ethnoscience

Symptoms of hysterical neurosis in children. Hysterical neurosis in children - signs and basic methods of prevention

First, remember, neurosis is reversible a disorder of a person’s mental state, without distorting the picture of the world. What does it mean? The fact that if neurosis appears, you need to get rid of it and save your child. There is absolutely no need to live and suffer with him! The danger of this disease lies not in its severity, but in the attitude towards it. Most parents simply do not pay attention to the first signs of neuroses or nervous disorders in their children; the second part, if they pay attention, is rather superficial (it will go away on its own), and only a small part takes real action to correct the situation.

What are the types of neuroses?

1. Neurosis of fear.
Characterized by paroxysmal occurrence of fears, especially when falling asleep. Attacks of fear last 10-30 minutes and are accompanied by severe anxiety, often affective hallucinations and illusions, and vasovegetative disorders. The content of fears depends on age. In children of preschool and preschool age, fears of the dark, loneliness, animals that frighten the child, characters from fairy tales, movies, or those invented by parents for “educational” purposes (“black guy”, etc.) prevail.
Children of primary school age, especially first-graders, sometimes experience a variant of fear neurosis called “school neurosis”; an overvalued fear of school arises with its unusual discipline, regime, strict teachers, etc.; is accompanied by refusal to attend, leaving school and home, violations of neatness skills (daytime enuresis and encopresis), and decreased mood. Children who were raised at home before school are prone to developing “school neurosis.”

2. Obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
It is distinguished by the predominance of wound-like obsessive phenomena, i.e. movements, actions, fears, apprehensions, ideas and thoughts that arise persistently against desire. The main types of obsessions in children are obsessive movements and actions (obsessions) and obsessive fears (phobias). Depending on the predominance of one or the other, neurosis of obsessive actions (obsessive neurosis) and neurosis of obsessive fears (phobic neurosis) are conventionally distinguished. Mixed obsessions are common.
Obsessive behavior of preschool and primary school age is expressed mainly by obsessive movements - obsessive tics, as well as relatively simple obsessive actions. Obsessive tics are a variety of involuntary movements - blinking, wrinkling of the skin of the forehead, nose bridge, turning the head, twitching the shoulders, sniffing the nose, grunting, coughing (respiratory tics), patting the hands, stamping the feet. Tic obsessive movements are associated with emotional stress, which is relieved by a motor discharge and intensifies when the obsessive movement is delayed.
With phobic neurosis in younger children, obsessive fears of pollution, sharp objects (needles), and closed spaces predominate. Older children and adolescents are more likely to have obsessive fears of illness (cardiophobia, cancerophobia, etc.) and death, fear of choking while eating, fear of blushing in the presence of strangers, fear of giving an oral answer at school. Occasionally, adolescents experience contrasting obsessive experiences. These include blasphemous and blasphemous thoughts, i.e. ideas and thoughts that contradict the desires and moral principles of a teenager. An even rarer form of contrasting obsessions are obsessive compulsions. All these experiences are not realized and are accompanied by anxiety and fear.

3. Depressive neurosis.
Typical manifestations of depressive neurosis are observed in adolescence and pre-adolescence. A depressed mood comes to the fore, accompanied by a sad facial expression, poor facial expressions, quiet speech, slow movements, tearfulness, a general decrease in activity, and a desire for loneliness. The statements are dominated by traumatic experiences, as well as thoughts about one’s own low value and low level of abilities. Characterized by decreased appetite, weight loss, constipation, and insomnia.

4.Hysterical neurosis.
In younger children, rudimentary motor seizures are often encountered: falling with screaming, crying, throwing limbs, hitting the floor and affect-respiratory attacks that arise in connection with resentment, dissatisfaction with refusal to fulfill the child’s demands, punishment, etc. The most common hysterical sensory disorders in children and adolescents are: hyper- and hypoesthesia of the skin and mucous membranes, hysterical blindness (amaurosis).

5.Neurasthenia (asthenic neurosis).
The occurrence of neurasthenia in children and adolescents is facilitated by somatic weakness and overload with various additional activities. Neurasthenia in a pronounced form occurs only in school-age children and adolescents. The main manifestations of neurosis are increased irritability, lack of restraint, anger and, at the same time, exhaustion of affect, an easy transition to crying, fatigue, poor tolerance of any mental stress. Vegetative-vascular dystonia, decreased appetite, and sleep disorders are observed. In younger children, motor disinhibition, restlessness, and a tendency to unnecessary movements are noted.

6. Hypochondriacal neurosis. Neurotic disorders, the structure of which is dominated by excessive concern for one’s health and a tendency to unfounded fears about the possibility of the occurrence of a particular disease. Occurs mainly in teenagers.

Systemic neurotic manifestations.

7. Neurotic stuttering.
Boys stutter much more often than girls. The disorder mainly develops during the period of speech formation (2-3 years) or at the age of 4-5 years, when there is a significant complication of phrasal speech and the formation of internal speech. The causes of neurotic stuttering can be acute, subacute and chronic mental trauma. In young children, along with fear, a common cause of neurotic stuttering is sudden separation from parents. At the same time, a number of conditions contribute to the emergence of neurotic stuttering: information overload, attempts by parents to speed up the child’s speech and intellectual development, etc.

8.Neurotic tics.
They combine a variety of automated habitual movements (blinking, wrinkling the skin of the forehead, wings of the nose, licking lips, twitching the head, shoulders, various movements of the limbs, torso), as well as “coughing”, “grunting”, “grunting” sounds (respiratory tics), which arise as a result of fixation of one or another defensive movement, initially expedient. In some cases, tics are attributed to manifestations of obsessional neurosis. At the same time, often, especially in children of preschool primary school age, neurotic tics are not accompanied by a feeling of internal lack of freedom, tension, or a desire for obsessive repetition of movements, i.e. are not intrusive. Neurotic tics (including obsessive tics) are a common disorder in childhood; they are found in boys in 4.5% and in girls in 2.6% of cases. Neurotic tics are most common between the ages of 5 and 12 years. Along with acute and chronic mental trauma, local irritation (conjunctivitis, foreign body of the eye, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, etc.) plays a role in the origin of neurotic tics. The manifestations of neurotic tics are quite similar: tic movements in the muscles of the face, neck, shoulder girdle, and respiratory tics predominate. Combinations with neurotic stuttering and enuresis are common.

