Epileptoid psychopathy: reflection on humans

Medical information is reliable Checked by Eremin Alexey Valentinovich

Psychopathy, or personality disorder, manifests itself in the form of persistent disturbances in character and behavior. They arise from birth or form in a child in early childhood and persist throughout the rest of his life. Such deviations lead to maladjustment in relationships with people. The pathology can be caused by many factors, but their significance varies for each patient. Treatment of psychopathy in Moscow is carried out at Dr. Isaev’s clinic by the best specialists.

Statistics say that approximately 10% of the world's population suffers from some degree of psychopathy. This is indicated by international studies conducted in many countries. Asthenic, hysterical and emotionally labile forms of the disease are more common in women, while other types are most typical for men. Often one patient has a combination of several personality disorders at the same time.

Psychopathy signs

Treatment of psychopathy should begin with a diagnosis. An experienced doctor first of all pays attention to the signs of this disease. The main symptoms of this disorder are:

• indifference to the feelings of others;
• rejection of social norms of behavior;
• failure to fulfill duties and requirements;
• the desire to fulfill one's desires, even through violence;
• difficulty in forming relationships with people;
• lack of feelings of guilt and analysis of mistakes;
• Blaming others for your failures.

Features of the manifestation and treatment of psychopathy depend on its type. According to one of the classifications, it is:

• asthenic;
• psychasthenic;
• schizoid;
• paranoid;
• epileptoid;
• cycloid;
• unstable;
• antisocial;
• psychopaths are constitutionally stupid.

Asthenic psychopathy

People with this deviation are characterized by increased shyness, indecisiveness, and poor adaptability to new conditions. They have a high sensitivity to mental stimuli and physical stress. Such individuals exhibit strong reactivity in response to the sight of blood, temperature changes, and tactlessness of people. They often have various problems in the functioning of the autonomic system and tend to focus on their sensations.

Psychasthenic

Treatment of psychopathy in psychasthenics using psychotherapy involves teaching patients normal self-esteem and gaining confidence. Such people manifest themselves with constant doubts. They are shy, but at the same time very proud and touchy. They love to engage in introspection, self-control, and adore abstract logical constructs that are not applicable in life. Any change in work, place of residence, and other aspects is accompanied by an increase in anxiety. They are very pedantic, disciplined and annoying. Psychasthenics cannot occupy management positions, but they can be excellent assistant managers.

Schizoid

Representatives of this disorder are characterized by high sensitivity towards themselves and their problems and absolute indifference to the misfortune of others. All actions of such a person are aimed at satisfying himself, but without the desire for fame or money (although there are exceptions). Schizoids are often people of art; in life they are called originals, eccentrics. They are persistent in achieving their goals and are ready to help starving children in Africa, but at the same time they will calmly look at the experiences of their own mother.

Paranoid

A feature of this change in personality is the formation of an extremely valuable idea in a person by the age of 20-25. These ideas are based (unlike delusional ones) on reality, but at the same time facts and events are assessed subjectively, based on their own point of view (jealousy, hypochondria, etc.) . Treatment of psychopathy in this case is not effective if only medication is used.

They are distinguished by rancor, touchiness, and a desire for self-affirmation. Their character traits often lead to conflict situations with others. They often fight for justice, which is expressed in the constant writing of complaints, going to authorities, and participating in court proceedings.

Epileptoid

Epileptoids are characterized by an explosive nature, anger and excitability. Their reaction often does not correspond to the strength of the irritation. But then they quickly move away and even regret their incontinence. They are difficult to get along with in the family and work collective, vindictive, pedantic and overly neat. At the same time, they exhibit sweetness, the ability to flatter, and the use of diminutive words in conversation.

Epileptoid psychopaths either love or hate; for them there is no moderation in feelings. But the peculiarities of their character and behavior haunt neither friends nor enemies. Some patients have a tendency to alcoholism, drugs, and vagrancy. Among people of this type there are often perverts, gamblers or murderers. Therefore, the treatment of mental disorders in these patients should be entrusted exclusively to experienced specialists.

