The spring exacerbation begins. What mental illnesses worsen in spring? Who is susceptible to exacerbation of mental illness

A person is, first of all, a biological being and the vital activity of his body is subject to circadian rhythms. The change of day and night, seasons - affect the course of internal processes, including the mental activity of the human body.

Cyclicity of mental processes

The cyclical nature of the human psyche is observed not only normally, but also manifests itself in the form of exacerbation of various endogenous diseases. With the onset of cold weather and shortening daylight hours in the autumn, the number of mental patients in hospitals increases. are chronic in nature, with phases of exacerbation in the autumn-spring period.

According to statistics, since the beginning of October the number of patients in psychiatric clinics has increased by a quarter. People with increased emotionality perceive more painfully the transition from hot weather to cold and rain, and a reduction in daylight hours. The autumn exacerbation of mental illness is also due to the fact that under the influence of sunlight, people produce serotonin (the pleasure hormone), and when cloudy days occur, the amount of serotonin decreases. Many people experience irritability and emotional instability. The bright colors of summer give way to gray shades, the heavy cloudy sky “presses”, changes in atmospheric pressure and daily rains lead to a person having a feeling of hopelessness, melancholy, and anxiety for his future.

Autumn is a season of exacerbation not only of mental illness, but also of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. Fluctuations in atmospheric pressure affect the human vascular system and the neurovegetative regulation of internal organs and systems. In autumn, diseases such as depression, schizophrenia, affective psychoses, and epilepsy worsen.

Seasonal relapse clinic

In the autumn period, not only the number of hospitalizations of patients with endogenous diseases increases, but also outpatient service doctors note an increase in the flow of patients. Some diseases that occurred in a hidden (latent) form, mental disorders manifest themselves fully in the fall. The economic crisis, analysts' forecasts that people's lives will worsen by the end of the year, and the risk of losing jobs and personal savings are causing a wave of mental disorders. Patients with neuroses and panic attacks feel their condition deteriorating, and seizures become more frequent in epileptics. Autumn “blues” are normal for all people; in mental patients, a depressive state can result in suicide.

Patients with depression and various types of psychosis can be dangerous during the autumn period of exacerbations not only for themselves, but also for others. Some patients have ideas that a great danger threatens the entire family or society as a whole. There have been cases in psychiatry where mentally ill mothers could harm their children.

Autumn exacerbation of schizophrenia occurs more often in men. Their productive symptoms—delusions and hallucinations—intensify. Considering that men drink alcohol more often and in larger doses, the exacerbation of mental illness in them is more pronounced. By their biological nature, men are more aggressive and therefore exacerbation of schizophrenia in the fall is associated with the commission of illegal acts and an increase in the number of traumatic brain injuries.

Some patients with schizophrenia complain to doctors in the autumn that they were attacked by alien voices. Police officers note an increase in citizens' complaints about “a UFO landing in the yard of a house” or “verbal contact with aliens.” It is mentally ill men who become active participants in various demonstrations, revolutions and coups in the country.

Relapse Prevention

The participation of loved ones and relatives in the life of a sick person plays a large role in the prevention of autumn exacerbations. People with mental illness cannot adequately assess their condition, some patients stop taking medications, and men with schizophrenia are prone to alcoholism, which worsens the course of the endogenous disease. Relatives of the patient should refer him for inpatient or outpatient treatment when the first signs of worsening of a chronic mental illness are detected.

Patients with depression, psychosis, and neuroses are often afraid to consult a psychiatrist and try to cope with the symptoms and signs of the disease on their own. Many patients self-medicate, take various medications that were recommended to them by friends or they read information on the Internet. The most important thing is to contact a specialist in a timely manner. Some patients require psychotherapeutic rather than medication assistance.

To prevent seasonal exacerbations of depression and psychosis, a person needs to adhere to a sleep and rest schedule, a balanced diet and take multivitamins. Moderate physical activity (running, swimming) and physiotherapy (relaxing baths, Charcot shower) are recommended. You should refrain from psychostimulating drinks - tea and coffee. The psychotherapist must convince the patient that a depressed state is simply the result of the influence of natural factors on the human body.