9. Neurotic sleep disorders.
They occur very often in children and adolescents, but have not been studied enough. They are expressed by sleep disturbances, restless sleep with frequent movements, sleep depth disorder with night awakenings, night fears, vivid frightening dreams, as well as sleepwalking and sleep-talking. Night terrors, occurring mainly in children of preschool and primary school age. Neurotic sleepwalking and sleep-talking are closely related to the content of dreams.

10.Neurotic appetite disorders (anorexia).
Characterized by various eating disorders due to a primary decrease in appetite. Most often observed in early and preschool age. The immediate cause of anorexia neuroticism is often the mother’s attempt to force-feed the child when he refuses to eat, overfeeding, the accidental coincidence of feeding with some unpleasant experience (fear associated with the fact that the child accidentally choked, a sharp cry, a quarrel among adults, etc.). P.). Manifestations include the child's lack of desire to eat any food or severe food selectivity with the refusal of many common foods, very slow eating with a long chewing of food, frequent regurgitation and vomiting during meals. Along with this, low mood, moodiness, and tearfulness during meals are observed.

11. Neurotic enuresis.
Unconscious loss of urine, mainly during night sleep. In the etiology of enuresis, in addition to psychotraumatic factors, neuropathic conditions, traits of inhibition and anxiety in character, as well as heredity play a role. Bedwetting becomes more frequent during exacerbation of a traumatic situation, after physical punishment, etc. Already at the end of preschool and beginning of school age, the experience of lack, low self-esteem, and anxious anticipation of another loss of urine appear. This often leads to sleep disturbances. As a rule, other neurotic disorders are observed: mood instability, irritability, moodiness, fears, tearfulness, tics.

12. Neurotic encopresis.
It manifests itself in the involuntary release of a small amount of feces in the absence of lesions of the spinal cord, as well as anomalies and other diseases of the lower intestine or anal sphincter. Enuresis occurs approximately 10 times less frequently, mainly in boys aged 7 to 9 years. The reasons are mainly long-term emotional deprivation, excessively strict demands on the child, and intra-family conflict. The pathogenesis of encopresis has not been studied. The clinic is characterized by a violation of the skill of neatness in the form of the appearance of a small amount of bowel movements in the absence of the urge to defecate. It is often accompanied by low mood, irritability, tearfulness, and neurotic enuresis.

13. Pathological habitual actions.
The most common are finger sucking, nail biting (onychophagia), genital manipulation (irritation of the genital organs. Less common are a painful urge to pull out or pluck hair on the scalp and eyebrows (trichotillomania) and rhythmic rocking of the head and body (yactation) before falling asleep in early children 2 years of life.

Causes of neurosis:

The main cause of neuroses is mental trauma, but such a direct connection is observed relatively rarely. The emergence of neurosis is often caused not by a direct and immediate reaction of the individual to an unfavorable situation, but by a more or less prolonged processing by the individual of the current situation and the inability to adapt to new conditions. The greater the personal predisposition, the less mental trauma is sufficient for the development of neurosis.
So, for the occurrence of neurosis, the following are important:

1. factors of biological nature: heredity and constitution, previous diseases, pregnancy and childbirth, gender and age, body type, etc.

2. factors of a psychological nature: premorbid personality characteristics, mental trauma of childhood, iatrogenics, traumatic situations.

3. factors of a social nature: parental family, sex education, education, profession and work activity.
Important factors in the formation of neurosis are general debilitating hazards:

Long-term lack of sleep
Physical and mental overload

The manifestation of mental discomfort, directly related to the pathological transfer of internal conflict to somatic grounds. Characterized by motor (tremor, coordination problems, aphonia, convulsions, paresis or paralysis), sensory (impaired sensitivity) and somatic disorders (impaired functioning of internal organs), as well as hysterical seizures. The diagnosis is made on the basis of serious complaints that do not correspond to reality. Therapeutic measures include psycho- and occupational therapy, general health promotion and elimination of current clinical symptoms.

General information

A sharp deterioration in condition (seizure) during hysteria is very similar to the manifestation of epilepsy. Any situation that is psychologically difficult for the patient to perceive - a quarrel, unpleasant news, the refusal of others to fulfill the patient's wishes - ends in a theatrical seizure. This may be preceded by dizziness, nausea and other signs of pseudo-deterioration.

The patient falls, bending into an arc. In this case, the patient will always fall “correctly”, trying to protect himself as much as possible from injury. Waving his arms and legs, hitting his head on the floor, violently expressing his emotions with tears or laughter, the patient portrays unbearable suffering. Unlike an epileptic, a hysteric does not lose consciousness; the reaction of the pupils is preserved. A loud shout, sprinkling cold water on the face or a slap in the face will quickly bring the patient to his senses. The patient’s complexion also gives away his complexion: during an epileptic seizure, the face is purple-bluish, and during hysteria, it is red or pale.

A hysterical attack, unlike an epileptic one, never occurs in a dream. The latter always happens in public. If the audience stops paying attention to the hysterical's convulsions or moves away, the seizure will quickly end. After an attack, the patient may exhibit amnesia, even to the point of not knowing his own first and last name. However, this manifestation is short-term; memory restoration occurs quite quickly, since it is inconvenient for the patient himself.

Hysteria is the “great simulator.” The patient speaks vividly about his complaints, excessively demonstrating their confirmation, but at the same time shows emotional indifference. One might think that the patient enjoys his many “illnesses”, while considering himself a complex person who requires close and comprehensive attention. If the patient learns about any manifestations of the disease that were previously absent, these symptoms are likely to appear.

Diagnosis of hysterical neurosis

Hysteria is the patient’s translation of his psychological problems into a physical channel. The absence of organic changes against the background of serious complaints is the main sign in the diagnosis of hysterical neurosis. Most often, patients turn to a pediatrician or therapist. However, if hysteria is suspected, the patient is referred to a neurologist. With all the variety of manifestations of hysterical neurosis, the doctor finds discrepancies between the symptoms and the real state of the body. Although the patient's nervous tension may cause some increase in tendon reflexes and tremor of the fingers, making a diagnosis of hysterical neurosis is usually not difficult.