Hysterical

Hysterical psychopathy manifests itself in the desire to certainly attract attention. With such a personality type, any effect designed to demonstrate appearance, emotions, and stories about one’s own unusual adventures is important. Some hysterics may attribute to themselves high-profile crimes that they did not actually commit. People of this type often play some role, imitating one or another personality.

When admitted to the hospital, treatment of psychopathy in a hysteroid becomes more difficult, since he can very reliably simulate the illnesses of his neighbors in the ward. It is also characterized by contradictory judgments, alternating sympathy and antipathy.

Cycloid psychopathy

Cycloids are divided into several groups. The first (hypothymic) are constantly in a sad mood, pessimistic, characterized by gloom and reluctance to communicate. They show diligence and accuracy in their work, but always expect failure. They are driven by a constant feeling of their own inferiority. In this case, in addition to general methods, treatment for depression may be required.

Hyperthymic cycloids, unlike hypothymic ones, are constantly in a state of animation, good mood, active and optimistic. They love communication and long conversations, full of different ideas. Negative traits of this type are a tendency towards adventurism and inconsistency. They often lie and do not fulfill obligations and promises. Emotionally unstable cycloids are constantly subject to mood swings. Such periods can last for hours, days and even weeks.

Unstable psychopathy

These people are constantly exposed to other people's influence. They are very suggestible, and their whole life is shaped by random circumstances. They are the ones who most often end up in a circle and become addicted to drugs and alcohol. At work they are unnecessary and undisciplined. They constantly need supervision and, in good conditions, can work normally and lead a healthy, active life. Treatment of psychopathy in Moscow for this group of people is easy due to their suggestibility. The main thing for a doctor in this situation is to become a significant person for his patient.

Antisocial

Antisocial psychopaths are characterized by moral defects. They do not feel their duty towards society and cannot feel affection for others. These people are indifferent to praise or blame and are unable to live peacefully with other people because they do not follow generally accepted rules. Many antisocial psychopaths torture animals as children and treat their parents with indifference.

Constitutionally stupid psychopaths

Unlike mental retardation and other children with congenital mental disabilities, constitutionally stupid psychopaths learn easily and get high grades. But in practice they are not able to apply their knowledge. They cannot take initiative, use patterns in conversation, are very suggestible, tend to obey the opinion of the majority and carefully follow fashion. They are conservative by nature and do not like innovation. They are distinguished by high self-esteem and often utter pompous, complex phrases that do not have any meaning.

Epileptoid psychopathy. The younger the age when its features are revealed, the more severe it is [Spivak L.I., 1962]. Compared to accentuations of this type, two character traits can be sharply enhanced. In some cases, the tendency to dysphoria and affectivity increase significantly (explosive variant). In others, disturbances of impulses come to the fore (perverse variant). The latter most often manifest sadistic-masochistic tendencies. Such teenagers get sensual pleasure by tormenting, subtly torturing children, weak and defenseless, brutally beating and finishing animals to death. But even on the teenagers’ bodies, you can see traces of cuts and burns from self-inflicted cigarettes. In extreme cases, a desire for self-mutilation, ingestion of foreign bodies, and insertion of needles into one's own body is revealed. Violations of desires can also manifest themselves as true dromomania, a passion for arson, or more precisely, for contemplating a blazing flame, as well as sexual perversions (usually homosexuality with an active role). One of the infrequent but striking forms of drive disorders is a pathological passion for incomplete self-strangulation. They tighten the noose around the neck or squeeze the neck with their hands until the consciousness becomes clouded and slight convulsive twitching of the muscles appears - at this moment they experience pleasure close to orgasm (“getting high”). Sometimes these actions are misinterpreted by others as suicide attempts.