During the autumn period, it is recommended to spend more time in the fresh air, take a walk (if the weather permits), change the environment, leave the house more often, do not isolate yourself and your thoughts, go on a visit or to the theater. Chatting with friends and acquaintances will help distract you from negative thoughts. Some people escape from depressive autumn cities and buy a week-long trip to warm countries.

The psychotherapist must help the patient find a way to relax, switch to positive thoughts and active activity in the autumn period.

For clarification, we contacted psychotherapist Boris Suvorov.

What is spring to blame?

The concept of “spring exacerbation” really exists. But the use of this term is more appropriate among specialists, doctors say. In the popular imagination, the significance of this phenomenon is exaggerated. Yes, some mental illnesses have a pronounced seasonality, for example, bipolar affective disorder (or so-called “manic-depressive psychosis”), cyclothymia, and some forms of schizophrenia. But there is no pronounced seasonality in the manifestation of most emotional disorders. People are accustomed to attributing a lot to the “spring exacerbation,” while the patient’s condition is affected by any stress, and not just that which he experiences with the onset of spring.

By the way, what is spring to blame? It would seem that this is winter, when it is cold, cloudy, short daylight hours can lead even a healthy person to depression. And in the spring there is more sun, nature awakens - there are so many reasons for joy!

In fact, spring stress is associated not so much with the onset of spring, but with the winter being too long in our latitudes. As a result of the long winter, we have a lack of vitamins and general exhaustion of the body. In addition, during the off-season our metabolism changes, affecting the release of neurotransmitters. If in the fall the body prepares for winter and all processes in it slow down, then in the spring they accelerate, and often quite sharply. The healthier a person is, the easier he adapts to these changes. Sick people (not only mentally, all chronic diseases in general worsen in the spring) suffer them more severely. Much also depends on the characteristics of the nervous system: the more mobile it is, the more emotionally unstable a person is and the worse he tolerates stress.

Keep your distance

How can mentally ill people and their loved ones prepare for a spring exacerbation?

Patients who are seen by a psychiatrist usually go to the hospital themselves at this time. Those who, being in an inadequate condition, refuse hospitalization are forcibly admitted to the clinic. In mild cases - for example, with cyclothymia - hospitalization is not necessary, but a sanatorium, preferably located somewhere in a warm region, will be useful. In general, in relationships with the patient, taking into account the peculiarities of the period of exacerbation, it is better for loved ones to temporarily increase their distance - in order to avoid unwanted excesses. And if a person is clearly mentally ill, but has not yet been seen by a doctor, it’s time to contact him.

How likely is it to meet a person in a state of exacerbation of mental illness in the spring on the street or in transport? Doctors believe that the danger should not be exaggerated; patients in this condition are most likely in a psychiatric hospital. But, if you still notice a person nearby behaving inappropriately, it is better to step aside and under no circumstances enter into discussions or arguments with him.

Is there any way to protect yourself from emotional disorders? Those people who have already been diagnosed need to consult their doctor. Others who are simply emotionally unstable can be advised to drink natural sedatives, sold in pharmacies without a prescription. They will help normalize the overall emotional background without causing unwanted side effects. In general, any person should pay more attention to their health in the spring: do general strengthening procedures, exercise, take multivitamins, and monitor proper nutrition. If your state of mind does not improve, you can always seek psychological help.

Autumn has come, and at the same time, an unimportant, depressed mood, blues, you don’t want to do anything, you don’t want to see anyone. What is this, a disease? And how to defeat her? Senior doctor of the Almaty Mental Health Center, honorary professor, excellent student of health care of the USSR and the Republic of Kazakhstan Kulyan Abdulgalimovna Adilkhanova talks about this and other forms of depression.

- Kulyan Abdulgalimovna, what mental illnesses are especially aggravated in the fall?

These are so-called endogenous diseases, they are most often hereditary and worsen in spring and autumn, especially depression, which is why we say so - seasonal depression. And depression is not necessarily a mental illness. Now, according to WHO, every eighth person on earth suffers from depression and experiences at least one depressive episode. Why? Because various economic, environmental conditions and factors, climate fluctuations influence the exacerbation of these diseases and contribute to a stressful situation. Therefore, the main group of our patients are the so-called endogenous patients and this category of diseases includes schizophrenia. We can say that the bulk of our patients are patients with schizophrenia.

