Neurasthenia

Types of Malfunction

The disorder can be divided into two types, which, however, are more or less intertwined:

• In the first type, patients complain of easy mental fatigue, slowness, or looseness of thinking. Mental fatigue is described as the straining of thoughts or memories that hinder the patient's concentration. It is also associated with reduced performance at work.
• The second type is more about physical exhaustion and weakness. The sick person is tired even after minimal exertion.

In the case of neurasthenia, other unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and in some cases insomnia are also felt. More rarely, hypersomnia develops.

Diagnosis

To determine the diagnosis of neurasthenia, complaints of increased fatigue after mental exertion or complaints of physical weakness and exhaustion after minimal exertion must be present.

At least two of the following: pain in the muscles, headache, dizziness, sleep disturbance, inability to relax, tension, etc.

The absence of severe symptoms of depression or anxiety is needed to diagnose depressive syndrome or any anxiety disorders.

Treatment

The basic treatment is primarily long-term clinical guidance with the simultaneous use of various psychotherapeutic procedures, or the administration of antidepressants (SSRIs, RIMA).

Links

Literature used

• MKN-10, Duševní poruchy a poruchy chování, Psychiatrické Centrum Praha 1992, ISBN 80-85121-44-1
• RABOCH, Jiří, Pavel PAVLOVSKÝ a Dana JANOTOVÁ. Psychiatrie: minimum pro praxi. 5. vyd. Praha: Triton, 2012. ISBN 978-80-7387-582-4.