To high light this problem I would like to tell you what neurosis really means. So neurosis is usually a chronic condition where the person remains in touch with reality. The person may have an uncontrollable compunction to act in a particular way, with phobias (fears), obsessions and compulsions the most common neuroses. Neurotic disorders can have a variety of causes. Neurotic behavior can be seen as an unsuccessful attempt to deal with the problems. The ability to cope with continually new challenges – and, at the same time, to dispel ever-present anxieties – requires courage, competence and confidence. Neurotic reactions do not solve any problems, but merely reduce this ever-present anxiety, with the result that the individual then has less strength and attention left for solving the actual problems. In some cases, the neurotic individual is resourceful and often amazingly creative in finding apparent ways of avoiding anxiety. I’m inclined to think that there are three main types of neurotic behaviors: anxiety state, phobic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Other divisions are also possible, but these are more general. They are united by the concept that they all refer to fear and obsessions. So let’s have a close look at these types.
Anxiety neurosis is a mental disorder in which the experience of anxiety is the main disturbance. If it is episodic it is known as a panic disorder and if it is chronic and persistent it is known as generalized anxiety disorder. About 5% of the population may be suffering from acute or chronic anxiety with women outnumbering men two to one. Anxiety state may begin slowly and insidiously with general feelings of tension and nervous discomfort or its onset may be sudden, heralded by the abrupt outbreak of attacks of acute anxiety. The common symptoms of an acute attack of anxiety are palpitations, chest pain, and breathlessness, choking sensation, sweating, tremulousness, hot and cold flushes, dizziness and fainting. These physical manifestations are usually associated with psychological symptoms like restlessness, fearfulness, apprehension, decreased concentration, irritability etc. In chronic, generalized anxiety along with the symptoms of acute anxiety there may be headache, body ache, easy fatigability, inability to relax, insomnia etc. Clinically depressive symptoms are also frequently present along with symptoms of anxiety.
Phobic neurosis is characterized by persistent avoidance behavior secondary to irrational fears of specific object, activity or situation. Phobic disorders seem to affect less than 1% of the population. The individual may have attacks of panic, either when he is alone or when he is in crowded public places. As a result he avoids being alone or being in public places from which escape might be difficult. He also has an irrational fear of a specific object such as spiders, snakes, heights, dolls, knives etc. As a result he avoids these objects or situations.
Obsessive compulsive behavior is a mental disorder in which the individual gets recurrent ideas and urges to perform certain repetitive acts against his will. Obsessive compulsive neurosis seems to affect about 0.05% of the population. The onset of the disorder occurs predominantly in adolescence or early adulthood. The individual starts getting some thoughts, impulses or images in his mind against his will. These cause severe distress to the individual and interfere with his functioning. He may also develop some repetitive acts like washing hands, arranging and rearranging. The symptoms usually run a chronic unremitting course with only occasional episodic relief from symptoms for short periods in between. Many of these patients, as a result, develop severe depressive symptoms secondarily. Suicidal ideations and suicidal attempt are also quite frequent among these patients.
In conclusion I would like to say that neurotic behaviors are often regarded as merely temporary problems. General laws of development, however, clearly show that there is often a very deep-seated disorder of the whole predisposition to life which only fully develops in later years. In early years, it is often possible to compensate for neurotic illness, but as one gets older, natural energy is often insufficient to maintain the necessary level of defense. It has to be treated by relaxation. Also in some cases medicine should be used. But the most important is that ill people have to realize that they are sick and they have to talk about their problems.