Calling a person abnormal is a favorite trick of gossips, virtual trolls, and tram boors. But sometimes even close people look for signs of mental illness from their tired relatives, relying on diagnoses read on the Internet. What is the danger of homegrown experts and how to distinguish depression from mild melancholy — in the material of Izvestia.
Sofa experts
The Internet age is conducive to self-diagnosis, and many are willing to put various labels on themselves and others, warns psychiatrist and psychotherapist Alexei Vilkov.
— There is also a strong stigma when family members or colleagues diagnose a person without knowing what it means. This has a negative effect on mood and quality of life," the specialist comments.
Alexey Vilkov advises you to remember that any information on the Internet can be erroneous or contradictory, so you do not need to search various forums for answers to questions and evaluate symptoms based on data from near-scientific articles.
— There is a lot of subjective information in chat rooms from people who can distort, painfully convey their condition and at the same time project it onto others. It is important to keep in mind that everything is individual, so only a specialist can figure out the exact diagnosis of a particular person," the interlocutor suggests.
Sergey Tarasov, a psychiatrist at Dr. Isaev's Clinic, also emphasizes that the problem lies in the availability of information. After watching enough videos on the Internet, people consider themselves experts and start giving out advice without having sufficient qualifications. According to the expert, you need to stay away from such "assistants", and it is better to send them to a doctor themselves so that they do not harm themselves and others with incorrect recommendations.
— Only an experienced and competent specialist can properly conduct an examination and distinguish the important from the secondary. For example, depression is not always true. Under her mask, diseases such as hypothyroidism or iron deficiency anemia are hidden, the symptoms of which are similar to depression," explains Sergey Tarasov.
According to the psychiatrist, the most important criterion for unpleasant things happening to a person is the fact that sleep, rest, proper nutrition and other simple and necessary things do not bring relief.
— All diagnoses are made by doctors, not self—appointed specialists who have completed three-month courses, warns Tarasov. — Impostors only make the situation worse. In my practice, I regularly receive people who, on the recommendation of such "specialists", have delayed treatment and need urgent help.
Mood swings
As a rule, the diagnoses that people give each other in virtual brawls or family battles are related to mental health. For example, mood swings are readily passed off by "experts" as bipolar disorder, in which depression and lethargy are replaced by euphoria and activity.
Mood swings within reasonable limits are common for every person, Alexey Vilkov believes. But unknowingly, ordinary people sometimes associate such changes with mental problems, especially if they want to offend or humiliate an opponent.
— Normally, our mood can change throughout the day depending on how the life situation develops. This is not a deviation. But if such changes are observed every half hour or an hour, and even for no particular reason, then we can talk about emotional instability or emotional lability," the psychotherapist comments.
When both the person and his environment notice this, there is a reason to suspect a possible deviation from the norm. If personal life, work capacity and relationships with other people suffer from fluctuations, then the problem should be discussed with specialists.
— When we, psychiatrists, talk about pathologies such as depression, bipolar disorder and others, it is first of all important that these conditions meet the criteria sufficient for diagnosis, warns Sergey Tarasov.
It makes no sense to throw words around in this regard, experts emphasize.
Depression
Nowadays, it has become fashionable to talk about depression at the slightest emotion, which has become synonymous with sadness and anxiety. But from a psychiatric point of view, depression is a steady decline in mood that lasts for at least two weeks. This is how it differs from short-term despondency.
— It is necessary to be alert when the mood remains depressed and does not return to normal for at least 14 days, and the person is unable to perform his usual duties, abandons business. At the same time, sleep may be disrupted and anxiety may appear," says Alexey Vilkov.
During a difficult period, people experience apathy: they become indifferent to themselves and their loved ones. Such patients are also characterized by a manifestation of pessimism — it seems to them that only bad events await them.
— Doctors distinguish endogenous depression, which is associated with a malfunction of the neurotransmitters of the brain and occurs for no reason, and psychogenic, when a depressive disorder appears as a result of acute or chronic mental trauma," the psychiatrist comments.
Depression can be mild, moderate and heavy. In the most dangerous condition, treatment in a hospital setting and taking serious antidepressant medications are required. But if a person copes with their worries for two weeks or even earlier, and adversity does not unsettle them, then it is not worth talking about this particular disease.
The expression "panic attack" is also considered a fashionable term, which is sometimes replaced by ordinary fear or intense excitement.
— In a panic attack, severe anxiety and fear are combined with unpleasant sensations in the body. There may be pain in the heart, suffocation, abdominal discomfort, severe headaches and other physical suffering," says Alexey Vilkov.
A condition where a person simply experiences anxiety and mild anxiety, but keeps his emotions under control and does not feel physical pain, does not belong to a panic attack.
A gallows smile
A frown should not cause alarm if it is a simple reaction to everyday problems or a sign of fatigue.Fatigue and a bad mood occur periodically in everyone, says psychiatrist Alexei Vilkov. Such states pass when there is an opportunity to relax, distract or gather strength and solve the accumulated difficulties. It is acceptable to spend at least a day or two on this, and no more than a week at most, then the negative state does not relate to mental disorders.
Meanwhile, on such days, people are bombarded with advice to "get together," "not sour," "cheer up," as well as recommendations to go to the doctor to find out if there are any mental health problems. Those, in turn, try to smile through their strength so as not to provoke unnecessary questions.
— It's not worth forcing yourself to joke and laugh when you're sad, because these actions are accompanied by a certain tension and volitional effort.It is unlikely that artificial fun will be useful or cause a dramatic improvement in well-being. Try to shift your attention from negative experiences to something neutral. It's better than a forced smile," the psychiatrist comments.
In psychology, there is even such a thing as a "gallows smile": a person tries to cover up his feelings with unnatural fun. According to Alexey Vilkov, this happens, in particular, with severe anxiety, as well as with depression. But usually others notice the discrepancy between a joyful appearance and a depressed state. In this case, it becomes clear that a smile on your face is a reason to consult a doctor.
Who to contact
It will not be possible to cope with unpleasant conditions on your own, if they really exist. Usually, the advice of loved ones can be perceived as a claim, which leads to a distorted perception of the situation, warns Sergey Tarasov. This weakens self-criticism and reinforces the feeling that "the whole world is against it." It is necessary to encourage a visit to a medical institution diplomatically, and not by labeling a person if you do not want to spoil relations with him and delay contacting a specialist.
— If we talk about everyday perception of a condition, one's own or someone else's, then it is important to understand how much this condition really interferes with life, and first of all it should concern the life of the person himself, and not others. If a person realizes that something is wrong with him, but continues to delay the consultation, hoping that "it will get easier now," then this is a reason to see a doctor, — comments Sergey Tarasov.
In the case when a person has no mental problems, but someone in his heart called him sick, crazy or crazy, you should take such words calmly and indifferently. According to Alexey Vilkov, the offender either projects his painful states onto others, or does not have a good level of education.
The expert advises to treat poisonous comments with understanding, irony and humor, without attaching any importance to other people's words. It is better to shift attention to positive events in order to maintain a good or neutral mood background and increase stress tolerance.
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