Unfortunately, many patients do not immediately turn to doctors, but first go to some healers, to a mullah, to healers, to some acquaintances, and when all this does not help them in any way, they come to us. My young colleagues call me and say, here, a primary patient has arrived, but he is no longer fresh. This means that he had already tried to be treated by some healers, but his illness had progressed, and it is much more difficult to treat such patients. People should know that patients with schizophrenia are registered patients, they should be under the supervision of psychiatrists on an outpatient basis. They receive the course of treatment in a hospital, and receive further supportive treatment on an outpatient basis. Of course, seasonality greatly affects such patients.

The second group of diseases is the so-called affective psychoses. They are associated with changes in mood, when a person is either upbeat or, conversely, depressed. These are also, as a rule, seasonal patients and their exacerbations are also seasonal. Let's say that excitement most often occurs in the spring, and depression in the fall. I'm not even talking about the childhood disease autism, this is a separate topic.

Also one of the big problems in psychiatry is Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a unique form of dementia in older people; for example, US President Ronald Reagan suffered from it. When friends and colleagues came to one of his birthdays, he forgot that he was the President of the United States. And this disease is also relevant now, this is due to the aging of the population throughout the world.

- Is the number of mentally ill people increasing?

Unfortunately, it is increasing. Diagnoses are very different. Endogenous, affective psychoses, patients with epilepsy... Some of them are observed here, some by neurologists. There are also a lot of patients with borderline pathology, these include those who suffer from various neuroses, panic disorders or social phobias. There are a lot of patients with organic diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and other atrophic diseases. After all, over time, a person ages, which means the brain gets older, and atrophy occurs. Atrophic diseases lead to personality changes.

- Can you talk about depression in more detail, because you said that this disease will soon become the disease of the century.

Yes. It is expected that by the middle of the 21st century this disease will take first place, leaving behind cardiovascular and other diseases. Depression can be mild when, due to some stressful situation, some mental trauma, a person’s mood changes, he becomes depressed, sad, gloomy... That is, it is anxious depression. Just recently I had a young woman at my appointment, she is a model, she was depressed and panicked. And this happened because she recently divorced her husband, and he won a lawsuit for all property, for all real estate. And she was left with three children and nothing. Against this background, she became depressed.

In general, depression is a diverse disease; not all depressed patients are considered mentally ill, and we do not take such people into account. There are situational depressions and reactive depressions. Reactive depressions usually occur against the background of some kind of natural disaster, for example, an earthquake, flood, or hurricane. And this is understandable. After all, if people lose their property, their loved ones, their homes, then they will not have an elevated mood, complacency, this is a human reaction to various unfavorable, negative situations. There are depressions that, as we say, arise spontaneously. This form of depression is hereditary depression. These are severe forms of depression and we definitely take such patients into account.

- What are the dangers of depression?

Depression is dangerous, first of all, due to suicide attempts. The fact that depression is caused by various negative situations in moral, psychological, financial, economic, environmental and so on speaks volumes. Not everyone can cope with such a load, not everyone is ready for it, and first of all internally, which is why there are difficult outcomes, even tragic ones. A person may lose heart, commit suicide due to loss of a job, loss of a loved one, friend, parents, apartment, trust, and so on.

- So what should you do to avoid losing heart and going into depression?

The main thing is to contact a specialist in a timely manner, to get good psychotherapeutic professional help, and not to run around for some reason. We always warn people about this. Just yesterday we looked at a patient in the maternity hospital, she developed psychosis after giving birth, we began to find out the reasons. It turns out that her husband always beat her, humiliated her, kicked her out of the house, she often lost consciousness, and she hid this from her mother and from her loved ones. And we say that she needs to be treated, and she says, my grandmother, who raised her, told me that I need to go to the village and get treatment from a mullah.

