In the psychiatric world, what is "decompensation"?

Question

I've seen this word quite a bit lately and wondered what it describes? Symptoms? Can a person diagnose themselves if this occurs?

Answer 1

Decompensation is a worsening of symptoms to the state of a serious mental disorder. The symptoms themselves depend on the particular disorder. So, for example, if someone being treated for schizophrenia and began to decompensate, it would mean a return of or a worsening of symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations and poorer functioning in areas such as social relationships, self-care, etc.

At one time people might have referred to decompensation as having a nervous breakdown. In dynamic terms it is the breakdown of a person's defensive structure leading to personality disintegration. The important variable is that symptoms begin to interfere with functioning. I suppose a person can diagnose themselves to a certain extent. For example, if you have an anxiety disorder and begin to decompensate to the point where your anxiety begins to interfere with your day to day functioning, you may be aware of yourself as decompensating.

Decompensation, by the way, is not purely a psychiatric term. People can decompensate in terms of purely physical illness, as well. Again, it refers to an increase of symptoms leading to a deterioration of functioning.

Answer 2

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Definitely 'a circus act', the psychiatric problems will be their final trump card, when she realises there is no where else to hide and her 'tear', drops her in it for good.... Did they not think that those who are experts at deception wouldn't be able to 'suss' them out? I think the only time we will see some 'genuine reaction from Kate or angry Gerry, is when they are finally exposed......

Answer 3

Decompensate

Answer 4

The inability to do daily living skills

Answer 5

Decompensation is the technical term for what is commonly known as "survivor's guilt." Actually, it is what one does to oneself if they have survivor's guilt. They will deprive themselves of thingls like food and comfort because they feel guilty for having survived a situation they were involved in which others were killed. For example, we have a client in our group therapy now who had survivor's guilt because he survived the Oklahahoma City Federal Building bombing. He was a construction worker there and his three other co-workers in the same room he was in were killed. He stopped eating over his guilt and went from 170 to 120 pounds before therapy helped him.