Suicidal behavior in epileptoid adolescents can be difficult to analyze. In adult psychopaths of this type, true suicide attempts have been described during severe dysphoria. In epileptoid adolescents, such actions are extremely rare. The case is usually limited to causing minor injuries to oneself. But demonstrative suicidal behavior is frequent, sometimes in the nature of obvious “suicidal blackmail.” In contrast to similar actions of hysterics seeking attention to their person or some kind of indulgence for themselves, suicidal demonstrations in epileptoid adolescents are usually provoked by punishment, are always colored by a feeling of revenge against the offender (“let him answer”) and are intended to give him troubles.

Epileptoid psychopathy is most often constitutional, despite the existing signs of residual organic brain damage (neurological “microsymptoms”, a history of traumatic brain injury or other cerebral pathology). Nevertheless, the clinical picture of the disorders and the characteristics of character anomalies have significant differences from the epileptoid variant of organic psychopathy. Psychopathic development of the epileptoid type in conditions of cruel relationships in the immediate environment is possible on the basis of both the same epileptoid and conformal, less often schizoid accentuation. Epileptoid psychopathy is one of the most common types encountered in adolescent psychiatric hospitals. Examples of this type are given when describing different degrees of severity of psychopathy.

The following can be noted as the most common variants of epileptoid psychopathy, both constitutional and psychopathic development.

Epileptoid-hysteroid psychopathy is manifested by a combination of epileptoid traits with egocentrism, pretentiousness, and a tendency to demonstrative behavior. Even during affective outbursts and when disturbed drives are satisfied, demonstrativeness appears. For example, self-harm always occurs in front of others. In their sexual life, they prefer partners who fall into slavish dependence on them, live at their expense, and push them around. Over the years, such traits as a tendency to “hospital parasitism”, demonstrative suicide attempts, and swallowing foreign bodies are increasingly revealed. Unlike typical epileptoids, they are endowed with a somewhat graceful physique.

Victor I., 15 years old. From a prosperous family, heredity is not burdened. Even before school he was difficult: he committed petty thefts and started smoking. From the 1st grade I didn’t want to study, I skipped classes. At the age of 10, he ran away from home for the first time: he was afraid of punishment, because at school, after he was reprimanded at the pedagogical council for absenteeism and poor academic performance, he covered the walls with obscene inscriptions about teachers. He encouraged a friend who had relatives in another city to escape. On the way they were detained by the police. At the age of 11, he completely abandoned his studies, spent time in street groups, and began to drink. The truancy was arranged in such a way that the parents were in the dark for a long time. He secretly threatened a teacher who came to his home with a knife.

He was placed in a special boarding school. Here, for about a year, he behaved in an exemplary manner, subservient to the teachers, wrote patriotic poems and read them at amateur art evenings, was appointed class commander and received a certain power over his fellow students, the weaker of whom he treated cruelly, demanded handouts, and secretly forced them to serve him. When it was discovered that he had forced a weaker student into depraved acts, he was removed from his command post. Shortly after this, at night he hit this student in the temple with a pointer and escaped from the boarding school. The returned one boastfully declared to his fellow practitioners that he was going to kill him out of revenge for what he had betrayed.

In the teenage psychiatric clinic, he did not violate the rules and curried favor with the staff. With other teenagers he constantly and obviously demonstratively had sexual conversations about girls, apparently hoping in this way to refute suspicion of homosexuality. He made up a story that he supposedly had to kill his fellow student because he lost him at cards. He behaved swaggeringly, with bravado, but it was clear that he himself was afraid of stronger teenagers.

During the conversation, I tried not to say anything new about myself and at the same time make a favorable impression. He gave a new version of explanation for his actions: supposedly that fellow student seduced him into depraved acts, and when he refused, he slandered him. He only depicted “murder” because he did not want to lose an argument with another student that he was “capable of anything” - otherwise he would not have been “considered.” He discovered a penchant for drawing and posing. He himself offered to read the patriotic poems he had composed in front of doctors and students (very primitive in form and content). He stated that in the future he would become a poet, and for this “you need to experience everything in life.”

Small in stature, but strong in build. Sexual development with moderate acceleration.

