and diseases; unexpected fright: bright light, someone else's face, a pet, a quarrel between parents, etc.
Most often in children fear neurosis may appear. Any shock has a very strong impact on children's body. When frightened, a child usually freezes and becomes numb. Some people start to feel chills. As a result of severe fear, the child may stop speaking, eating or walking independently. In some cases, children begin to bite their nails, stutter, and urinate involuntarily.
Any child psychologist should be familiar with this disease. Treatment at an early age brings positive results, and soon the child completely restores the impaired functions.
You should know that you should not scare children with scary fairy tales and cartoons. This will only increase the risk of neurosis. For children over five years old should be carefully observed. When frightened, they may develop various phobias that will haunt them throughout their lives.
Preventing a disease is much easier than treating it. Prevention mental illness is to comply healthy image life and spend time usefully. It is important to follow simple rules:
This way of life will reduce the risk of Not only mental disorders, but also many other diseases.
Anxiety neurosis is a neurotic disorder in which the leading symptom is a certain fear or phobia. Phobias, or obsessive fears, are very diverse. In accordance with a specific phobia, a person’s behavior is also disrupted (for example, if a patient is afraid of closed spaces, then he avoids public transport, elevator, etc.). That is, fear neurosis is always associated with certain ideas of a person or a specific situation.
Obsessive actions that arise with this disease usually take the form of certain measures to overcome the phobia (for example, with an obsessive fear of infection, a person takes the following measures: constantly washes and wipes everything, sterilizes his hands, dishes and clothes, etc.).
Treatment is selected individually, taking into account age, duration of the disease, symptoms and severity.
Causes and signs of the disease
Fear neurosis arises on psychological grounds. The reason may be stress (conflict in the family, problems at work, etc.) or simply a very significant situation for a person (moving to new house, birth of a child, new job).
In addition to clearly expressed fear (a specific phobia), the disease also has the following physiological symptoms:
- tremor of the limbs and trembling throughout the body;
- feeling of chills and the appearance of “goose bumps”;
- Strong headache;
- symptoms of stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting;
- rapid breathing and heart rate, heavy sweating;
- symptoms of sleep disturbance (frequently wakes up in the middle of the night, cannot fall asleep for a long time);
- excessive anxiety and motor agitation.
IN childhood symptoms of fear neurosis are also expressed in the fact that the child bites his nails, sucks his finger, logoneurosis (stuttering) and enuresis (urinary incontinence at night) may occur.
A special type of fear neurosis is affective-shock neurosis (fright neurosis), which most often occurs in children. It can be caused by a strong unexpected stimulus - a sharp light or loud sound, the sight of an unusually dressed person (for example, in a carnival costume or mask) or a person in an inadequate state. Usually, young children and simply sensitive, impressionable children are susceptible to such fear.
Typically, fear neurosis manifests itself in attacks, during which there is high irritability, excitability, tearfulness, and symptoms may occur. panic attacks. Between attacks there is a period of remission. It is very important to begin treatment of fear neurosis in a timely manner, since over a long period of time it can develop into serious and severe mental disorders(hypochondria, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and others)
Treatment methods
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive medical examination. This is due to the fact that anxiety neurosis has symptoms similar to other serious diseases. It is advisable to be examined by an endocrinologist, cardiologist and neurologist. They must exclude diseases of their profile, or confirm their presence. If any somatic disorders are detected, then treatment should begin with them. Otherwise, their course will only worsen the neurosis.
If doctors do not find other disorders, then the treatment of fear neurosis is carried out by a psychotherapist.
Psychotherapeutic treatment of fear neurosis solves the following problems:
- Teaching the patient to manage the symptoms of his illness.
- Teaching the patient a different attitude towards the symptoms of illness.
- Training in relaxation methods (muscular and respiratory).
- Conducting hypnotic sessions if necessary.
The goal that psychotherapeutic treatment generally pursues is to help the patient understand what determines his behavior and help in forming the patient’s conscious attitude towards his problems. All this leads to a significant reduction or complete elimination of fears and phobias.
