Features of phytoneuroregulation of anxiety and depressive disorders associated with military stress
S.M. Moroz, I.I. Makarova, V.E. Semenikhina, N.V. Turishcheva, R.P. Khaitov
Summary. The effectiveness of the phytocomplex Anantavati® («Ananta Medicare», Great Britain) used in anti-terrorist operation-wounded patients with psychopathology in recovery period was presented in the article. The use of Phytocomplex Anantavati® has demonstrated significantly higher efficacy for anxiety and depressive disorders associated with military stress. There was recorded the reduction of depressive symptoms by 40%, such as: significant improvement of sleep, reduction of irritability and somatic manifestations of mental disorders, stabilization of mood, improving appetite and normalization of sexual function.
Key words: anxiety and depressive disorders, military stress, phytocomplex, Anantavati®.
Introduction The armed conflict in the East of Ukraine has become a powerful impetus to the development of the series of stress-induced states among both military and civilian population. According to information of United Nations, dated July 10, 2015, 6764 people have become the victims of the armed conflict in Ukraine (including civilians), 16,877 people have been injured and the number of temporarily displaced persons has exceeded 2.3 million (United nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, 2015). As the practice shows, not only people affected during the military actions, but also their relatives need an urgent psychological and psychiatric care.
Staying in the zone of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) contributes to the formation of different types of post-traumatic stress disorders, where anxiety and depressive disorders dominate in psychopathological structure. Soldiers used to reside in high-risk conditions that require active and decisive action. Soldiers were accustomed to constantly stay in high-risk conditions that require active and decisive action.
Getting back to a peaceful life, they continue to live on high alert; as a result the psychopathological disorders are developed. These psychopathological states include anxiety and depressive disorders of different types and severity, as well as socially disadapted behavior (different kinds of addiction, aggressive behavior and suicide). We note that neuro-psychiatric disorders were revealed in large quantities in soldiers and civilians during the war in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya. On the experience of these wars, the studies of stressful conditions have been already conducted. And the results showed the long duration of their course and severity of the medical and social consequences.
The current extreme events are characterized by durability, substantial involvement of different population groups and the presence of information psychological component of «hybrid» war. In 4 weeks after injury, the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder were revealed in 42% of women and 32% of men respectively. ⅓ of the people affected an extreme event, had different manifestations of the disease (M. Kolesnik, 2015).
Everything above-mentioned, specifies the necessity for timely adequate psychological and psychiatric care for the injured and demobilized persons from the ATO zone.
Different psychotropic drugs are widely used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. To relief an acute anxiety, the most common prescribed drugs are anxiolytics - benzodiazepines (Phenazepamum, diazepam), rare - tranquilizers and antidepressants. However, their use is difficult due to a number of side effects, the possible development of drug addiction and withdrawal syndrome that make difficult the patient's daily activity (Shavlovskaya O.A., 2012).
Not all combatants understand the necessity of this kind of treatment and agree to take neuroleptics and antidepressants rarely. In this connection there is the question of an adequate alternative to drug therapy. The best option alternative is the use of herbal remedies that are mentally more acceptable for Ukrainian society.
It should be noted that for the patients with anxiety-depressive disorders the assortment of herbal remedies is limited. Many of them contain valerian, intake of which is not recommended for depression and other conditions involving depression of the central nervous system (Compendium - medication 2014). Therefore, the study and clinical use of phytocomplexes which are effective in irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances and other symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders, are relevant.
The purpose of this study is the study of the effectiveness of phytocomplex Anantavati («Ananta Medicare», UK), which consists of the biologically active components of the eight herbs, for the treatment of patients with anxiety and depressive disorders, related to stress of military actions.