Neurological examination and EEG showed no abnormalities.

During a pathological characterological examination using PDO, a mixed epileptoid-hysterical type was diagnosed using an objective assessment scale. There is an indication of the possibility of the formation of epileptoid psychopathy. There was a strong reaction of emancipation (found in hysteroids), a high tendency towards delinquency and pronounced alcoholism. Self-assessment is incorrect: according to the subjective assessment scale, hyperthymic and unstable features appeared reliably.

Diagnosis. Psychopathy of the epileptoid-hysteroid type of moderate degree.

Catamnesis. Due to ongoing behavioral disorders, after finishing 8th grade, he was transferred from a special boarding school to a special vocational school.

Epileptoid-unstable psychopathy includes, in addition to epileptoid traits, a constant desire for an idle lifestyle. They live only in the present, without plans for the future. There are no emotional attachments. They usually become heavily alcoholic. They become rulers of asocial groups, using their members for selfish purposes or to satisfy their perverted desires. Particularly prone to promiscuity. They easily cross the line between delinquency and crime. The most common crimes are grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, and robbery and burglary. Offenses are usually committed with accomplices, who are assigned the most dangerous role, but they themselves get the lion’s share of the “boot” [Lichko A. E., Vdovichenko A. A., 1980]. When threatened with punishment, they like to feign various diseases.

A similar picture of psychopathy in adults was described as an independent type under different names: “enemies of society”, “soulless”, “antisocial” [Gannushkin P.B., 1933] - they really, as a rule, lead an asocial lifestyle. But all these names turned out to be unsuccessful and did not take root. Sometimes they are called “emotionally dull,” which is hardly correct, since emotional dullness is understood as one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia.

In adolescence, it is more clearly seen that this is a variant of the epileptoid type with behavioral characteristics characteristic of the unstable type. P. B. Gannushkin (1933) also noted schizoid traits in “antisocial” people. But with a clear lack of empathy, which explains this similarity, they have neither real isolation, nor life in the inner world, nor even a lack of intuition in assessing interpersonal relationships.

Causes of psychopathy

Treatment of psychopathy requires understanding the causes of its occurrence. This personality disorder occurs as a result of improper formation of will and emotions. Many scientists are inclined to believe that this deviation should be considered not so much as a separate disease, but as a feature of severe character traits due to pathology of the nervous system. The reasons may be:

• birth injury;
• difficult pregnancy;
• hereditary predisposition;
• alcoholism or drug addiction of parents at the time of conception and gestation;
• physical, mental or sexual abuse;
• encephalitis suffered at an early age.

The formation of a psychopathic personality is facilitated by two extremes in education. The first option is when a child in the family feels like a king. All his whims and desires are fulfilled, he is not given independence and the opportunity to take responsibility for something. Character pathology also occurs in a family where a son or daughter is constantly scolded, humiliated, mocked, and their shortcomings are constantly emphasized.

Treatment of psychopathy in men

In men, treatment for psychopathy is carried out in the same way as in women. But it should be understood that this deviation has special manifestations in the stronger sex. Love and empathy are not characteristic of these individuals, but to get what they want, they can play with feelings and use others. Those who find themselves in close relationships with them often suffer and receive psychological trauma.

Quite often, treatment of psychopathy in men has to be carried out forcibly, by court order, since almost not a single patient admits to his problems and is considered to be completely healthy. Therefore, it is important for relatives to talk to the person and convince him to undergo therapy. Doctors have not yet come up with a way to influence the cause and pathogenesis of the deviation. But some improvement in character, adaptation and family relationships can be achieved with the help of sedatives and work with a psychotherapist. This type of treatment for personality disorder requires a sufficient number of sessions to achieve a positive result.

Consultation with a psychologist: paranoid-epileptoid personality type

We continue the series of publications devoted to various psychological personality types. Previously, we have already described a significant number of psychological identities and types. It is not possible to list everything here. For those interested in psychology there are sections on our website. Serious articles on psychology can be read in the ARTICLES . Humorous publications on the topic of psychology can be read under the tag Tales of a former psychologist .

