SENILE PSYCHOSIS (senile psychoses) occur in old age; these include senile dementia, late depression, and paranoia. ,
Senile dementia is characterized by a steady impoverishment and decay of mental activity. Weakening of mental activity also occurs during physiological aging, but senile dementia is not a quantitative enhancement of this process, but a pathological phenomenon. Such patients constitute, according to various authors, 12-25% of the total number of patients with late-stage mental illness.
Etiology, pathogenesis are unknown. Women get sick more often than men. The risk of the disease in families of patients with senile dementia is higher than among the rest of the population. Concomitant somatic diseases alter and aggravate the picture of psychosis.
The average age of onset of the disease is 70-78 years, its duration is 5-8 years. Initial manifestations are slowly growing personality changes – coarseness, egocentrism, stinginess. The individual character traits are lost. Along with this, dementia is growing – the level of judgment is decreasing, the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills, memory reserves are lost – first, recent experience, then the experience of earlier periods of life, confabulations (false memories) appear, speech becomes impaired. Only basic physical needs remain. Against the background of progressive dementia, reduced psychotic states are possible – anxious or viciously grumbling depression, delirium of material damage (theft, damage), jealousy. States of confusion with fidgety restlessness usually occur when combined with somatic diseases;
Late depressions and late paranoids are not caused by gross organic destructive processes. Depression is relatively mild, but long-term, characterized by gloom, discontent, hypochondriacal feelings. The content of experiences with late paranoids is limited to a small-scale delirium of damage, damage, and persecution.
There is no pathogenetic treatment for senile dementia. Symptomatic therapy is performed. In psychotic states, states of confusion with anxiety, antipsychotics with a sedative effect (sonapax, tizercin) in small doses are indicated. For depression, small doses of sedative antidepressants (amitriptyline, pyrazidol) are prescribed. In sleep disorders, tranquilizers and neuroheptics with hypnotic properties (Rademorm, Phenazepam, Chlorp-Rotixen) are indicated. Patient care becomes essential.