Important! Seizures in children under 4 years of age who want to achieve their desire are a primitive hysterical reaction and are also caused by psychological discomfort. Usually, affective seizures disappear on their own by the age of 5 years.

Instrumental studies are carried out to confirm the absence of any organic changes in the internal organs. CT scan of the spine and MRI of the spinal cord are prescribed for movement disorders. CT and MRI of the brain confirm the absence of organic pathology. Angiography of cerebral vessels, rheoencephalography, and ultrasound scanning of the vessels of the head and neck are used to exclude vascular pathology. EEG (electroencephalography) and EMG (electromyography) can confirm the diagnosis of hysteria.

In case of hysteria, the data from the above studies will refute the pathology of the structures of the brain and spinal cord. Depending on the complaints that the patient confirms with certain external manifestations, the neurologist decides to schedule a consultation with a neurosurgeon, epileptologist and other specialists.

Treatment of hysterical neurosis

The essence of treating hysteria is to correct the patient’s psyche. One such technique is psychotherapy. At the same time, the doctor does not pay excessive attention to the patient’s complaints. This will only provoke an increase in hysterical attacks. However, ignoring it completely can lead to the same results. Repeated courses of psychotherapy are required to identify the true cause of the condition. A psychologist or psychotherapist, using suggestion, will help the patient to adequately assess himself and the events taking place. Occupational therapy is of great importance in hysteria. Involving the patient in work and searching for a new hobby distracts the patient from his neurotic state.

Basically it comes down to the prescription of general strengthening agents. In case of increased excitability, it is advisable to prescribe medications based on medicinal herbs (valerian, motherwort), bromine. In some cases, the use of tranquilizers in small doses and short-term courses is justified. When insomnia (prolonged insomnia) is established, sleeping pills are prescribed.

Forecast and prevention of hysterical neurosis

The prognosis for the life of such patients is quite favorable. Longer observation is required for patients with signs of anorexia, somnambulism and suicide attempts. Longer, and sometimes protracted, treatment is required for patients of the artistic type and with symptoms of hysteria that began in childhood. A more unfavorable outcome is observed when hysterical neurosis is combined with organic lesions of the nervous system or severe somatic diseases.

Prevention of hysterical neurosis includes measures to prevent mental disorders and nervous processes, as well as strengthening and preparing the nervous system for overstrain. These activities are especially important for artistic people and children.

It is necessary to somewhat limit the child’s imagination and fantasies, try to create a calm environment for him, involve him in sports and being with peers. You should not constantly indulge your whims and be surrounded by excessive care. An important role in preventing the development of hysterical neurosis is played by the correct upbringing of the child and the formation of a full-fledged personality. The patient himself should not ignore his psychological problems; a quick solution to them will eliminate the stressful situation and will not allow psychopathy to take root.

Hysterical neurosis is a mental illness, the development of which is provoked by mental trauma. Hysteria is manifested by such types of disorders as:

mental;
neurological;
somatic.

Historical origin of the name of the disease

Translated from Greek “hystera” means uterus. This translation is explained by the fact that most often hysterical neurosis is observed in the female half of humanity, which is why such a definition was given. According to ancient Greek doctors, the disease was associated with disruption of the woman's uterus.

The main causes of the disease

People with an unstable and insufficiently mature psyche are predisposed to the occurrence of hysterical neurosis. Such individuals are distinguished by easy suggestibility, lack of independence in actions, acute impressionability, rapid excitability, frequent mood swings, and an increased level of egocentrism. The main causes of hysterical neurosis include:

sudden stressful situations;
severe quarrels and conflicts;
excessive use of alcohol or drugs;
workaholism and prolonged lack of rest;
life difficulties that are very difficult to cope with.

It should be noted that the duration and complexity of treatment for hysterical neurosis will largely depend on the main causes of the disease.

Symptoms of hysterical neurosis

A characteristic feature of the symptoms of hysterical neurosis is the diversity and variability of symptoms, but it is extremely difficult to confirm the symptoms of the disease using laboratory tests. The main symptoms of hysterical neurosis include:

motor disorders of the body;
sensory disorders;
vegetative disorders of the body.

Impaired motor function in hysterical neurosis is expressed in complete or partial paralysis of the limbs and improper coordination of the patient. Sometimes hysterical neurosis causes loss of voice or stuttering. Impairment or complete loss of sensitivity are also characteristic signs of a mental disorder in the form of neurosis. Sometimes, such loss is expressed by the presence of pain in different parts of the body: in the back, stomach, joints, heart and even in the head. Disorders of the autonomic system of the body are also considered to be the main symptoms of hysterical neurosis in humans. Such disorders include: malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract system and unpleasant skin sensations in the form of itching, burning, etc.

Childhood neurosis

Hysterical neurosis is not a purely adult mental illness. Children can also suffer from this disease. Hysterical neurosis in children can be caused by a number of reasons, but one of the most common causes of childhood neurosis is considered to be the presence of certain problems in the process of raising a child or a complete lack of upbringing. The main difference between childhood neurosis is the possibility of rapid reversibility of the process. The main thing that parents need to understand is that the disorder will not go away on its own. Particular attention should be paid to helping the child.

Methods for treating hysterical neurosis in children

Treatment of childhood and adult hysterical neurosis has some different features. The main therapeutic and preventive procedures for childhood hysterical neurosis are the correct behavior of the parents and additional rest for the child. It is important for parents to start observing the correct daily routine for their baby. At strictly designated hours over a long period of time, the child must eat, play and rest. To prevent hysterical neuroses in children, it is very important to take long walks in the fresh air and limit the child’s communication with those people who have an undue influence on him or cause him a feeling of fear and anxiety. In the process of treating neurosis, the child should be very clearly and calmly explained what actions will be required of him. It is likely that such explanations may initially lead to a new wave of unstable behavior in the child, but parents should insist on their own. There is no need to feel sorry for the baby because of his illness - this can only aggravate the situation and give the sick baby a reason to begin to successfully manipulate his parents. Doctors strongly recommend not to react to the negative behavior of a small patient during the treatment process, and then the hysterics will pass much faster. If these medical recommendations are not followed, the development of the disease can lead to pathological changes in the child’s behavior. A psychotherapist treats hysterical neuroses in children. The main methods of treatment are:

special psychotherapeutic techniques;
drug treatment;
homeopathic treatment.

