Neurosis (neuroticism): Causes, Symptoms And Characteristics
The neurosis either neuroticism It is a psychological tendency to maintain certain difficulties for emotional control and management.
People who suffer from high levels of neuroticism usually present low moods, close to depression or dysthymia, and show negative feelings such as envy, anger, anxiety, feelings of guilt… Neurotic people present these symptoms much more frequently. and severe than people who do not suffer from this condition.
Neurosis is a concept that encompasses a series of psychological alterations related to problems reacting to reality in an emotionally coherent way. For example, in people with a tendency toward neuroticism there may be cases of excessively intense reaction to criticism from others, even if it is made jokingly or in a very indirect way.
In any case, unlike what happens in psychosis, in neurosis reality is technically perceived correctly (or at least, what happens objectively in it without analyzing intentions, desires or plans that those around us have).
On the other hand, neurosis is a complex phenomenon whose causes have not yet been clearly established, which is why there are several explanatory theories about the factors that cause its appearance in people.
Neurotic people: how to identify them
There are some signs and various symptoms with which we can identify a person prone to neurosis. Neurotic people are especially vulnerable to changes in the environment, they suffer more stress and are less able to cope with it.
On the other hand, neuroticism refers to emotional management problems in practically all areas of a person’s life, not just a few. Individuals who score high on tests that measure neuroticism are more likely to suffer from negative affectivity, that is, anxiety and depressive symptoms. They tend to experience emotional swings more frequently than other peoplesince they are more sensitive to potential sources of frustration or worry in their environment.
On the other hand, people who suffer from neurosis (as a clinical entity and which is associated with a certain level of psychopathology) usually present greater fear in situations that other people tolerate and manage effectively. They tend to perceive reality in a more negative way than it really is, and they easily despair over small frustrations that, in the eyes of others, are not of much importance.
Neurotic personality and its comorbidity
Individuals with neurosis usually also present other relevant characteristics, such as anxiety, a greater presence of depressive symptoms or a tendency to shyness. People who are prone to neurosis also often have phobias and panic disorders.
Neurosis is a psychological disorder that makes people who suffer from it suffer, but it is a relatively manageable condition, since there is no presence of serious symptoms that are usually associated with psychosis, such as delusions and hallucinations.
In neurosis, the individual remains in contact with reality; there is no depersonalization. Patients who score high on the neuroticism scale are emotionally unstable and are less able to manage their discomfort and stress compared to those people who score low on neuroticism.
People who do not have neuroses tend to be relaxed, are better able to deal with high levels of stress and are more willing to face the challenges of everyday life.
Signs and symptoms
The most common symptoms and signs among neurotic people are the following:
Neuroticism and difficulties in relating and communicating
In addition to the symptoms and characteristics already described, Neurotic people usually have problems in their workplace, as well as in all areas where they coexist with other people.to the point where, in severe cases, they can act as psychological abusers.
In addition, they usually have in common a poorer ability to make good decisions. All these symptoms, if they are not treated and become entrenched in the personal life of the neurotic, can lead to serious symptoms of depression and isolation.
Neuroticism and its similarity to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Another style of coping with neurosis is that of some people who gradually develop recurring thoughts and worries about catastrophic events that could happeneven when there is no rational element that justifies them. That is to say, it is very easy for your attention to be focused on unrealistic concerns, without much empirical basis or that are simply based on something that objectively has a very limited power to affect your quality of life.
Faced with these negative thoughts, some neurotic individuals may try to counteract the possibilities of the catastrophe actually occurring, using certain mental rituals or repeated behaviors that can be confused with those of people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Social isolation: a problem associated with neurosis?
The set of symptoms and characteristics of individuals who suffer from some degree of neurosis can cause people around them to distance themselves from them, because they are seen as strange and eccentric. This can lead to some seclusion and social isolation.
In other cases, anxiety and stress can increase over time, making the daily lives of these patients extremely difficult, as they live in permanent tension. Usually, they are people who feel hurt easily; They live in a state of constant anxiety and with the feeling that something bad could happen to them at any moment.
There are other problems that neurotic people very frequently report. One of them is difficulty falling asleep, which makes them feel tired during the day.
Other patients also refer to somatization and similar problems: strange cardiac sensations, excessive sweating, a feeling of suffocation or fear of dying at any moment… These are symptoms that coincide with the classic anxiety disorder.
Treatment
What we know as neurosis encompasses a series of symptoms and conditions that negatively influence the quality of life of the person who suffers from them.
Of course, There is psychological treatment to minimize the effect of neurosis on the mental health of those who suffer from it.. Psychotherapy helps to restore emotional balance and reduce the incidence of many of the symptoms described above, although by itself it does not usually make the symptoms disappear for life. Going to a specialist in these cases can help the neurotic person improve in many aspects, in addition to a diagnosis and personalized treatment.
On the other hand, the emotional alterations typical of what has classically been known as neuroses can be so pronounced that it is necessary to combine psychological intervention with pharmacological treatments. This is especially relevant in cases in which symptoms linked to mood appear together with others that are psychotic.
In any case, drug-based treatment of neurosis only serves to mitigate some symptoms temporarily, and does not allow progress towards improvement. This, together with the fact that psychotropic drugs always have side effects, means that it is recommended to use medications of this type only when necessary.