Any publications on this site do not claim to be a guide to psychological help. The help of a professional psychologist , in most cases, is more effective than the client’s self-help. We are only trying to give our clients and readers an insight into psychology. In mild cases, this helps a person understand himself without turning to a psychologist. In severe cases, the client’s horizons in psychology significantly improves mutual understanding between the client and the psychologist, and, consequently, makes psychological assistance faster and cheaper. So, in most cases, knowing is more useful than not knowing.

The paranoid-epileptoid personality type is one of the most difficult and controversial to define and classify, even by a professional psychologist. Moreover, this is difficult for a person without psychological education and professional experience in psychology. The possibility of error is high. Therefore, first we will describe the general principles for assessing psychological qualities and personality traits.

Part 1. General principles for assessing psychological qualities and personality traits

The vast majority of psychological qualities, which may later manifest themselves in the form of a personality disorder or even mental pathology, mental disorder, are initially present in the human psyche at the normal level.

Psychology, due to its development, has long ceased to be simply a descriptive science. Modern psychology, using psychodiagnostic techniques (including psychological tests), can measure almost any psychological quality or personality trait in standardized scores. So, normally, almost all of these qualities and properties are present in a person and are necessary for adaptation (survival). Therefore, each of us has paranoid-epileptoid traits, the only question is the degree of their expression. Their significant or excessive expression allows the psychologist to speak about the paranoid-epileptoid personality type of the client.

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A slight deviation in the severity of psychological qualities and properties up or down (measured in points relative to the norm) indicates a slight psychological uniqueness of the individual, which is commonly called accentuation.

Accentuation is an emphasis in a person’s personality, slight originality, “cute oddities” that distinguish a person from the “corridor of the norm” on the graph of personality properties, which give a person a bright individuality. At the level of accentuation, “cute oddities” can be both interesting and burdensome for others, but more often they are interpreted as a non-standard bright personality. Accentuation is the line between mental norm and pathology, but closer to normal.

A significant deviation in the severity of psychological qualities and properties up or down (measured in points relative to the norm corridor) indicates a significant psychological uniqueness of the individual, which is usually called the zone of psychopathy (Not to be confused with impulsive psychopathy !).

At the level of psychopathy, “cute oddities” in a person’s character and personality cease to be “cute” and become burdensome for others, and sometimes also for the bearer of these “oddities.” The zone of psychopathy is the zone following the accentuation on the graph of personality properties, which is also still considered borderline between mental norm and pathology, but is already closer to personality pathology and mental disorders and diseases.

An extreme deviation in the severity of psychological qualities and properties up or down (measured in points relative to the norm corridor) indicates an extreme uniqueness of the personality, which is usually called the zone of pathology, the zone of mental disorders and diseases.

Thus, symmetrically from the norm corridor, three zones diverge in width in pairs: accentuation, psychopathy and pathology. When we describe the paranoid-epileptoid personality type, we mean the degree of expression of psychological originality in the form of accentuation or, in extreme cases, psychopathy. Pathology is mainly dealt with by psychiatrists.

Part 2. Paranoid-epileptoid personality type

Leonhard, Kraepelin, Gannushkin and other psychiatrists and psychologists wrote about the paranoid-epileptoid personality type. Our description of the paranoid-epileptoid personality type is based on both the views of these authors and our own conclusions from many years of practice as a psychologist.

