Intellect disorder

Intelligence disorders have been known since prehistoric times . This is confirmed by the history of psychiatry and transcultural psychiatry , revealing, for example, atherosclerotic changes in the brain in uncivilized tribes ^[2] .

Separating senile dementia from the concept of “mania,” Areteus from Cappadocia , an outstanding ancient Roman physician and philosopher , is probably the first to distinguish between acute and chronic organic mental disorders, calling acute (transient) delirium , and chronic and irreversible - dementia ^[3] .

Separately, intellectual disorders in the classification of mental illness identified Swiss physician F. Plater ^[4] .

The French psychiatrist F. Pinel for the first time divided dementia into congenital and acquired ^[5] .

J.-E. D. Escirol - a French psychiatrist, a student of Philippe Pinel, in terms of "dementia" in the understanding of "dementia" and "idiocy" in the understanding of "mental retardation" differentiates them for the first time. Dementia, according to Eskirol, is a brain lesion with a chronic course, with a weakening of intelligence, with a perversion of feelings and will. In one of those precise and vivid aphorisms that were so characteristic of the scientist, he distinguishes between dementia and idiocy :

The modern term " oligophrenia " was proposed by the German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin .

Symptoms in the structure of dementia can be different, but negative ones prevail ^[6] . If it is determined only by them, this is simple dementia . More often, especially in the initial stage, there is psychotic dementia with delirium , hallucinations , manic and depressive syndrome . Moreover, the more pronounced they are, the easier dementia and vice versa, with total dementia, they completely disappear. According to G. Maudsley : “In extreme cases of dementia, even ridiculous ideas cannot form” ^[7] .

On etiology distinguish:

1. An acquired disease is dementia, for example, atrophic processes of the brain in preschool and senile age - Alzheimer's disease ), dementia in vascular, metabolic and other organic diseases of the brain - the so-called psycho - organic syndrome .
   1. With the flow there are:
      1. Stationary - having arisen, does not deepen;
      2. Progressive - leading to mental insanity . Moreover, the earlier it begins, the faster the progress and the worse the prognosis ^[8] .
   2. By pathological changes according to O. V. Kerbikov :
      1. Organic - there are characteristic changes in the brain. It, in turn, is classified by etiology, nosological principle and localization in the brain. Separately, some authors single out epileptic dementia , which is expressed not only in a significant decrease in memory, but also in a peculiar change in thinking, when a person begins to lose the ability to distinguish between the main and the secondary, everything seems important to him, all the little things are significant. Thinking becomes viscous, unproductive, pathologically thorough, the patient can not express his thoughts in any way (not without reason epileptic thinking is sometimes called labyrinth ). The narrowing of the circle of interests and the concentration of attention solely on one's condition ( concentric dementia ) are also characteristic.
      2. Schizophrenic dementia (or vesanic, apathetic, transient ^[9] , atactic dementia) - is characterized by intellectual inaction, lack of initiative, while the prerequisites for mental activity can persist for a long time ^[10] . It occurs with a prolonged course of schizophrenia .
   3. Clinically distinguish between lacunar and total dementia ^{[10] [6]} . Among the total dementia A. V. Snezhnevsky distinguishes paralytic and senile dementia ^[11] . The former is characterized by euphoria , psychomotor agitation, facilitation of associations and disinhibition of lower drives ; for the second - amnesia , loss of criticism, indifferent or gloomy-irritable mood, emotional dullness . Classical forms are found, respectively, with progressive paralysis and senile dementia .
2. Congenital disease - mental retardation ( oligophrenia ). It is caused by a disorder of early ontogenesis ^[6] . The process is stationary, however, it can be aggravated by new exogenous influences ( TBI ). Traditional classification (for details, please see " Classification of Oligophrenia "):
   1. debility (sometimes the ability to work );
   2. imbecility (self-care ability remains);
   3. idiocy (the ability to self-service and speech is not preserved).

• Intelligence
• Cognitive impairment
• Mental retardation
• Dementia
• Hospitalism

1. Bitsensky V.S. , Goryachev P.I. , Melnik E.V. and Inshi. Psychiatry: Lecture Course: Study Guide = Psychiatry: Lecture Course: Navalny Posibnik / Ed. Bitsensky V.S. - Odessa: ONMU , 2004 . - 354 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 966-7733-56-4 . ;
2. Zamsky Kh.S. , Konyaeva N.P. Mentally retarded children: The history of their study, education and training from ancient times to the middle of the 20th century: a textbook for students of higher educational institutions . - 2nd ed .. - Moscow: Publishing Center "Academy", 2008 . - 368 p. - ISBN 978-5-7695-4334. (inaccessible link)
3. Morozov G.V. , Shuisky N.G. Introduction to clinical psychiatry (propaedeutics in psychiatry). - Nizhny Novgorod : Publishing house of the Novosibirsk State Medical Academy , 1998 . - 426 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-86093-010-0 . ;
4. O. V. Kerbikov , M. V. Korkina , R. A. Nadzharov , A. V. Snezhnevsky . Psychiatry. - 2nd, revised. - Moscow : Medicine , 1968 . - 448 p. - 75,000 copies. ;
5. Yu. V. Cannabih . The history of psychiatry . - Leningrad : State Medical Publishing House, 1928 .