Irritability increased - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.
Each of us at least once met people who overreact to everyday everyday troubles. And sometimes we ourselves throw out a bunch of negative emotions on some insignificant occasion. Then we say to ourselves - "I'm annoyed," "I'm jerked."People who are often in a similar mood, we call "nervous", "psychotic."At the same time, sometimes such impartial epithets are not far from the truth - after all, increased irritability is often a sign of a multitude of mental abnormalities.
Causes of irritability
Irritability as a symptom of a disease is an increased excitability of the patient with a tendency to manifest negative emotions, and the strength of emotions significantly exceeds the force of the factor that caused them( ie, a small amount of negative emotion causes a profuse flow of negative experiences).Each person has been in this state more than once, even the most healthy person in the psychic plane has moments of fatigue, poor physical well-being, periods of a "black band" in life - all this contributes to increased irritability. But we must not forget that this condition occurs in very many mental illnesses.
The causes of irritability in terms of physiology is the increased reactivity of the central nervous system, which develops under the influence of various factors: inherited( characteristics of nature), internal( hormonal disruptions, metabolic disorders, mental illness), external( stress, infection).
It is hormonal changes that are the cause of increased irritability during pregnancy and after childbirth, as well as during menstruation and with menopause.
Diseases in which there is increased dilatation
The most common symptom of irritability occurs in mental illnesses such as depression, neuroses, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathy, alcoholism and drug addiction, schizophrenia, dementia.
With depression irritability is combined with a stably low mood, some "inhibition" of thinking, insomnia. There is a condition opposite to depression - in psychiatry it is called mania .In this state, there is also the possibility of increased irritability, up to anger, combined with an inadequately elevated mood, accelerated to disorder by thinking. As with depression, and with mania, sleep is often disturbed, which can be the cause of irritability.
When neuroses irritability is often combined with anxiety, symptoms of depression, increased fatigue. And in this case, irritability can be a consequence of insomnia, which is not uncommon in neuroses.
Post-traumatic stress disorder occurs in a person who has experienced a severe shock. In this condition, irritability is observed in combination with anxiety, insomnia or nightmares, obsessive unpleasant thoughts.
People with alcoholism or addictions are especially prone to irritability with withdrawal symptoms. Often this is the cause of crime, and always complicates the life of the patient's relatives.
With such a serious illness as , schizophrenia irritability may be a harbinger of an approaching psychotic state, but can be observed in remission and in the prodromal period of the disease. Often with schizophrenia, irritability is combined with suspicion, closure, increased sensitivity, mood swings.
And, finally, often the increased irritability is observed in patients with by dementia - or acquired dementia. As a rule, these are elderly people, they have dementia as a result of a stroke, age changes. In younger patients, dementia may appear as a consequence of severe craniocerebral injuries, infections, alcohol and drug abuse. In any case, people with dementia are prone to irritability, increased fatigue, tearfulness.
As for psychopathy , not all doctors consider it a disease. Many experts consider manifestations of psychopathy as inherent features of character. Either way, irritability is definitely inherent in such people, especially when decompensated - i.e.in the period of exacerbation of symptoms.
Almost every internal disease can be accompanied by increased irritability of .But especially this symptom is typical for thyroid diseases , menopausal changes in the body of a woman, neurological problems .
Examination of the patient with irritability
Such a variety of diseases accompanied by irritability, makes self-diagnosis impossible. Moreover, it is sometimes difficult for specialists to determine the cause of the increased irritability, so a comprehensive examination of the organism is needed to clarify the diagnosis. It usually includes blood and urine tests, ECG, ultrasound to identify possible pathology of internal organs. If no pathology is found during a therapeutic examination, the patient can be referred to a neurologist who may prescribe an electroencephalogram or MRI.These methods allow you to determine the state of the brain.
To a psychiatrist, patients with increased irritability get, as a rule, if the out-patient examination has not revealed serious deviations in health, and irritability reaches such a degree that it interferes with the daily life of both the patient and his relatives. The psychiatrist assesses the data of the patient's examination by the specialists of the polyclinic and, if necessary, can assign psychological testing to reveal the characteristics of the patient's temperament, the state of his memory and thinking.
How to get rid of irritability
Drug treatment of excessive irritability is prescribed by a specialist. If irritability is one of the symptoms of a mental illness, then the emphasis is on treating the underlying ailment. For example, when depression is used antidepressants( amitriptyline, Prozac, fluoxetine, etc.), which improve mood, and with a rise in mood, and increased irritability.
The doctor pays special attention to the patient's sleep, since insomnia is the most likely cause of irritability. To normalize the night rest, the doctor will write sleeping pills( eg, sanguine) or tranquilizers( eg, phenazepam).When anxiety is used, "daytime tranquilizers" are medicines that do not cause drowsiness( for example, a ruder).
If it is not possible to identify a significant psychological pathology, but there is a high irritability, complicating the life of the patient, use soft drugs that contribute to the resistance of the body to stressful situations. This adaptol, notta, novopassit.
In addition to medicines, various psychotherapeutic techniques are used successfully, aimed at relaxation( auto-training, breathing practices, etc.) or affecting human behavior in various life situations( cognitive therapy).
In folk medicine, you can find a good range of products to combat irritability. These are decoctions and tinctures of medicinal plants( coriander, fennel, valerian, cucumber grass, motherwort, etc.), spices( cloves, cardamom, cumin), some food products are also used( honey, prunes, lemons, walnuts, almonds).Often folk healers are advised to take baths with yarrow, motherwort, valerian. If irritability is caused by overloads at work, trouble in your personal life, pregnancy, menstruation or menopause, and a person does not have a mental illness, the use of folk medicine can give a good result.
In the case of mental pathology, treatment with folk remedies can be carried out with the permission of a psychiatrist, otherwise you can get the opposite result, for example, exacerbation of the symptoms of the disease when taking hot baths.
Irritability can not be ignored and copied to difficult living conditions. Long stay in a state of irritation depletes the nervous system and often leads to neuroses, depression, aggravates problems in the personal life and work of a person. There is a danger of alcohol abuse for the purpose of removing irritability, sometimes patients are excessively addicted to unhealthy food, and these addictions, although they bring a false sense of relaxation, ultimately only exacerbate the problem. It is necessary to resort to the help of a doctor if the increased irritability does not have obvious causes and lasts more than a week. If it is accompanied by anxiety, insomnia, low mood or strange behavior - a call to the doctor should be urgent! Timely assistance of a specialist will help to avoid serious problems in the future.
Doctor psychiatrist Bochkareva OS