Most often, it happens that what is needed is not so much medication as psychotherapeutic help. Psychotherapists and psychologists will help a person find peace of mind, they will clearly explain why this is happening to him, that this condition is temporary, it will pass, the main thing is to find the strength to survive it with dignity, without harm to yourself and the loved ones around you. If depression is severe and prolonged, we sometimes give them additional antidepressants.

- Can a person who has fallen into depression cope with his condition on his own?

In principle, it can, but it will depend on the character of the person, on his education, intelligence, spirituality. There are people who are very vulnerable, impressionable, emotionally unstable, it’s harder for them, they need the help of specialists and the support of loved ones. And there are strong-willed people who courageously endure all hardships and blows of fate. Not indifferently, calmly, but courageously.

I would especially like to say about the beautiful half of humanity. I would advise girls and women to practice more self-approval. It happens that a woman buys something for herself and begins to ooh and ahh, why did I buy it, it’s expensive, maybe I should return it, and so on. Don't think like that. On the contrary, you have to say, oh, what a great fellow I am, that I made a successful purchase, successfully performed somewhere, successfully went somewhere. That is, there should always be a feeling of self-approval, self-praise, and not self-flagellation. Such things are a good prevention of depression. That is, you need to learn to look positively at yourself, at the world and at those around you. And, of course, you need to be kinder, more tolerant of people, treat relatives, neighbors, colleagues, and friends kindly. You should never envy anyone, lie, dodge, get angry, be offended, and then you will not have depression, you will always have a strong inner state.

- That is, as Carnegie said, a person gets sick not from what he eats, but from what eats him...

Absolutely right. Strive to see only the good in everything. In the end, do some general cleaning in the house, by the way, it helps a lot, go to the bathhouse, visit relatives, to a concert, to a museum, to some useful lectures on improving the soul... The main thing is not to withdraw into yourself and not hide with your head under the blanket. This makes me even more sad. Join some gyms, it also helps a lot, go swimming, do aerobics. And you will see how your life will shine, even on a cloudy autumn day...

- Are such patients dangerous to others?

Patients with mild depression are not dangerous. And those with a severe mental form are to some extent dangerous. I once observed depression in a patient who had severe anxiety. She worked as the head of a kindergarten, and believed that life on earth was ending, the earth was collapsing and that she was guilty before everyone, that she needed to be saved, and for this she needed to kill herself and not only herself, but also her only, young son, so that he didn’t suffer, and she did it, killed him. This is a severe mental form of depression, when patients have the idea of ​​self-flagellation, a feeling of guilt before relatives, before society, and such patients, of course, are dangerous both in relation to themselves and in relation to others.

Unfortunately, many people suffering from depression are embarrassed to go to psychologists and psychotherapists, they consider it shameful, they are afraid that someone will find out about it, and they hide their mental illnesses. People often turn to me and say, we are ashamed to go to your center, could you take a look at home? But I never see them at home; such patients should only be seen in specialized medical institutions. They say, what if I meet some acquaintances or someone finds out that I was treated by you. I say, no one will ever learn from us, we never give such information to society, we do not make it public. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a lot of educational work among the population, to explain that they should not be afraid to go to doctors. After all, no one is immune from mental disorder or any other disease. No one is embarrassed when they have a headache or their blood pressure rises, they run to doctors, but they are embarrassed to see psychiatrists. You know, in foreign countries every family tries to have its own family psychotherapist. And there is nothing to be ashamed of here. And we are still afraid. In our practice, there was a case when one young woman’s husband began to tell her that she had become fat, unattractive and had the blues, she began taking Chinese diet pills, lost a lot of weight, and now she couldn’t gain weight and was generally depressed. But initially she should have consulted doctors, and there would have been no such consequences, either physical or psychological.

- Is it possible to receive treatment anonymously?

No. We accept you only if you have an ID card, it must be there. If the patient has a serious mental illness, everything should be official. This is clear.

- Is it possible to determine from a person’s appearance, for example, on the street, in a hallway, at work, that he is mentally ill?

It is usually noticeable if a person behaves unusually, inappropriately, if he is agitated, uncontrollable, and so on. You can distinguish, for example, a drunk person, and in the same way, mental illnesses have their own external manifestations.