One of the successful methods of treating childhood neuroses is the so-called play therapy. The primary task of a psychotherapist is to identify the causes and cause-and-effect relationships of the appearance of a given mental disorder. Once the cause of the disease is found, intensive treatment begins to eliminate the original cause of the neurosis. The key to any successful treatment of hysterical neurosis in a child is changing the child’s lifestyle; only as a result of positive changes, broad prospects for successful recovery open up.

Treatment methods for neurosis in adults

A psychotherapist also treats hysterical neurosis in adults. During the treatment process, a very close and trusting contact is established with the patient, as a result of which the doctor can determine the root causes of the development of the disease. After identifying a traumatic factor in a patient, further treatment will be more productive. The psychotherapist uses various methods of treating mental disorders, such as hypnosis, group psychotherapy, and individual psychotherapy sessions. In addition to psychotherapy, it is common to use drug treatment for hysterical neurosis. Doctors prescribe medications that strengthen the body. In cases of increased excitability of the patient, sedatives are additionally prescribed. These can be either mild drugs in the form of valerian or stronger tranquilizers (diazepam, phenazepam). In particularly advanced cases, when the disease is extremely protracted, treatment with tranquilizers is supplemented with the use of antipsychotic drugs (neuleptil, eglonil), which can correct a person’s behavior. When a patient's hysterical neurosis is accompanied by severe insomnia, he is also prescribed small doses of sleeping pills. During the treatment process, the psychotherapist recommends that the patient’s relatives and close circle not focus on the patient’s illness. In some cases, a good method of treating neurosis is occupational therapy for the patient. Some symptoms of the disease may be temporary and disappear periodically, but this does not mean a process of spontaneous recovery, because other symptoms of the disease may appear over many years. The duration and intensity of treatment, as well as the degree of recovery, can only be determined by a highly professional psychotherapist.

Update: December 2018

Neuroses are special pathologies of the nervous system, both among adults and children, in which there is no visible damage (trauma, infections, inflammation and other influences). In this case, special deviations in the functioning of higher nervous processes are observed. These are diseases of a psychogenic nature - a person’s reaction to stress, mental trauma, and negative influences.

The process of personality formation and the active development of higher nervous activity in children begins at birth, but it most actively begins at the age of three. Very little children cannot clearly express their fears, emotions or internal state, therefore, as such, neuroses can be identified in general terms in a child after 3 years. The older the child is, the more typical and vivid the manifestations will be, especially behavioral and emotional.

Neurosis is not a mental illness, like schizophrenia or psychosis, with it there is no progressive disintegration of the personality, it is a reversible disorder of the nervous system, a disturbance in mental activity of a functional nature.

With neuroses, the nervous system experiences either a sharp and severe shock or prolonged, obsessive irritation. At the same time, disruptions begin in it, expressed in mood instability with fears, anxieties and sometimes manifestations from the organs and systems of the body (excessive sweating, appetite problems or palpitations).

Why do neuroses arise?

Both preschool children, schoolchildren, and teenagers have a particularly vulnerable nervous system due to the fact that it is not yet fully formed and immature, they have little life experience in stressful situations, and cannot adequately and accurately express their emotions.

Some parents, due to busyness and other factors, often do not pay attention to the manifestations of nervous disorders in children, attributing changes in behavior to age-related characteristics or whims.

But if the child does not get help in time for neurosis, the situation may drag on, affect physical health and problems in communicating with others, developing into neurotic states in the teenager. As a result, neurosis will cause irreversible psychological changes in the personality.

The most significant factor in the increase in neuroses in children today is the increase in the number of pathologies of pregnancy and childbirth, in which hypoxia of the nervous tissues of the fetus occurs (see.

Predisposing factors for the development of neuroses are:

predisposition to nervous system problems inherited from parents
traumatic situations, disasters, stress

The trigger mechanism for neurosis can be:

past illnesses
frequent lack of sleep, physical or mental stress
difficult family relationships

The course of the disease and its severity depends on:

gender and age of the child
peculiarities of upbringing
type of constitution (asthenics, hyper- and normosthenics)
characteristics of temperament (choleric, phlegmatic, etc.)

Psychotrauma

Psychotrauma is a change in a child’s consciousness due to any events that greatly disturb, suppress or depress him, and have an extremely negative effect. These can be either long-term situations to which the child cannot adapt without problems, or acute, severe mental trauma. Often, psychotrauma received in childhood, even if the neurosis has passed, leave their mark on adult life in the form of phobias (fear of closed spaces, heights, etc.).

Neurosis can be formed under the influence of one unfavorable traumatic fact: fire, war, abrupt move, accident, parental divorce, etc.
Sometimes the development of neurosis is caused simultaneously by several factors.

Children react to events differently due to their temperament and personality traits; for some, a dog barking on the street will simply be a sound irritant, but for a child predisposed to neurosis it can become a trigger for the formation of neurosis. And repeated meetings with dogs after the first shock that triggered the neurosis will gradually worsen the situation and deepen the neurosis.

The type of psychotrauma that can provoke neuroses in children depends on the age of the child.

At 2 years old, children may develop neuroses when separated from their parents or when they begin attending children's groups.
For older children, there may be a more serious factor - divorce of parents, physical punishment during upbringing, severe fear.

Crisis ages in the development of neuroses are the ages of three and seven years - when the age-related so-called “three-year-old and seven-year-old crisis” occurs. During these periods, the formation of one’s “I” and a reassessment of one’s attitude towards oneself occurs, and during these periods children are most vulnerable to stress factors.

What most often provokes neuroses in children?

Adult Actions

One of the main provoking causes of childhood neuroses are the actions of adults, parental educational errors, which give rise to neurotic reactions, and subsequently the formation of psychological instability of the personality of an adult. Particularly negative parenting models would be:

model of rejection, subconscious reluctance to raise a child, in the case when, for example, they wanted a boy, but a girl was born
overprotection model with the development of reluctance to teach the child independence and building relationships in a team
authoritarian model with demands for constant submission to elders, making decisions instead of the child, and not taking into account his opinion
permissiveness model with the child’s complete deprivation of control or help from parents, with the absence of any norms and order within the family and team.
different approaches to education on the part of parents
excessive rigidity parents
family conflicts- intra-family troubles, divorces, quarrels.

