The maelstrom of stimuli to which we are constantly exposed produce repetitive, annoying and irrational thoughts. In this sense, there are people who are characterized by having thoughts and fears that produce intense suffering to the detriment of life. Furthermore, these difficulties can lead to serious consequences if they are ignored.
Having concrete and precise data related to this topic can provide alternatives when developing solutions. In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the psychasthenia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment.
Index
- What is psychasthenia
- Symptoms of psychasthenia
- Causes of psychasthenia
- Treatment of psychasthenia
What is psychasthenia.
psychasthenia is a psychological pain which is characterized by presence of phobias, obsessive thoughts, anxiety and compulsive actions. In other words, psychasthenia implies intense suffering that affects the person due to emotions, thoughts and behaviors that affect the development of their daily life.
Given its peculiarities, it is possible to frame psychasthenia within the group of anxiety disorders, due to the presence of the anxiogenic and obsessive character that persists in the clinical picture. There are a series of diagnostic criteria essential to identify this type of ailment:
- Excessive anxiety and worry.
- The duration is six months or more.
- Difficulty in controlling situations.
- Deterioration of work, family and social relationships.
- The disturbance cannot be explained by the presence of another mental disorder and/or substance intake.
Symptoms of psychasthenia.
People with psychasthenia manifest a series of symptoms, both physically and psychologically and emotionally. Next, we will see the most relevant:
- Anxiety.
- Phobia to objects and/or situations.
- Repetitive and uncontrollable thoughts.
- Difficulty getting to sleep.
- Constant fatigue.
- Irritability.
- Muscle tension.
- Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
- Excessive sweating.
- Distress.
- feeling of loneliness.
- Repetitive and obsessive actions.
It should be noted that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily imply a picture of psychasthenia. It is imperative that the Diagnosis is made by a mental health professional that evaluates the characteristics of each patient.
Causes of psychasthenia.
An important aspect of treating psychasthenia is understanding its origin. In this sense, knowing the factors that affect the development of this clinical picture allows us to develop more effective strategies to address the problem. In this section, we will describe the most common causes of psychasthenia:
Environmental factors
Traumatic experiences influence the emergence of symptoms related to psychasthenia. Generally, the have experienced unpleasant situations during the course of childhood is an aspect to take into account.
Likewise, imitation plays a key role in understanding the symptomatology involved, since if any member of the family suffers from psychasthenia, it is likely that close individuals have a tendency to manifest behaviors linked to this clinical picture.
Genetic factors
Although not fully verified, the Genetic heritage It is related to the development of emotions, thoughts and behaviors of people. The truth is that there are certain neural connections associated with the processing of information from the environment that can cause psychasthenia.
In this sense, it should be noted that if a parent has been diagnosed with this anxiety disorder, there is a good chance that they will pass it on to their children.
Treatment of psychasthenia.
Currently, there are various approaches to cure psychasthenia and improve the quality of life of affected people. The most effective treatments for psychasthenia are:
psychological therapy
The therapy addresses the problems that cause psychasthenia. On the one hand, short-term therapies emphasize the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that give rise to symptoms. This type of therapy uses different strategies to cope with situations of anxiety and/or stress in a more pleasant way. Within this group, cognitive behavioral therapy stands out.
On the other hand, long-term therapies serve to find the origin of the symptoms from the memory of past situations. Here we can highlight psychoanalysis as the most effective long-term therapy.
psychiatric medication
In severe cases, one of the ways to cure psychasthenia is by providing psychopharmaceuticals that act on brain chemistry and modify neural connections. In this way, it is possible decrease the intensity of symptomsHowever, the use of psychiatric medications must be carried out under the supervision of a mental health professional.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Psychasthenia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
Bibliography
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: Pan American Medical Publisher.
- Huertas, R. (2014). Obsessions before Freud: history and clinic. Magazine History, Sciences, Health, 21 (4), 1397-1415.
Psychasthenia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment
