Agitation - Signs, Treatment, Causes, Forms, Diagnosis

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Agitation

The content of the article:

1. Causes
2. Signs
3. Diagnostics
4. Treatment
5. Prevention
6. Consequences and complications

Agitation is a state of pronounced emotional arousal, accompanied by a feeling of fear and anxiety, speech and motor restlessness. In a state of agitation, a person develops an unconscious need to perform simple automatic movements or develops excessive fussiness.

Agitation - pronounced emotional excitement, accompanied by fear

Causes

Agitation in some cases is a variant of the norm. For example, it can be triggered by a severe stressful situation, both acute and chronic.

More often, agitation is considered as one of the symptoms accompanying the following mental illnesses:

• Alzheimer's disease;
• agitated depression;
• anxious neurosis;
• catatonic schizophrenia;
• involutional depression;
• affective insanity.

A state of agitation can be triggered by the use of narcotic or psychotropic substances, alcoholic beverages. In addition, pathology arises against the background of severe infectious diseases.

Drugs, alcohol, psychotropic substances can lead to agitation

The mechanism of development of agitation is complex and is currently not fully understood. It is assumed that they play an important role:

• ischemia of the brain;
• metabolic disorders;
• the effect of toxins;
• neuroreflex mechanisms;
• autoimmune and immune responses;
• psychological personality traits.

Signs

For agitation, it is characteristic that the patient usually does not notice this condition in himself, despite the following pronounced signs:

• motor or speech disturbance;
• hand tremor;
• tachycardia;
• excessive sweating;
• pallor of the skin;
• rapid breathing;
• increased blood pressure;
• increased body temperature.

During an attack, the patient cannot stay in one place for a long time. He loses the ability to reason correctly or establish complex causal relationships.

A person in a state of agitation experiences severe anxiety, and sometimes fear, cannot fall asleep and calm down on his own. At the same time, attempts to control his behavior by relatives or loved ones often lead to an attack of aggression, up to the injury of both the patient and those around him.

In cases where agitation occurs against the background of a disease, its symptoms are added to the above signs, for example, lack of criticality, delusional ideas, hallucinations.

It is difficult for a person in a state of agitation to fall asleep

Diagnostics

Only a psychiatrist can diagnose a state of agitation after observing the patient for some time. Only taking into account all the features, a specialist can make a differential diagnosis between agitation and akathisia. Akathisia in its manifestations has much in common with agitation, but the treatment of these conditions requires a different approach.

To find out the reasons that led to the emergence of agitation, a laboratory and instrumental examination is carried out, including:

• a blood test for the content of thyroid hormones;
• blood test for alcohol content;
• general analysis of blood and urine;
• blood pressure measurement;
• magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography of the brain;
• electroencephalography.

Other diagnostic methods can be used if necessary.

MRI of the brain reveals the causes of agitation

Treatment

Agitation therapy should be aimed at eliminating the cause that caused its development. If it is a stressful situation, the use of tranquilizers is indicated. With agitation that arose against the background of the disease, its treatment is carried out.

Medication correction of agitation is undertaken only as directed by a doctor and under his supervision. For this purpose, antipsychotics, antidepressants, antianxiolytics can be used.

Antidepressants, antipsychotics, antianxiolytics, and psychotherapy are the mainstay of agitation treatment

Psychotherapy plays an important role in eliminating agitation. It allows the patient to develop resistance to stressful situations, nervous and physical fatigue.

Prevention

Agitation prevention is the treatment of mental illness. Mentally healthy people need to avoid stressful situations, stop using alcohol and drugs. It is important that the patient who is prone to agitation receives regular psychotherapeutic support. The skills of coping with stress acquired in its course reduce the risk of pathology recurrence.

Consequences and complications

Being in a state of agitation, a person can harm both himself and others, damage someone else's property. According to medical statistics, it is the state of agitation that is one of the main causes of traumatic injuries to medical personnel during working hours.

With a timely and complete course of treatment, the prognosis is favorable. It worsens if the patient has mental illness, since in this case, repeated episodes are frequent.

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Elena Minkina Doctor anesthesiologist-resuscitator About the author

Education: graduated from the Tashkent State Medical Institute, specializing in general medicine in 1991. Repeatedly passed refresher courses.

Work experience: anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the city maternity complex, resuscitator of the hemodialysis department.

The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!