Astheno-depressive syndrome: a modern vision

astheno-depressive syndrome According to statistics, around 200 million people suffer from depressive diseases every year. Depression is called the most common disease of the XX century.

There are actually depressive states, the nature of which is known to many: nasty mood, pessimism, longing, insomnia, unwillingness to achieve results, aimlessness and thoughts of suicide.

From them it is necessary to distinguish subdepressive syndromes, which, in turn, are divided into typical and atypical subdepressive states.

With a typical syndrome, the mood is not as sharp as it is with classical depression, sadness is more like sadness and depression, pessimism is present, but not militant, but rather moderate.

To atypical syndromes include:

anesthetic subdepression - associated with loss of desires, feelings of kinship, intimacy, sympathy, hatred, empathy, a person in this state has neither emotions nor feelings;
adodynamic is characterized by low mood, lethargy, reluctance to make excess movement, jelly-like;

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and, finally, astenodepressing syndrome , also called astheno-depressive.

The following synonyms for astheno-depressive syndrome are also used in medicine:

asthenia;
asthenoadynamic subdepressive state;
astheno-neurotic condition;
asthenovegetative symptoms;
chronic fatigue syndrome;
influenza of young workaholics;
diabetic asthenia;
decreased overall activity;
functional asthenic state;
is a chronic asthenic condition;
is a neuropsychiatric weakness.

The mechanism of the formation of an astheno-depressive syndrome is not known precisely. Most often, these are the consequences of a viral infection, a severe psychological trauma( divorce, loss of work, illness or death of loved ones, etc.), sometimes brain damage.

Causes and factors provocateurs

The condition of asthenia is a signal of the nervous system that its cells are depleted, for example, due to excessive expenditure of energy potential to fight the disease, to make up for the costs of toxic effects, and lack of additional nutrition for the cells.

This can be not only a sign of fatigue, but also a mental disorder or somatic disease.

The condition of asthenia Psychotherapists believe that the astheno-depressive syndrome is characteristic of any modern person living with the goal of having time to use every minute to advance in a career, or in pursuit of a "better life".

The constant aspiration to reach at any moment can be replaced by apathy and then the syndrome of neurasthenia develops, followed by depression. The transition may not be noticeable. A person begins to grumble, take offense, make claims, complain.

The most susceptible to the development of the syndrome:

participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident,
residents of ecologically polluted areas;
patients after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy;
chronic patients with inflammatory diseases;
employees in the service sector, who are subjected to excessive emotional and mental stress.

Risk factors for astheno-depressive syndrome:

areas with increased radiation, environmentally dirty areas;
actions, weakening the body's resistance: surgical operations, anesthesia, chemotherapy, chronic diseases, ionizing radiation( computers);
monotonous and hard work;
lack of physical activity, lack of sports activities;
excessive and unbalanced nutrition;
lack of optimism, life goals.

Symptoms and Diagnostic Measures

The concept of "astheno-depressive syndrome" is associated with two others: asthenia and depression. Most often they fall ill with women aged 31 to 42, men between 38 and 45 years. The specificity of this disease is that for a long time the patient feels a strong weakness against the background of symptoms of depression.

The syndrome has symptoms typical of asthenia and depression:

is a long-lasting unexplained weakness;
pains in the joints, spine and muscles that can not be diagnosed;
violation of concentration and short-term memory;
lack of interest in performance;
anxiety;
inhibition, despair, a sense of longing;
inability to enjoy life, apathy;
feelings of guilt, pessimism, suicidal thoughts;
emotional instability;
hyperesthesia( excessive sensitivity to odors, colors, sounds or touching).

In medical practice, many cases have been described where patients do not show signs of depression and focus on somatic diseases.

In this case, the doctor himself sees signs of anxiety, anguish and complaints of fatigue, etc., a markedly excessive use of medical care.

In psychiatry, this phenomenon was called "a syndrome of a large medical history", when the patient re-enters the hospital bed. He is often sure that he has a difficultly diagnosed rare somatic disease. He does not realize his depressive state and is confident in the incompetence of doctors.

How to help a person?

There are no clear rules for the treatment of asthenic-depressive syndrome. After the diagnosis is established, a compulsory consultation with a psychotherapist or psychologist is indicated.

If suspected of a disease, it is necessary to exclude multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis, exacerbations of chronic disorders, previously diagnosed, systemic pathologies of connective tissue, prescribe antidepressants.

Choose those drugs that have the least amount of side effects.

As a result of recent experiments and studies, infection with Epstein-Barr viruses and HHV-6 was found in the majority of people suffering from astheno-depressive syndrome, which indicates a violation in patients of the regulation of anti-stress systems associated with immune disorders.

As a result of the appointment of antiviral treatment with Valtrex along with immunotropic therapy, the condition of patients has improved significantly.

Doctor of Education VD Kryazhev( Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Head of the Department of the All-Russian Research Institute of Physical Culture) recommends that the body's "accumulators" be recharged by performing yoga breathing exercises in the morning, the day before meals or in the evening to restore energy. Systematic exercises increase the volume of the lungs, relieve stress and strengthen strength.

To overcome the depressive state, it is recommended to walk in clean air, saturated with vitamins, nutrition, water procedures.

It is important to follow the regime, stick to certain hours for sleep. Yoga classes are recommended.

What is fraught with danger?

Without treatment, an astheno-neurotic syndrome can develop into regular panic attacks, in which the patient is in a state of extreme anxiety, is overcome by fear, premonitions of death. There are disorders of stool: constipation or diarrhea.

Astheno-depressive syndrome is a relatively recent pathology, the nature of which has not been accurately established, it is difficult to treat.

The result depends on the competently chosen approach and the efforts of the patient himself.

In severe cases, the doctor prescribes antidepressants at the first stage of treatment, and then the person needs to take independent actions to change his lifestyle, psychological work on himself, which consists in finding the causes of the ailment and ways to overcome them.