Psychiatry - G.T. Sonnyk 2003

General psychopathology and symptomatology of mental illnesses
Main syndromes of mental disorders

A syndrome (symptom complex) is a persistent combination of interrelated symptoms caused by a common Pathogenesis.

Diagnosing any disease, including mental disorders, begins with identifying symptoms. However, a symptom is a polysemantic sign, and diagnosing a disease based on a single symptom is impossible. A combination of interdependent symptoms forms a symptom complex, or a syndrome. The diagnostic value of a syndrome lies in the fact that its constituent symptoms are bound by regular internal connections. Every mental illness is characterized by specific syndromes that evolve in a sequence unique to that particular disorder.

Establishing a syndromological Diagnosis is of paramount importance in the clinical practice of any medical specialist, as the effectiveness of Treatment depends directly on its accuracy and precision.

Classification of Psychopathological Syndromes According to the predominant impairment of specific mental Functions.

Syndromes dominated by perceptual disorders:

✵ verbal Hallucinosis syndrome;

✵ tactile hallucinosis syndrome;

✵ visual hallucinosis syndrome;

✵ olfactory hallucinosis syndrome.

Syndromes dominated by memory disorders:

✵ Korsakoff's Amnestic Syndrome.

Syndromes dominated by Thought Disorders:

✵ paranoid syndrome;

✵ paranoiac syndrome;

✵ paraphrenic syndrome.

Syndromes dominated by intellectual impairments:

✵ physical and mental infantilism syndrome;

✵ oligophrenia syndrome;

✵ psycho-organic (encephalopathic) syndrome;

✵ dementia syndrome.

Syndromes dominated by emotional and effector-volitional disorders:

✵ neurotic syndrome (asthenic, hysterical, obsessive, etc.);

✵ psychopathic syndrome;

✵ hebephrenic syndrome;

✵ catatonic syndrome;

✵ epileptiform syndrome.

Syndromes dominated by emotional disorders:

✵ depressive;

✵ manic.

Syndromes dominated by impaired consciousness:

A) Non-psychotic syndromes:

✵ nubility;

✵ somnolence;

✵ stupor;

✵ sopor;

✵ coma.

B) Psychotic syndromes:

✵ depersonalization and derealization syndromes;

✵ delirium syndrome;

✵ oneiroid syndrome;

✵ twilight state syndrome of consciousness;

✵ amentia syndrome.

Classification of psychopathological syndromes according to the depth of mental impairment

Functional-dynamic non-psychotic syndromes.

1. Neurotic syndrome (asthenic, hysterical, obsessive, astheno-hypochondriacal, astheno-depressive, hystero-phobic, etc.).

2. Psychopathic syndrome.

Psychotic syndromes (functional-dynamic and organic).

1. Manic syndrome.

2. Depressive syndrome.

3. Paranoid syndrome.

4. Paraphrenic syndrome.

5. Paranoid syndrome (hallucinatory-paranoid, etc.).

6. Hallucinosis syndromes.

7. Catatonic syndrome.

8. Hebephrenic syndrome.

9. Delirious syndrome.

10. Amentic syndrome.

11. Twilight state of consciousness syndrome.

Organic lesion syndromes.

1. Organic (encephalopathic, psychoorganic) syndrome.

2. Amnestic (Korsakoff's) syndrome.

3. Dementia syndrome (partial or total).

4. Oligophrenia syndrome.

5. Seizures (paroxysms) and epileptiform syndrome.