Involutional depression

Description:

The involutional depression is the type of a mental disorder arising at people of old age. It begins usually very slowly though in exceptional cases possibly and the acute beginning. Often precedes developing of a disease various mental injuries, change of the settled vital stereotypes, or an acute somatopathy.

Symptoms of an involutional depression:

This disease for the first time can arise in the period of life, called involutional, or climacteric. Usually it is the share of age from forty to fifty five for women, men are subject to an involutional depression in age category from fifty and to sixty five. At this time there is a decrease in active work of closed glands, reproductive ability descends on "no". It becomes frequent less expressed parent responsibility, there is also others relationship. It is considered to be that this type of a depression is identical to other forms, and it is represented illegal to allocate a disease, based on age indicators.

Nevertheless, it is known that many analysts and psychiatrists consider that the involutional depression represents independent diagnostic category. Clinical practice shows that the first episodes of a disease have an effect when the person crosses a forty-five-year boundary. In this case, the family anamnesis is not of such importance, as in a case with other types of depressions. The involutional depression always has maintenance in the form of the increased uneasiness, excitement, you should not forget that the suicide is possible. Hypochiondrial fears are quite often observed, in many cases they dominate in a clinical picture.

Other symptoms of an involutional depression have considerable similarity to other depressions. Also it is worth emphasizing that this disease is quite limited on time, it can have duration from nine months to one and a half years, and differs in a dangerous current and tiresomeness. It is established that until when there is a depressive episode, patients are, as a rule, capable to function quite successfully. Usually such persons are very impressionable, have perfectionistic and obsessivny bents. Their alarming state is absolutely pointless, it is saturated expectation of the most various problems, and most often the state becomes aggravated in the evening, at night.

Reasons of an involutional depression:

Such factor as the termination of periods, loss of the loved one, withdrawal from a family of children can provoke a disease. Sometimes there is very painful reaction to career advance of colleagues. The person realizes that time goes quickly, and he does not manage to achieve the goal to correspond to the thought-up ideals. The self-assessment begins to fluctuate that finally provokes an involutional depression. If favorable reaction to treatment is reached, then it is related to rather safe functions of all life. In this case, patients should not solve serious problems, and they have no restrictions which lead to understating of assessment in the involutional period.

Also the depression combination to constant alarm can become an origin of a disease. This circumstance is one of the most essential in features of an involutional depression. Quite often the symptom of mental adaptation which is expressed as the increasing alarm is found, absolutely senseless resistance also takes place if there are insignificant changes of a usual situation. For example, the alarm can become more expressed if the patient is transferred in chamber to other place at appearance of one more patient.

It is known that some patients periodically test crazy states. Usually it is the ideas of crazy contents when the patient is sure that he is unfairly condemned, accuse of something, and other. In that case the niglisticheski-hypochiondrial nonsense  having fantastic contents develops. It has the name Kotar's nonsense. Usually involutional depression proves in a long look, that is, there is a single attack which can last unlimited time. Clinical practice shows that the symptomatology can remain without changes for years. In this regard, external factors which need to be adjusted as far as possible are the reason.

Treatment of an involutional depression:

At treatment of an involutional depression it is necessary to take into account that it is always long and difficult process, and the outcome of a disease can be various. It is a lot of cases when the disease completely recovers, especially, if treatment  was timely and adequate. Cases when the malignant course of an involutional depression when there is the general exhaustion takes place are not excluded, but such options are rare. It is not always simple to distinguish a disease. For diagnosis a basic sign is the age of the patient, lack of frustration of mentality, depression attacks. Also in a condition of the patient should not prevail fussiness, fear, the suppressed mood.

The antidepressants having the calming effect are used, they can be appointed together with limited doses of neuroleptics, such as сонапакс, этаперазин. These drugs remove crazy frustration, alarm, constant fear. All medicines are appointed carefully, taking into account lack of contraindications as there can be age reactions to drug. If medicinal therapy is inefficient, doctors use electroconvulsive therapy. Medical procedures are carried out in a psychiatric hospital because for the patient constant observation is required. Especially, in  similar cases attempts to commit suicide are not excluded.

The forecast in most cases is favorable. Sometimes the patient completely gets rid of a disease, or such signs as problems with a dream, alarm, a headache for a certain time remain. Nevertheless, working capacity remains in spite of the fact that many patients have a retirement age. As a rule, they are capable to service themselves and relatives, actively are engaged in a household, with pleasure support communication with people around.