They fall on the “fertile ground” of the immaturity of the children’s nervous system, and the child experiences this because in reality he cannot influence the situation and change it.

External factors

changes in usual lifestyle- moving from city to village, to an unusual area, to another country
visiting a new children's group- starting to attend kindergarten, changing kindergarten, starting to attend school, changing schools, as well as conflicts in a kindergarten or school group
changes within the family- birth of a child, adopted child, appearance of a stepfather or stepmother, divorce of parents.

Most often, neuroses are formed under the combined influence of several factors at once, and childhood neurosis is unlikely to develop in a child from a prosperous family, even after severe fear or fright. Parents in such a situation usually help to quickly cope with the problem without disturbing the nervous system.

Characteristics of the child

Children with pronounced emotionality and sensitivity- they especially need the love and attention of loved ones, the manifestation of emotions towards them. If children do not receive these emotions from loved ones, they experience fears that they are not loved and do not express emotions towards them.

Children with leadership qualities— it’s also difficult with children who are independent and actively show their own opinions and leadership qualities. Such children have clearly expressed conceit in their actions or actions, and their own view of all events. They find it difficult to tolerate restrictions in their actions and parental dictatorship; it is difficult for them to be overprotected and limit their independence from an early age. Children try to protest such parental actions and become stubborn, for which they receive restrictions and punishments from their parents. This will contribute to the development of neuroses.

Weak, often sick children- children are at risk of neuroses, often sick and weakened, they are often treated like a “crystal vase”, protecting them from everything beyond measure. Such children develop a feeling of their own helplessness and weakness.

Children from disadvantaged families— children who are in difficult life situations also suffer from neuroses: in asocial families, in boarding schools and orphanages.

General manifestations of neuroses

changing children's behavior
the emergence of new character traits
increased sensitivity, frequent tears even for no apparent reason
sharp reactions to minor psychological trauma in the form of despair or aggression
anxiety, vulnerability.

Changes are also occurring at the level of children’s somatic health:

tachycardia and blood pressure changes
breathing problems, sweating
digestive disorders due to stress - “bear disease”
impaired concentration
memory loss
Children do not react well to loud noises and bright lights
They sleep poorly, have restless and poor quality sleep, and are difficult to wake up in the morning.

Manifestations of different types of neuroses in children

There are quite a few types of neuroses in children; different psychological and neurological schools give different classifications. Let's consider the simplest classification of neuroses according to their clinical manifestations.

Anxiety neurosis or fear neurosis

It can manifest itself in the form of attacks of fear, which often occur when falling asleep or alone, and can sometimes be accompanied by visions. Children at different ages may have different fears:

among preschoolers Fears of being left alone in the house, fear of the dark, characters in scary cartoons or films, and TV programs are common. Often, fears are cultivated by parents themselves, frightening children for educational purposes with frightening characters - a woman, an evil witch, a policeman.
among younger schoolchildren this could be fears of school or bad grades, a strict teacher or older students. Often these children skip classes due to fear.

Manifestations of this neurosis can result in a bad mood, reluctance to be alone, changes in behavior, and in difficult cases, urinary incontinence occurs. Often, such neurosis occurs in sensitive children at home who had little contact with their peers during preschool age.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in children

It can occur in the form of neurosis of obsessive actions (obsessions) or phobic neurosis, as well as with the presence of both phobias and obsessive actions at the same time.

Obsessive actions- involuntary movements that occur during emotional stress against the baby’s wishes, he can:

blink, twinkle
wrinkle your nose
shudder
tap your foot
cough
to sniff

A nervous tic is an involuntary twitching that occurs more often in boys, triggered by both psychological factors and the presence of certain diseases. Initially justified actions against an unfavorable background are then consolidated as obsessions:

With eye diseases, habits of blinking, blinking, and rubbing the eyes may become established.
With frequent colds and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, sniffing or coughing may become more common.

They usually appear after 5 years. Such tics affect the facial muscles, neck, upper limbs, may be from the respiratory system, combined with urinary incontinence, or. Such repeated actions of the same type can cause discomfort to the child, but most often they become habitual and he does not notice them. .

As a rule, the tendency to neuroses begins at an early age, when stressful habitual pathological actions are formed and consolidated:

nail biting or thumb sucking
touching the genitals
rocking of the body or limbs
twirling hair around fingers or pulling it out.

If such actions are not eliminated at an early age, they contribute to neurosis due to stress in older children.

Phobic manifestations usually expressed as a special fear:

fear of death or illness
confined spaces
various objects, dirt.

Often children form special thoughts or ideas that contradict the principles of education and morality, and these thoughts create anxieties, worries, and fears in them.

Depressive neuroses

They are not typical for children; children of school age are usually prone to them, especially during puberty. The child strives to be alone, withdraws from others, and is constantly in a depressed mood with tearfulness and decreased self-esteem. Physical activity may also decrease, insomnia occurs, appetite worsens, facial expressions are inexpressive, speech is quiet and meager, and there is constant sadness on the face. This condition requires special attention, as it can lead to serious consequences.

Hysterical neuroses

Preschoolers are prone to them when there is a discrepancy between the desired and the actual. They usually fall with screams and screams on the floor or surfaces, hitting their limbs and head against hard objects. Attacks of passion may occur with imaginary suffocation or hysterical coughing, vomiting if the child is punished or does not do what he wants. In older children, analogues of hysteria may occur in the form of hysterical blindness, skin sensitivity disorders, and breathing disorders.

Neurasthenia

It is also called asthenic neurosis and occurs in schoolchildren as a result of excessive stress at school itself or an excess of additional clubs. It often occurs against a background of general weakness in children due to frequent illness or physical lack of training. Such children are disinhibited and restless, they get tired quickly, are irritable and cry often, and may have difficulty sleeping and eating.

Hypochondria

Children become concerned about their condition and health, and have unmotivated fears of developing various diseases; this often occurs among teenagers with a suspicious character. They look for symptoms and manifestations of various ailments, worrying about it, getting nervous and upset.

Neurotic logoneurosis - stuttering

Stuttering or logonerosis of a neurotic nature is more typical for boys under five years of age during the period of active development of speech and the formation of phrasal conversation. It occurs against the background of psychological trauma against the backdrop of family scandals, separation from loved ones, acute psychological trauma or fear, fright. Information overload and forced formation by parents of speech development and general development may also be reasons. The child's speech becomes intermittent with pauses, repetition of syllables and the inability to pronounce words.