Torgyn Nurseitova

How to cope with autumn depression: 5 ways to brighten up gray everyday life

White day frowned;

The rains poured incessantly;

They moved in with people as neighbors

Longing and sleep, melancholy and laziness.

Alexey Koltsov

Autumn. The streets are gray, the city seems to have been covered by a shroud, the colors have faded. Cold, rain and mud. The darkness falls earlier and earlier, and you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and fall asleep. Even memories of a sunny and warm summer do not warm you up - they only bring irritation and increase depression... If all this is familiar to you, if the smile has long left your face, and the mischievous sparkle has disappeared from your eyes, you are sick. And you urgently need to be treated for this terrible disease: autumn depression.

1. The right morning

Start fighting autumn depression thoroughly and in the very first hours after waking up. What can cheer you up? First, a cup of aromatic coffee - but not from your ordinary cup. Buy yourself a special, fun mug. Let it be bright, ridiculous or even funny. Well, did you smile? If not, we continue treatment. Let's get started with water treatments! A morning shower will not only help you wake up and get yourself in order after sleep, but will also give you a boost of positive emotions even on the gloomiest day. It is important to choose the right shower gel. A product with the aroma of lime, lemon and grapefruit is perfect for these purposes. To enhance the effect, add a couple of drops of essential oil - for example, orange or bergamot. Yes! And change your regular towels in the bathroom to yellow or orange ones. These colors will fill the room with the warmth of the sun and help lift your mood.

2. Defeat the blues from the inside

A well-designed menu for the whole day will not only not harm your figure, but will also help you get rid of stress and bad mood. Would you say this is impossible? In fact, scientists have long proven that there are a number of food products, the consumption of which increases the level of endorphins in the body significantly. So, the menu for one day to combat depression: Breakfast. Start your day with a bowl of hot oatmeal with cinnamon and banana. Add a couple of slices of your favorite cheese. This will not only allow you to forget about hunger for a long time, but will also improve your mood due to the production of joy hormones. Lunch. Before lunch, it is advisable to eat natural yogurt and drink green tea. If you really want something sweet, treat yourself to high-quality dark chocolate. Remember, it is best to choose chocolate with a cocoa content of 65% or higher. Such a snack will not only have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the stomach, but will also strengthen the nervous system and nourish blood vessels. Dinner. Choose a good cut of red meat and be sure to supplement your diet with green vegetables. Broccoli is ideal for this. It’s not for nothing that it is called the most “positive” vegetable. Don't forget about onions and garlic: these vegetables will strengthen your immune system and become faithful allies in the fight against bad mood. Sea kale is perfect as a salad, and for dessert you should choose fresh fruit. Such a lunch will not allow your waist to become rounder, and your body will receive a powerful dose of serotonin - the hormone of happiness. Afternoon snack. If your afternoon snack consists of almonds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, your mood will be high until the evening. Include milk, cottage cheese, as well as dates and figs in your diet - all this will give you vigor and optimism. Dinner. End your day with a portion of fish (preferably fatty varieties) with a side dish, as well as a cup of aromatic tea with a spoon of honey. This will allow you to calm down and relieve stress after a hard day.

3. Creativity vs. boredom

If you spend your evenings at home, then you just need to find something to do for your soul. Are you saying it's boring? You just can’t imagine how exciting it can be, for example, modeling with polymer clay. You can create crafts, souvenirs and even decorations with your own hands. Do you want original earrings and bracelet? So make them yourself! Embroidery, beading, sewing. All this will immerse you in a magical world where simple fabrics and beads, when combined, give birth to fairy-tale dolls, a fashionable bag or an autumn panel. By the way, you can depict your autumn on it - bright, sunny, in a riot of flowers and colors. No less exciting activity is soap and cream making. Feel like an alchemist: jars, ointments, herbs and tinctures, essential oils and flower petals. Before you even have time to notice, the world will sparkle with colors again and become even brighter and lighter than before.

