Metaphysical intoxication is a psychological pathology, the main symptom of which is reasoning. In other words, a person talks a lot and without ideas. And his thoughts do not have a clear direction. Patients can immerse themselves in reading on topics of interest, but this activity does not enrich them with knowledge.
Historical summary
In the middle of the 17th century, half a century before the transformation of psychiatry into an independent science, metaphysical intoxication was first described. This definition within philosophical doctrines was brought out by David Hume.
Philosophical intoxication as a syndrome was first characterized by Theodor Ziegen in 1924. This discovery was largely influenced by the works of Hume, which he read during his student days.
Metaphysical intoxication belongs to the category of overvalued ideas. And according to the theory of K. Wernicke, they are based on a real life event, which is assessed inadequately. The philosophical analogy has no such basis. Therefore, it is compared with paranoid delusions. Only in it there is no struggle for the implementation of plans.
Nature of disease
Specialists adhere to three concepts regarding the appearance of metaphysical intoxication:
- Schizophrenic disorders.
- Puberty crisis. They can appear in people with various psychopathy.
- Affective pathology.
Schizophrenic basis
A well-known specialist in psychiatry A. E. Lichko brought out several characteristics in this matter. And the signs of metaphysical intoxication in schizophrenia, according to her concept, are:
- Absurd content ideas. It is completely illogical. For example, a patient, a 17-year-old schizophrenic, argued that world peace is possible only when all people become vegetarians. And because of the meat and the products containing it, a person falls into a rage. At the same time, the teenager was sure that Hitler followed a similar diet.
- Misty presentation of thoughts or repetition of identical patterns. Example: A 15-year-old patient, after reading the treatises of Nietzsche and Spencer, thought about building a "universal anarchism." But when the symptoms of the disease became dangerous, he decided to kill himself with poisoning. The attempt failed, because the guy was placed in a psychiatric clinic. There he told the doctors that he wanted to be a superman.
- Weak activity in promoting their ideas. Patients do not look for like-minded people or quickly give up the search. Patient inexample of paragraph 2, did not look for fellow believers at all. He spread his views among obvious opponents: communists, sociology educators, etc.
- Violation of social adaptation. People suffering from the disease skip school or work. Their working capacity is sharply reduced, they are alienated from close relatives.
Following identical principles, metaphysical intoxication occurs in patients diagnosed with schizotypal and schizophreniform disorders.
About predictions
When schizophrenia is detected and the symptoms indicated, treatment in most cases is completed successfully. For example, only 20% of situations on the basis of schizotypal disorder begin to form schizophrenia belonging to the progredient category.
40% of cases are marked by the onset of almost complete remission. According to the materials of L. B. Dubnitsky, in a patient’s life it can appear only once. But this implies another type of disorder - schizophreniform.
Symptomatics
According to statistics, citizens aged 12 to 19 are more susceptible to metaphysical intoxication. Suspicions of this disease are justified when a person constantly philosophizes about:
- dilemmas of society;
- essences of being and death;
- the cumulative purpose of humanity;
- self-development, reaching certain peaks;
- methods to eliminate threats looming over people;
- ratio of consciousness and thoughts;
- different dimensions and mixing them.
In practice, patientscover a much wider range of topics. But these are the most common types.
A sick person, immersed in thoughts and fantasies, puts forward his unique (in his opinion):
- philosophical laws;
- ethical criteria;
- social reforms.
These are symptoms of metaphysical intoxication. And the main features of judgments are simplicity and isolation from the conditions of the real world. Such theories are completely stupid, chaotic and contradictory. But it is difficult for the patient to realize this on his own.
The essence of this intoxication
The essence of the disease lies in reflection and the burden of sophistication. The patient is not active. In this he differs from people suffering from outwardly similar pathologies. In them, it is activity - and not reflection - that is the dominant feature.
The syndrome of metaphysical intoxication should not include inventive ideas, because then the understanding is overly expanded and can be interpreted incorrectly. Such a mistake was made in 1977 by Lev Dubnitsky. Within the framework of intoxication, he considered the work of adolescents obsessed with abstract inventions. For example, they could spend a lot of time on conducting chemical experiments. It is extremely difficult for people with this disease to be active. They are closed and detached from reality. Their thoughts are like delusional fantasies.
Influence on teenagers
This category is most susceptible to metaphysical intoxication. She's like a detachedsymptom, can be formed in other mental pathologies.
As a syndrome she is perceived when she becomes dominant. Its manifestations are often found in adolescents suffering from single-attack schizophrenia. In such scenarios, patients appropriate other people's points of view and beliefs. They try to convince everyone that they are the authors of certain ideas, they can describe in detail the conditions in which these ideas were born. In rare cases, the attempts take a very aggressive form.
A similar syndrome, according to psychiatric reports, most often manifests itself in guys 15-19 years old. Reason: this period is characterized by metaphysical intoxication of abstract thinking. Its development takes distorted forms. This is especially expressed in people with schizoid and psychasthenic symptoms. They begin to think a lot, comprehend new knowledge. At the same time, reasoning is constantly used.
In the indicated period, a person realizes himself, tries to find his calling and place in life. His goal is to create spiritual masterpieces and announce them to the whole world. But due to poor life experience and a modest arsenal of knowledge, all such aspirations lead only to primitive judgments and a distorted worldview.
Treatment questions
Therapy is most often prescribed individually based on the results of examinations. General trends are such that inpatient treatment of metaphysical intoxication is more effective than the outpatient form.
In the initial stages of therapy, prioritygiven to psychopharmacotherapy. To achieve the best results, specialists are based on the dominant affect, the specifics of the disease and the patient's response to drugs. At the first stages of treatment, tricyclic antidepressants have proven themselves to be positive.
They eliminate the suicidal threat. Gradually, doctors reduce their dosage to the minimum. In parallel, the serotonic antidepressant fluvoxamine is included in the therapy. Since the largest percentage of patients are in a state of depression, neuroleptics with a cumulative antipsychotic effect are used in their treatment. For example, trifluoperazine.
For the effective elimination of juvenile pathologies, taking drugs must complement psychological corrective therapy. It is based on the specifics of the disease and the beliefs of the patient. It includes cognitive and existential methods, which are complemented by family psychological correction. At the stage of remission, the main task of doctors is the social and labor adaptation of the patient.