The paranoid-epileptoid personality type, as a variant of the borderline personality state between normality and pathology, is characterized by the following features:

1. Suspicion and mistrust that go beyond the boundaries of average common sense. In mild forms of normality and slight accentuation, these qualities are of the nature of increased attentiveness and caution (Not to be confused with anxiety !), but in severe forms of significant psychopathy, these qualities are of the nature of absolute conviction in the hostility of the immediate environment and the world as a whole. The more a psychologist or close people try to convince such a person that there is no malicious intent, the more such a person becomes convinced that they are trying to deceive him with the help of more and more new arguments, and that there is malicious intent and intrigue against him. In severe psychiatric cases, this unbending conviction takes on the character of delusion. However, in mild adaptive cases, the paranoid-epileptoid personality type demonstrates qualities (attention to detail and caution in decision making) that are extremely necessary for certain types of activities. It is believed that the paranoid-epileptoid personality type in mild forms of the norm and slight accentuation is extremely promising, for example, for the professions of a politician, a sniper, and a major leader. Biographical psychological analysis suggests that such notable historical figures as I.V. had a similar type of personality. Stalin, Mao Zedong, Cardinal Richelieu.

2. Pedantry in activities and rancor in relationships. Psychologists have a professional joke related to the paranoid-epileptoid personality type: “The revenge of the epileptoid is inevitable!” It is not always the case that a person with this type of personality is pedantic and extremely careful in all types of activities. As a rule, the paranoid-epileptoid personality type has one or two types of activity in which pedantry, accuracy, and a tendency toward ideal order are manifested, reaching the point of complete absurdity. This quality is played up by screenwriters and film directors in films about vengeful maniacs, for example, in a couple of newlyweds, the husband demands from the unsuspecting young wife that everything in the kitchen be in a certain strict order and system: towels are hung along a line, cups are arranged by size or pattern and etc. And yes, this type of personality is characterized by significant rigidity of negative affect, “getting stuck” on real and imagined grievances, which manifests itself in petty settling of scores over trifles (this type of personality attaches importance to everything!) and vindictiveness (revenge can be delayed for a long time, to be realized at that moment when the “offender” has long forgotten everything and suspects nothing). In mild forms of the norm and slight accentuation, the paranoid-epileptoid personality type is extremely promising - such people make pedantic performers at work, where other people cannot cope with the need to maintain ideal order in their activities.

3. People’s actions and events are given “special” negative meanings. A logical consequence of the previous two points. The paranoid-epileptoid personality type interprets people’s actions and events in an elaborate way, not directly, but in most cases with a negative connotation. For an ordinary person, and not a professional psychologist or psychiatrist, this psychological quality looks like a strange mixture of florid negative conclusions about people and life, sometimes with an admixture of mystical or any other irrational justifications for their interpretations. This is the extreme of negative bias. Someone gave a gift - it means that the gift was given with negative “energy” and brings evil. Someone said something - these are hidden hints of something bad, veiled insults and threats. Someone did something - and then it will come back to haunt you in the future. Someone gets close to someone - he needs something, and always with negative consequences. The doctor made a diagnosis - he came up with it in order to make money (at best) or to poison him with pills (at worst). For a superficial observer, it can be difficult to predict in advance exactly what negative meanings will be invented. It is usually impossible to refute these negative meanings with banal arguments of common sense. In its adaptive form, the paranoid-epileptoid personality type is found among spiritual leaders, healers, psychics, fortune tellers, etc.

4. Egocentrism, power, tendency to dominate, low criticism of one’s conclusions and actions. A typical position of a paranoid-epileptoid personality type: “There is my correct opinion, and everyone else is wrong!” A typical phrase that a psychologist writes about such a person when writing a psychologist’s report after a psychodiagnostic examination : “He loves and knows how to rule!” As a rule, if one of the parents is paranoid-epileptoid, then the family observes a dominant style of raising a child with elements of intimidation: negative properties of the surrounding world, hidden threats emanating from strangers, and the consequences of parental disobedience. The consequences of such upbringing of children - an increased level of neuroticism and social maladjustment in a former child who has become an adult - is a typical psychological problem that a psychologist faces in consultation and psychotherapy.

5. Rigidity (inflexibility of thinking), unbending attitudes and outlook on life, conservatism, low ability to learn everything new. The paranoid-epileptoid personality type seems to stop in its development: it has a negative attitude towards everything new (finding more minuses than pluses in newness), it is difficult to learn (preferring already mastered old knowledge and skills), it is distrustful of democratic processes (finding they are a threat to traditions and established rules), he is reserved about progress (finding charm in the past and immersing himself in pleasant memories of how good things used to be).