4. Play designer

Another effective way to overcome sadness is to rearrange your home. To begin with, change the lighting in your apartment or house to more intense. Well, for example, add a couple of stylish sconces or install an extravagant floor lamp next to your favorite chair. By the way, the lamps themselves play a huge role. Place yellow or warm white light bulbs in all the lamps - and the atmosphere will immediately transform. The next step is to rearrange the furniture. If you are not planning a global remodel, you can simply move the table or sofa to another location. The main thing is that the changes are directed towards your personal comfort. The next thing to do is add bright, positive accessories. Change the curtains, add soft pillows, re-install the carpet. Add cute trinkets or, for example, hang an abstraction in rich sunny colors on the wall. And don't forget about fresh flowers! Houseplants with their fresh greenery create a feeling of eternal summer, a heavenly place. And caring for them is another proven way to combat stress.

5. Give holiday and fun!

Be sure to attend a fun and positive event this weekend. A concert of your favorite singer or an exciting exhibition. Go to the premiere of a new cartoon or comedy. Well, or accept an invitation to a friend’s noisy wedding or anniversary. And if nothing interesting is planned in the near future, this is a great opportunity to organize a holiday yourself. The recipe is extremely simple: great company, relaxing atmosphere, fun music. All! Have fun, have fun, don’t be afraid to look childishly cute and spontaneous. After all, children don’t know how to be sad for a long time, take them as an example. Look at the world through the eyes of a mischievous child - and you are guaranteed a great mood. We wish you a warm and sunny autumn, as well as only pleasant surprises!

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There is no particular relationship between the weather or seasons and the risk of an episode occurring. In fact, in psychiatric hospitals during the demo season there is a slight increase in the number of hospitalizations, but not so large as to indicate an exacerbation of schizophrenia in the spring or autumn. The reason for the onset of manifestations in schizophrenia with a fur-like course may also be a thought that suddenly appeared in the patient. Physical factors also have the same influence - a sharp and loud sound, a sharp and bright light, some kind of minor injury, and the like. But this does not mean that the person has gone crazy from the bright light or that there is a spring exacerbation of schizophrenia, and even different from the winter exacerbation. By the way, the number of hospitalizations also increases on holidays, especially during the New Year holidays. And the reason is not Santa Claus, but the fact that at this time the likelihood of drinking alcohol is higher. On New Year's days, the party and government generously provided citizens with the opportunity to drink libations for two whole weeks, which leads to the appearance of delirium in some people.

Schizophrenics often experience exacerbations in the spring

Spring schizophrenia, as a stable image, appeared due to the fact that:

• in spring the daylight hours change by two hours;
• it symbolizes renewal, and it is very difficult for our people to update themselves, so they fall into contradictions;
• the air temperature simply changes.

This creates stressful conditions that healthy people don't even notice. Healthy people are healthy to enjoy spring, but what about schizophrenics? They forgot how to truly rejoice a few days before the premiere. In winter, all living things are preserved. The bears hibernate and the grass does not grow. Many people too, even if they love winter sports, still spend less time outside. This preservation is convenient for patients. They try to hide somewhere... And then the time of general activity begins, which patients do not like. They seem to be revealed by the fact that they are not activated along with the others. This all happens at the level of subtle information signals and subtle changes in emotions. They are thin for everyone, but for patients they are very noticeable. This, of course, does not mean that the signature symptoms of exacerbation of schizophrenia appear in the spring. It is difficult to say anything definite in this matter, but with a high degree of probability it can be said that any attempt to pull the patient out of his swamp can provoke an exacerbation.

To the point where he sits in his den, covered up to his ears in mud, sleeps in clothes, eats poorly, is overgrown, and unshaven. And then a relative comes to see him. And he begins to scold, shame, force him to put things in order, wash the toilet, fix what is broken and fix what is possible, and even better, make repairs. And all under the motto “Pull yourself together! What have you gotten yourself into?” For a certain number of hours he even tried to do something. Then he got tired, and she declared that she wouldn’t help him if he sat passively.

Even changes in air temperature can affect the condition of a schizophrenic.

As a result, he experiences a clear aggravation. A real case is described... It did not happen because he was tired. He began to worry that he had “let himself go,” “gave up on himself,” and then everything went according to the laws of paranoid time. Theoretically, this could still be the way to lift a person out of moderate depression, but you don’t need to behave this way with people from this block if you don’t need an exacerbation of schizophrenia.