Somnambulism - sleepwalking, sleep talking

Neurotic sleep disorders can occur in the form of a long and difficult time falling asleep, restless and anxious sleep with frequent waking up, the presence of nightmares and night terrors, talking in sleep and walking at night. Sleepwalking and sleep-talking are associated with the characteristics of dreams and the functioning of the nervous system. It often occurs in children from the age of 4-5 years. Children may not remember in the morning that they walked or talked at night. .

Anorexia nervosa

Appetite disturbances in childhood are a common occurrence in both preschoolers and adolescents. Usually the reasons are overfeeding or force-feeding, the coincidence of meals with scandals and quarrels in the family, and severe stress. At the same time, the child may refuse any food or some types of it, he chews for a long time and does not swallow food, and is extremely suspicious of the contents of the plate, even to the point of gag reflex. At the same time, against the background of poor nutrition, mood changes, whims at the table, crying and hysterics are expressed.

Some variants of neuroses are:

childhood neurotic enuresis (urinary incontinence)
encopresis (fecal incontinence).

They arise against the background of hereditary predisposition and possibly diseases. They require a special approach in treatment, and the mechanisms are not yet fully understood.

How to make a diagnosis?

First of all, you should go to an appointment with a pediatrician or neurologist, talk with an experienced psychologist and psychotherapist. Doctors will examine and remove the organic causes of disorders and diseases that could lead to this. Neuroses are diagnosed in several stages:

Dialogue with parents a detailed analysis of the psychological situation in the family is carried out, and here it is important to frankly tell the specialist all the details: the relationship in the family between parents and the child, the parents themselves, as well as the relationship between the child and peers and relatives.
Parental examinations and close relatives directly involved in raising the child, studying the psychological climate of the family with identifying errors in behavior and upbringing.
Conversations with a child- a cycle of conversations with a child during play and communication on previously developed questions.
Child monitoring- detailed observation of the child’s play activity, which occurs spontaneously or is organized in advance.
Drawing and detailed analysis of drawings, by which one can often understand the child’s experiences and feelings, his desires and emotional state.

Based on all this, a conclusion is made about the presence and type of neurosis, then a detailed treatment plan is developed. Typically, therapy is carried out by psychotherapists or psychologists, treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis and at home, there is no need to admit a child with neurosis to the hospital.

Treatment methods for neurosis

In the treatment of neuroses in children, the main method is psychotherapy. It is important for parents to understand that on their own, with the help of books, the Internet or toys, they will achieve little, and sometimes they can do harm, aggravating the course of neurosis. Psychotherapy is a complex systemic effect on the child’s psyche and the characteristics of his character; in the treatment of neuroses it has several directions:

group and individual therapy on the study and correction of the psychological climate of the family
role-playing games with the participation of the child, helping to teach him to overcome difficult situations
application of art therapy(drawing) and compiling a psychological portrait from the child’s drawings, tracking the dynamics of changes in drawings
hypnosis - suggestion (autogenic training)
treatment through communication with animals- canistherapy (dogs), feline therapy (cats), (horses), dolphin therapy.

Psychotherapy is aimed at normalizing or significantly improving the family environment and relationships, and adjusting upbringing. Additionally, to correct the psychosomatic background and achieve b O For greater success in psychotherapy, medications, reflexology and physiotherapy are also used. An individual treatment plan is developed only by a specialist for each child separately, and, if necessary, for family members.

Application of psychotherapy

They use both group and individual or family psychotherapy. Of particular importance in the treatment of neuroses is the family form of psychotherapy. During sessions, the doctor directly identifies problems in the life of the child and his family, helps in eliminating emotional problems, normalizes the system of relationships and corrects the manner of education. Family work will be especially effective for preschool children, when its effect is maximum and it is easiest to eliminate the negative impact of basic errors in upbringing.

Family therapy

It is carried out in several successive stages:

Stage 1 - an examination is carried out in the family and a so-called “family diagnosis” is made in the totality of personal, social and psychological characteristics, deviations in any areas of the relationship with the child.
Stage 2 - a family discussion of problems with parents and relatives is conducted, all their problems are noted. During the conversations, the role of parents in education, the need for cooperation with a specialist is emphasized, and the perspective in the pedagogical approach is determined.
Stage 3 - this is followed by classes with the child in a specially equipped playroom, where there are toys, writing instruments and other items. Initially, the child is given time to play independently, read or study; as emotional contact is established, a conversation will be held in a playful way.
Stage 4 - joint psychotherapy of the child and parents. For preschoolers, joint activities are carried out with object-based games, construction or drawing; for schoolchildren, object-based games and discussions on various topics are introduced. The specialist evaluates habitual conflicts and emotional reactions in the interaction between children and parents. Then the emphasis switches to role-playing games that express children's interactions in life - family or school games. Scenarios are used that are played out by parents and children, who are swapped, and the therapist, during these games, will demonstrate the most optimal models in family relationships. This gradually creates conditions for restructuring family relationships and eliminating conflict.

Individual psychotherapy

It is carried out using numerous techniques that have a complex effect on the child. It uses the following techniques:

Rational (explanatory)

The doctor carries out explanatory therapy through sequential steps. In a form that is accessible to the child’s age, after establishing trusting and emotional contact with him, he tells why and what is happening to the child. Then, in a playful way or in the form of a conversation at the next stage, he tries to determine the sources of the baby’s experiences. The next stage will be a kind of “homework” - this is the end of the story or fairy tale started by the doctor, where, by analyzing different options at the end of the story, attempts are made to resolve difficult situations, conflicts either by the child himself, or with the help and prompting of the doctor. Even very small successes in mastering situations, with the approval of a doctor, can contribute to further improvement of relationships and correction of pathological character traits.

Art therapy

Art therapy in the form of drawing or sculpting can sometimes provide much more information about a child than all other methods. When drawing, a child begins to understand his fears and experiences, and observing him in the process can provide a lot of necessary information in terms of character, sociability, imagination and potential. It will be informative to draw on family topics, reflections of fears and experiences. Sometimes sculpting or paper appliqué techniques are used instead. Often, from the data in the pictures, you can get a lot of hidden information, and also, by talking about the picture, you can work through the child’s fear.

