Organic Mental Disorders: What Is It?

Organic Mental Disorders: What Is It?

There are a variety of mental disorders that are organic. These include, for example, delirium or dementia. Mental and organic disorders often have a threatening reputation among the population. However, the brain is more capable of regeneration than originally assumed and in many cases helpful support can be offered. An organic mental disorder (OPS) can be the first manifestation of an underlying illness or occur as a consequence or accompanying symptom in the course of an already known illness.

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• Complaints very different individually
• Mechanisms of Disease Development
• Type of brain damage relevant

Complaints very different individually

In OPS, there are basically two basic divisions: primary damage to the brain with changes in the substance, e.g. brain tumor, secondary damage to the brain due to physical illnesses, e.g. neurotoxic (nerve cell damage) metabolic products. Brain damage leads to individually different complaints. This has to do with the fact that the coping mechanisms are different. They depend, for example, on age, general health, previous illnesses and current illnesses, personality and social support.

Mechanisms of Disease Development

In principle, OPS is a description of common specific symptom complexes. In the case of dementia in particular, research has been able to clarify the underlying mechanisms. For more information, see What is dementia? In other areas it is still largely unclear how exactly OPS comes about. The following mechanisms can damage brain matter or functions and subsequently lead to OPS:

• Traumatic brain injuries e.g. bleeding,
• Vascular damage and cardiovascular diseases e.g. as a result of a heart attack,
• Disorders of the immune system, e.g. in the context of an autoimmune disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis),
• Infections e.g. meningoencephalitis,
• Brain tumors,
• Epilepsy.

Furthermore, prions (the smallest protein particles) are also discussed as triggers of organic mental disorders - but only in combination with a corresponding genetic predisposition. Other possible causes also include psychotropic substances (e.g. alcohol, opiates, cannabinoids) and drugs, etc.

Type of brain damage relevant

The following factors also play a role in the development of OPS:

• the size / volume of the damaged / destroyed brain tissue,
• their localization and the
• Type of brain damage (e.g. pressure damage due to an increase in brain volume, transfer of harmful substances due to impairment of the blood-brain barrier or insufficient oxygen supply).

The longer the brain has to compensate for the existing organic disturbance (slow damage) and the shorter the damaging mechanisms act on the brain, the better it can compensate for them.