To family and friends...

In principle, it is possible to organize the situation in such a way that in a state of remission the patient will be quite tolerable in appearance and even from the inside. Just don’t set unsolvable tasks. Relatives need to understand several things.

• If you tell a patient with delusional disorder that he has taken it upon himself, then the level of your own intelligence leaves much to be desired. Yeah, they let it go. If necessary, psychiatrists are ready to document this so that no one has any doubts about this.
• If you reproach sick people, then imagine them without legs. And myself in the role of a man who scolds a legless man for not being able to run 100 meters.
• If you see that the patient is not doing anything, then you should be happy. And then you’ll find out when he starts doing it.

It makes no sense to talk about what signs of exacerbation of schizophrenia exist. Schizophrenia is diagnosed according to a number of criteria. The course can be continuous and even, it can be continuous and progressive, it can be fur coat-like. If an exacerbation occurs, as a new manifestation is called, then signs of symptoms should be visible. Not just one, but many. If a person heard voices in his head, then it is not surprising if he has a diagnosis. The question is what behavioral factors this is accompanied by, what attitude the patient has towards the voices and himself. If every patient discharged and under observation is returned to the hospital for every hallucination, then there is no need to discharge them. Some residual factors in the manifestation of the syndrome remain in the vast majority of cases.

Exacerbation of schizophrenia can be predicted by a number of behavioral factors

Schizophrenia: how long does an exacerbation last and how does it begin?

As much as he can manage. It is impossible to specify any time frame here. The standard monthly regimen is based on the fact that during this time antipsychotics manage to relieve symptoms. This doesn't always happen. Rather, such a period should be treated as one of the denominations. If “enlightenment” is not observed, then the period will be extended.

Relapse of schizophrenia sometimes occurs in a very cunning way. The premiere can grow in waves. First there is some moment with a slight expression of mental defect. Suddenly the person realizes something. Let’s say this... “Somehow I don’t feel at ease. Something hurts, it’s painful, I don’t understand. This is how I’ll pass out or even die. Or maybe for the better. That’s right, as if I had already died,” the patient thinks. Then it lets go temporarily. And then suddenly the person in fear almost physically feels the thought that he has already died. The idea grows and acquires any bizarre features.

Between the moment of the debut of the very first thought and the build-up stage, gaps often arise in relation to normal thinking

Between the moment of the debut of the very first thought and the build-up stage, gaps of relatively normal thinking often arise. At this moment, the patient, especially if he has already been treated, may have time to realize what is happening as delirium. What bothers him is simply a subjective feeling. Who doesn't have a hard time with us? Thoughts that he might die are undesirable. But who could say that they are not true? We will all die someday and we don’t know when. But the thought that he had already died would be a bad fantasy for a healthy person, and delirium for a sick person. The difference between a healthy person and a sick person is that the latter has a very small number of different symptoms. Or one, but so huge that it would be impossible not to notice it larger than an elephant. A healthy person will simply play out his imagination in his head. And the patient can easily turn it into a super idea.

A real case is also described. The patient decided that he had died, but would find himself in another world if he committed suicide. The doubt was whether that world would be better or worse, so he lingered in this one.

Another reason for this belief is in seasonality in the individual course of the process. For some, remission lasts about a year, for others about six months. As a result, one gets the impression that, like spring, he is in the hospital. Nothing... And others, like summer, and others - with the onset of winter. The time just comes and the remission ends.

There would be nothing wrong with all this, but the broadcast of a strong belief that an exacerbation occurs in the spring or autumn leads to the fact that people begin to wait for it and thereby injure themselves. The belief arises that a new disaster will happen in the spring. According to statistics, the manifestation more often begins against the background of alcohol consumption, and not because the grass turns green and the sun shines.

If you most expect a schizophrenic exacerbation in the spring. it will certainly begin

Dear patients! The doors of psychiatric hospitals are hospitably open at any time. If you really need it, don't wait for spring. Come in winter. You will be greeted by responsive orderlies and kind doctors.