Play therapy

It is used in children under 10-12 years of age, when they feel the need for games, but the games are organized according to a special plan and the emotional participation of the psychotherapist in them, taking into account the children’s ability to transform. Both spontaneous observation games and directed games can be used, without improvisation. In games you can practice communication skills, motor and emotional self-expression, stress relief and fear elimination. During the game, the doctor creates situations of stress, argument, fear, accusations and gives the child the opportunity to exit independently or with his help. Neuroses are treated especially well with this method at the age of up to 7 years.

A variant of play therapy is fairy tale therapy, in which fairy tales are invented and told with the production of special characters, puppets or dolls. Special therapeutic tales can be listened to in the form of meditation, accompanied by calm music in a supine position. There may also be psycho-dynamic meditations-fairy tales with the child transforming into animals and performing exercises.

Autogenic training

Treatment with autogenic training is carried out in adolescents - this is a method of muscle relaxation, especially effective for systemic neuroses with stuttering, tics, and urinary incontinence. Creating a positive mood through the speech and actions of the doctor (for example, imagining yourself in the most pleasant place) leads to muscle relaxation, a decrease or even complete disappearance of manifestations. As the sessions progress, this state is consolidated in the subconscious, and the belief that it is quite possible to recover increases.

Suggestive (suggestion method) psychotherapy

This is a suggestion to a child while he is awake, under hypnosis or indirect suggestion of certain attitudes. Often, children are good at indirect suggestion - for example, taking a placebo will give them recovery. At the same time, they will think that they are taking a particularly effective drug. The method is especially good for hypochondria, in school and adolescence.

Hypnosis

Hypnotherapy is used only in particularly difficult cases in order to mobilize the psychological and physiological resources of the body. It quickly eliminates certain symptoms. But the method has many contraindications and is used to a limited extent in children.

Group psychotherapy

Indicated in special cases of neuroses, these include:

long-term course of neurosis with unfavorable personality changes - increased level of demands on oneself, self-centeredness
difficulties in communication and related disorders - embarrassment, timidity, shyness, suspiciousness
in case of difficult family conflicts, the need to resolve them.

Groups are formed according to individual therapy by age; there are few children in the group:

under 5 years of age - no more than 4 people
aged 6 to 10 years - no more than 6 people
at the age of 11-14 years - up to 8 people.

Classes last up to 45 minutes for preschoolers and up to one and a half hours for schoolchildren. This allows you to play out complex stories and involve all group members in them. Children united in groups visit exhibitions and museums, read interesting books, discuss all this, and share their hobbies. In this way, the child’s tension is relieved, the children open up and begin to communicate, sharing their pain and experiences.

Compared to individual training, the effect of group training is greater. Spontaneous and specialist-guided games are gradually introduced, training of mental functions begins, and adolescents are taught self-control. As homework, various tests with pictures are used, which are subsequently discussed in the group.

The classes involve relaxation and inculcation of positive personality traits acquired during the class. At the end of the course, there is a general discussion and consolidation of the results, which helps the child to work independently on himself in the future.

Medication correction

Drug therapy in the treatment of neuroses is of secondary importance, and it affects certain symptoms. The drugs relieve tension, excessive excitability or depression, and reduce the manifestations of asthenia. Medication is usually preceded by psychotherapy, but complex treatment is also possible, when psychotherapy is carried out in conjunction with physical therapy and medications. Drug treatment of neuroses against the background of encephalopathy, asthenia, neuropathy is especially important:

general strengthening drugs - vitamin C, group B
dehydration herbal medicine - kidney tea
nootropic drugs - nootropil, piracetam
drugs that reduce asthenia - depending on the cause and type, the doctor will select
herbal medicine (see), tinctures of medicinal herbs can be prescribed for up to one and a half months. Most drugs have a sedative effect - motherwort, valerian.

For asthenic manifestations Tonic and restorative treatment is recommended: calcium supplements, vitamins, tincture of Chinese magnolia vine or zamanikha, lipocerbin, nootropic drugs (nootropil, pantogam).

For subdepressive symptoms Tinctures of ginseng, aralia, and eleutherococcus may be indicated.

For irritability and weakness Pavlov's mixture and tinctures of motherwort and valerian have a good effect, pine baths, physical therapy in the form of electrosleep are used.

With will be more difficult, they can complicate psychotherapy. They are used for hyperactivity and disinhibition based on the child’s characteristics and diagnosis:

hypersthenic syndrome – drugs with a sedative effect (eunoctin, elenium)
for hyposthenia - tranquilizers with an activating effect (trioxazine or seduxen).
for subthreshold depression, small doses of antidepressants can be prescribed: amitriptyline, melipramine.
for severe excitability, Sonopax can be used.

All medications are prescribed exclusively by a doctor and are used strictly under his supervision.

A child's mental health is no less important than physical health. Without adequate treatment, any disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system in children progress. As a result, psychogenic problems do not disappear anywhere, remaining in adolescence and adulthood.

Neurosis - what is it?

The main reason for neglecting this group of diseases is considered to be a lack of understanding of their essence and seriousness. It is important for parents to thoroughly study neurosis - what it is in medicine, for what reasons it occurs and how to deal with it. Experts define this pathology as a disorder caused by a person’s reaction to sudden, acute or prolonged psychological trauma. The disease cannot occur before the age of 3 years; it is diagnosed mainly in preschoolers and adolescents. The level of mental development of children is too primitive for personal reactions.

Neurosis - types and causes

This group of pathologies is provoked by various factors depending on the form of mental disorders. Types of neuroses in children:

obsessive states;
hysteria;
depressive episodes;
neurasthenia;
hypochondria;
logoneurosis;
somnambulism;
anorexia.

Another name for this type of disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It includes neurosis of obsessive movements in children, disturbing ideas and thoughts. The presented disease is considered multifactorial. OCD can be caused by several reasons:

genetic predisposition;
infections (measles, mononucleosis, hepatitis);
acute psychological trauma;
unreasonable fears.

