Psychoneurosis, also known as neurosis, is a common psychological disorder. It is a condition in which a person's perception of reality is not distorted, but is intertwined with feelings such as anxiety, worry, morbid fears, obsessive thoughts, depression or obsessive behaviors. It covers psychological problems that can lead to internal conflict. It can also be considered as the individual's incompatibility with his/her environment, inability to change his/her lifestyle and inability to acquire a satisfactory personality trait.
Today, there are treatments for almost every psychological disorder. Psychoneurotic disorders are among these disorders. The right treatment methods and therapies applied by a specialized psychologist or psychiatrist contribute to the recovery of the disease.
What is Neurotic Personality?
It can also be defined as intense extreme state disorders such as anxiety and worry that occur against negativity. People with neurotic personality may experience very intense emotional states compared to other people. For example, a minor discomfort that an individual sees as a normal situation can be felt as a disappointment by loading too much emotion.
Neurotic traits do not only mean that the person will experience negative consequences. A person may be neurotic about their success at work or school and as a result they may succeed. They may constantly think about their health and in some cases overdo it. However, they can still maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime.
Psychological problems can be classified under two headings. Psychosis or neurosis are conditions caused by the deterioration in the perception of reality by the person.
Psychotic illnesses are illnesses that are caused by the distortion of the individual's perception of reality, such as hearing voices that are not normal, seeing dreams, delusions and hallucinations.
However, in these illnesses, the patient's perception of reality is preserved even though they exhibit abnormal psychological reactions and behaviors against some individual and environmental factors due to different reasons. Generally, these people are aware of their behavior.
Symptoms of Psychoneurosis and Neurotic Behavior
In many cases, people may exhibit neurotic behavior without being aware of it. However, others who are in constant contact and spend time with these people all the time may recognize the symptoms over time.
Symptoms of psychoneurosis and neurotic behavior can be listed as follows:
- Complaining about physical symptoms when there is nothing wrong
- Obsessive thinking and anxiety
- Exhibit perfectionist behavior
- Excessive neediness or dependence on people and people
- Failure to manage major requirements effectively
- Always dramatic attitudes
- Excessive jealousy of other people
- Difficulties in relationships
- Obsessive behaviors related to the health or safety of their children
What Causes Psychoneurosis?
Neurotic behaviors can be explained as abnormal psychological impulses and abnormal behavior caused by them. Some behaviors may be among the causes of psychoneurosis. The factors that cause the development of neurotic behaviors are as follows:
- Failure to meet physical or psychological needs
- Being forced to exhibit certain abnormal behaviors
- Excessive emotional stress
- The individual experiences internal conflicts
- Some traumatic events leading to intense states of anxiety
- Developmental disorders from childhood
- Certain chronic or inherited diseases
Neuroses are usually evaluated in comparison with psychotic disorders. In this context, there are some areas where problems within this condition are distinguished from psychotic disorders in terms of some of their characteristics.
Psychiatric problems that often result in neurosis are as follows:
- People with neurotic behavior can easily adapt to social life
- Neurosis does not cause severe personality disorder in the individual
- The majority of cases do not present psychological conditions requiring hospitalization
- Disorders may adversely affect the individual's daily life and cause problems and difficulties in social life
What are the Treatment Methods for Psychoneurosis?
In cases where neurotic behaviors become a problem, support can be obtained from specialist psychologists or psychiatrists. In this direction, the psychiatrist learns the medical history of the person in detail and performs a psychological examination. Some psychological diagnostic tests may also be applied for cases.
The disease is diagnosed according to the data and results obtained from the studies.
The methods applied in terms ofpsychoneurosis treatment are generally as follows:
Drug Therapy
Depending on the underlying cause of the illness, the specialist may prescribe antidepressants or sedatives. Medications can help to improve the emotional states experienced by the person.
Psychotherapy
In some cases, medication alone may not be sufficient. In most cases, psychotherapy methods are added to the treatment plan. In this context, cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most commonly used application, but different psychotherapeutic applications can be used during treatment.