It is traditionally believed that mental illness cannot be cured. And in most cases, this statement is really true, especially if we are not talking about the borderline states of the psyche. However, in psychiatry it is customary to distinguish four main outcomes of mental illness. What can they be?
How is somatic disease treated? An examination is performed, the root cause of the pathology is identified, and therapy is prescribed. In a situation with mental illness, things are not so simple. Many conditions do not have a specific cause, for example, at the level of physiology. Because of this, it is impossible to carry out a correction of the condition and bring the patient to a stable remission or completely cure.
Most mental disorders either remain with the person for life or are "blocked", but still there are certain consequences.
It is accepted to distinguish four options for the outcome of a mental disorder:
- complete recovery, which is extremely rare;
- partial recovery with a mental defect;
- the transition of the disease into a chronic condition;
- death.
Recovery from Mental Pathology
A similar outcome for a sick person is possible only in the case when it is possible to establish for certain the reason because of which a disturbance in the work of the psyche arose.
For example, a complete recovery occurs in patients with reactive psychosis (a mental disorder caused by some severe shock, psychological trauma), in people who have suffered intoxication (for example, alcohol), which caused a change in the functioning of the psyche. Those patients who have manifested mental symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) against the background of any physical illness are also subject to treatment. As soon as the physical illness leaves, the state of the psyche gradually normalizes. So, for example, hallucinations can occur against a background of high temperature, however, after recovery they pass, usually there are no consequences.
Partial recovery
In fact, a person is absolutely healthy after undergoing a course of appropriate therapy. However, under the influence of the disturbed work of the psyche, he has persistent violations in behavior or, to some extent, his intellect suffers (it becomes reduced). In other words, under the influence of the transferred mental disorder, a person changes, often becomes completely unlike himself in the past. And such defects remain with him for life.
Chronic course of mental disorder
Such a diagnosis, unfortunately, is quite common. As a rule, it concerns any serious pathologies or disorders for which it was not possible to establish the root cause (or there is no way to cure it).
Such people are put on a lifelong record in a neuropsychiatric dispensary or may become permanent "residents" of neuropsychiatric boarding schools. Some patients may be diagnosed with prolonged and persistent remission, but there is no guarantee that at one point, possibly without a reason and an external stimulus, psychosis will not manifest again.