Phobias are often the impetus for the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder. At first, the baby cannot get rid of frightening thoughts or fantasies (obsessions) for a long time. Gradually, his brain adapts to them, developing a strange defense mechanism - obsessive actions (compulsions). The child has to perform some mandatory rituals so that his fears do not materialize, for example, jumping 5 times before entering an elevator or a dark room, washing his hands three times after communicating with a stranger, and others.

In most cases, it is difficult to suspect this neurosis in children in the early stages - the symptoms can remain hidden for a long time, especially if there are only obsessive thoughts that the child keeps to himself. Possible signs:

unreasonable concerns and fears;
phobias;
categorical refusal to visit certain places, events, or perform simple actions;
repeated movements (blinking, scratching, licking lips);
obsessive urges (reading, counting, sorting food by color);
nail biting;
hair pulling, chewing;
scratching, skin damage;
teak and others.

Hysterical neurosis in children

The main cause of this form of the disease is considered to be errors in education. Hysterical neuroses are more often diagnosed in preschool children, and sometimes they are observed in adolescents. Mental disorders begin against the background of internal conflict, when the level of expectations or demands of others is higher than the child’s real capabilities. Children who are idealized in the family (egocentric education) and spoiled are especially susceptible to pathology.

At an early age, hysteria looks like respiratory neurosis in children - affective-respiratory seizures. They develop simultaneously with crying caused by anger, dissatisfaction of the baby due to dissatisfaction of his desires, direct refusals. In parallel with the attack of holding his breath, the child deliberately intensifies the effect of hysteria - he falls to the floor, defiantly writhes, and rolls his eyes. Such actions are characterized by affectation and theatricality. The attacks can last up to several hours if there are “spectators”. Teenagers imitate epileptic seizures and suffocation.

The described form of the disease is the most difficult to diagnose. Such neuroses in children are difficult to recognize due to the variety of symptoms that rarely correspond to the typical picture of “adult” depression. The causes of pathology are any psychological trauma:

separation from loved ones;
death of a family member;
parental divorce;
scandals between relatives;
obvious developmental delay from peers;
appearance defects;
disability;
orphanhood;
excessive demands of parents;
unrequited feelings;
problems with gender identification;
sexual orientation and similar.

Depressive neuroses in children and adolescents do not have specific symptoms. The clinical picture depends on the child’s age, his character, environment, family relationships and other individual characteristics. Possible symptoms:

lethargy;
apathy;
mood swings;
desire for privacy;
irritability;
drowsiness;
quiet speech;
poor facial expressions;
bitterness;
coarseness;
moodiness;
thoughtfulness;
motor restlessness and similar behavioral changes.

Neurasthenia in children

Unlike previous types of the disease, this form can occur in a small child, 1-2 years old. There are many factors that provoke this neurosis - reasons:

heredity;
emotional instability of the mother during pregnancy;
fears;
cruel punishments;
divorce;
moving;
starting to attend kindergarten or school;
death in the family;
biased attitude of teachers and parents;
tense home environment and other psycho-emotional traumas.

Neurasthenia is characterized by a specific clinical picture:

sleep disorders;
irritability;
frequent mood changes;
tearfulness;
violent outbursts of anger turning into repentance;
inattention;
headache;
severe fatigue;
deterioration in performance;
intellectual activity disorders.

Hypochondria in children

Children who are overprotected and taken to the doctor for minor problems are more susceptible to this type of disease. There are other causes of neuroses in children with signs of hypochondria:

psychological trauma;
serious illness in one of the family members;
death of a relative from some pathology;
phobias;
serious illnesses suffered by the child previously;
a ban on showing weakness (“Men don’t cry”);
education by intimidation.

Such neuroses in children have atypical symptoms that resemble other mental disorders:

constant anxiety;
dizziness and nausea;
unreasonable fears;
pre-fainting states;
heavy sweating;
sometimes – hand tremors;
disgust;
rejection of kisses, hugs, handshakes and touches;
independent isolation in society;
isolation;
obsessive actions related to hygiene (washing hands, using a scarf) and others.

Logoneurosis in children

The pathology in question is also known as stuttering; it has only 2 main causes. Logoneurosis is the result of a hereditary predisposition to speech disorders or a consequence of severe fright. Stuttering is an acute disturbance in the fluency and rhythm of speech due to spasms of the speech muscles. Sometimes it is accompanied by accompanying symptoms - facial tics, stomping, finger snapping and similar actions.

Many children suffer, often caused by genetic factors. Somnambulistic neuroses in children can also occur for other reasons:

psychological trauma;

traumatic brain injury;

abnormalities of brain development;

encephalopathy;

conflicts in the family;

neuroinfections;

intoxication and similar.

It is easy to diagnose sleepwalking by its typical signs - walking, talking, active actions in a dream. The development of neuroses in children is dangerous; somnambulism often leads to injuries, sometimes fatal (falling out of a window, hitting the temple). With a progressive disease, the child may behave aggressively during a seizure and cause harm to others.

Anorexia nervosa in children

The main reason for completely refusing to eat is the desire to lose weight, so teenage girls are more susceptible to the disease described. In other cases, anorexia accompanies other psycho-emotional disorders - depression, hypochondria, hysteria. Signs of neurosis in children include physiological and behavioral disorders:

dry skin;
pronounced weight loss;
fear of obesity;
a distorted idea of your body weight;
feelings of inferiority;
hair loss;
constipation;
dehydration;
fatigue;
jaundice;
stomach ache;
denial of hunger;
amenorrhea in girls;
poor cold tolerance;
apathy;
brittle nails and others.

Treatment of neuroses in children

It is necessary to combat the considered pathologies with the help of qualified doctors. The main method of treatment is psychotherapy for neuroses. It is carried out individually, in the family circle and in groups with other patients. The doctor selects the methods of treatment individually for each child. Drugs for neuroses in children are of secondary importance. Herbal remedies, vitamin complexes, and medications are commonly used to improve blood circulation in the brain. Only a doctor is involved in selecting medications; you cannot give medications to your baby yourself.

Prevention of neuroses in children

Preventive measures do not require taking any medications. Normalizing the daily routine, creating a comfortable emotional climate in the family, proper upbringing and the genuine love of parents helps prevent neuroses in young children and stop their further progression. If a child is prone to mental disorders, it is necessary to find him a good psychologist and exciting hobbies. Play games will also be effective for neuroses, visiting special children's groups, and communication sessions with animals.