Paranoid-epileptoid personality traits are not constant; they develop in the process of growing up and aging of a person. In a sense, paranoid-epileptoid personality traits are a consequence of the accumulation of life experience. But if negative life experiences begin to dominate openness and ease, a person with these qualities moves towards psychopathy and even psychopathology. It is interesting that among adolescents the paranoid-epileptoid personality type is extremely rare, and if it does appear, then, as a rule, this indicates an approaching mental disorder. On the contrary, in old people, the paranoid-epileptoid personality type is a common consequence of the experience and, despite all its unpleasantness for the environment, in most cases it is a reactive state (a natural reaction to the experience) and a variant of the mental norm.

As we have already written, the paranoid-epileptoid personality type is one of the most difficult and controversial to define and classify, even by a professional psychologist. There is a great temptation to label an unpleasant person as “paranoid and epileptoid,” and there is also a great risk of not seeing the developing paranoid-epileptoid qualities in a person who, over time, can become dangerous, both for himself and for others. That is why a consultation with a psychologist or psychiatrist, supported by a psychodiagnostic examination, is practically the only way to draw informed conclusions about a person. Do not try to diagnose your loved ones yourself! Don’t be like people with severe paranoid-epileptoid personality type!

© Authors Igor and Larisa Shiryaev. The authors provide advice on issues of personal life and social adaptation (success in society). You can read about the features of the analytical consultation “Successful Brains” by Igor and Larisa Shiryaev on the CONSULTATION page.

Analytical psychological consultation with Igor and Larisa Shiryaev. You can ask questions and schedule a consultation by phone. E-mail We will be glad to help you!

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Treatment of psychopathy in women

Treatment of psychopathy in Moscow for women at Dr. Isaev’s clinic involves using an integrated approach using medications. They are usually recommended to eliminate angry outbursts and relieve depression if the patient is in the stage of decompensation. In mild cases, you can get by with psychotherapy alone; cognitive-behavioral therapy is chosen; it allows you to analyze the wrong attitude towards events and people, and change your reaction to stressful and ordinary situations.

The following drugs are used:

• neuroleptics;
• behavior correctors;
• tranquilizers;
• antidepressants (most often serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

A friendly atmosphere is created around the patient, occupational therapy is provided and assistance is provided for social adaptation. Sometimes hypnosis and auto-training, ordinary conversations, and family therapy are used to improve relationships with loved ones.

Treatment of epileptoid psychopathy

Treatment of psychopathy in epileptoids consists of an individual approach to each patient and the use of all modern methods of providing assistance. As with other personality disorders, medications are used in combination with psychotherapy techniques. It can be in the form:

• gathering a group of people with similar problems;
• individual conversations with a specialist;
• working with relatives.

A person learns to manage his emotions, especially anger, and communicate with loved ones and strangers. Permanent employment is a prerequisite for this type of psychopathy; without this, the patient’s condition worsens significantly.

The prognosis for this disease is more favorable if the attacks are caused by negative experiences. In this case, treating stress along with cognitive behavioral psychotherapy will help. The work of an experienced specialist will help achieve good results, and it is possible to achieve depsychotization.

Symptoms

There are character traits that define epileptoids, and in men and women with epileptoid psychopathy, these same traits seem to be excessively expressed, so that their behavior seems abnormal, out of the generally accepted framework.

