[Psychopathological characteristics of the dynamics and outcomes of asthenia]

The dynamics of asthenic syndromes was subjected to a psychopathological analysis in 200 patients. It has been established that asthenia may manifest not only as a transitory neurotic disorder (either completely reversible or preceding the formation of steady morbid manifestations of the other structure) but also represent a number of independent psychopathological disorders that determine the clinical picture of the disease at the main stages of its development. The essence of asthenic syndrome transformation may be reduced to polar change of the morbid manifestations: hyperesthesia--hypesthesia, with estrangement of bodily sensations and own activity. The dichotomy indicated may be distinguished as a prognostically informative differentiating sign. In the light of the typology suggested the authors consider not only the place of asthenia in the continuum of pathological disorders but also its correlation with negative alterations.