• Affective outbursts are one of the most characteristic signs. Attacks of anger appear, as it seems to others, out of the blue, but, in fact, epileptoids “save up” their emotions for a very long time and “explode” at a certain moment. Since most of the time such a person is in a state of dysphoria, it is almost impossible to guess when and what will trigger the next outbreak. In a fit of anger, people have poor control over their emotions, can behave aggressively and are not always able to stop in time.
• Dysphoria – decreased mood, melancholy, anger, increased sensitivity to minor irritations. Most of the time the epileptoid is in this state. He seems to be looking for (and finding) reasons to be offended, angry or upset.
• Viscosity of thinking and behavior - it is very difficult for an epileptoid to quickly change his behavior or way of thinking. They love order, tend to “put everything in order” and cannot quickly switch to another object or action.
• Cyclicality – changes in mood, periods of dysphoria and aggression constantly replace each other. With pathology, even a certain “regime” is possible, for example, in the morning the mood is normal, by lunchtime it worsens, and in the evening an explosion occurs.
• Touchiness, suspiciousness - such people take everything personally and notice every little thing if it has anything to do with them. Another side of such self-centeredness is the almost complete lack of empathy and lack of desire to pay attention to the feelings of others.
• Pedantry – a penchant for order and the desire to put everything in its place can turn into pedantry.

Explosive psychopathy disorder, or intermittent temper disorder, refers to behavioral disorders that are characterized by explosive outbursts of anger, often to the point of boiling point, that are disproportionate to the situation, such as impulsive screaming caused by relatively unimportant events. Impulsive aggression is unintentional and is characterized by a disproportionate reaction to any provocation, real or perceived. Some people show affective changes before the attack, such as tensional mood changes, energy redistributions, and so on.

The disorder is currently classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as “disruptive, impulsive self-control disorder, and conduct disorder.” The disorder itself is characterized quite complexly and often exhibits comorbidity with other mood disorders, in particular bipolar disorder.

Patients diagnosed with explosive psychopathy show attacks that are brief (lasting less than an hour), characterized by various bodily symptoms - sweating, stuttering, chest tightness, twitching, palpitations. Aggressive actions are often accompanied by a feeling of relief, and in some cases pleasure, and ultimately by late repentance.

Psychopaths - epileptoids love to eat delicious food, their sleep is healthy and sound, but awakening is difficult. Epiliptoid psychopaths cannot be called shy; in relation to the opposite sex, they constantly awaken a constant sexual desire. This psychotype does not like to dream; his credo is to live in today’s conditions and think about solving pressing issues.

Many epileptoids cannot live in disorder, and order is considered to be the level that he has determined for himself. They always have a made bed, washed dishes, a basin and a bucket in the place chosen for this. It is quite difficult to tell something complex to an epileptoid; due to his viscous thinking, he will not be able to understand the details, which will lead him to another attack of rabies.

The state of dysphoria (sad, sometimes angry behavior combined with a difficult perception of fast events) is present in the life of a psychopath for quite a long time, sometimes up to a week; it happens that it is possible to get rid of such a mood by taking out anger on an object that comes to hand.

Affective aggressive outbursts are initially invisible, but the cause for an explosion can be an event that is invisible to an ordinary person. Sometimes aggression is provoked by drinking alcohol, which catalyzes all hidden resentments and anger. Epileptoids tend to enjoy life and satisfy their needs, so among this contingent there are many alcoholics, drug addicts, and gamblers who do not consider their vices something terrible and are not going to stop them.

Envious epileptoids hide this character trait. It is very difficult for their family members to exist next to them; epileptoids hold the palm of dominance in the relationship. If something gets out of their control, then another attack of rage with the use of physical force puts everything in its place. The characteristic features of an explosion of uncontrolled behavior are those that are noted when a person experiences an epileptic seizure.

The jealousy of epileptoid psychopaths poisons the life of his soul mate. The individual tries to find the reasons for the betrayal, but even if he doesn’t find it, he makes scandals based on those that he himself came up with. An attempt to leave such a person will cause blackmail, the direction of which will be seen as a method of suicide, only the epileptoid will not harm himself and will never interrupt his life path.

In the sphere of work and business relationships, psychopaths do not stay in one place for long. This is explained by the fact that if it is difficult to get rid of such an inadequate epileptoid in the family, then in the field of work the employer or partner simply breaks off relations with him, not wanting to deal with an antisocial personality.